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‘I was on my honeymoon!’: Hamish Falconer’s surprise call-up to Burnham’s cabinet

The Guardian UK Sunday 09 August 2026, 18:00 UTC By Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor 1 min read
Key Points

New EU negotiator, who previously helped free Taliban hostages, thought it was safe to book holiday during recessWhen Hamish Falconer left his career as a Foreign Office diplomat for the hostile environment of a Labour party selection process, one of his last acts was a negotiation to free six hostages from the Taliban. When he won the key marginal seat of Lincoln in the 2024 general election, he did not expect to be back in those offices on King Charles Street quite so quickly – he was...

New EU negotiator, who previously helped free Taliban hostages, thought it was safe to book holiday during recess

When Hamish Falconer left his career as a Foreign Office diplomat for the hostile environment of a Labour party selection process, one of his last acts was a negotiation to free six hostages from the Taliban.

When he won the key marginal seat of Lincoln in the 2024 general election, he did not expect to be back in those offices on King Charles Street quite so quickly – he was appointed Middle East minister just two weeks later.

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Hamish Falconer (PERSON) Burnham’s (ORG) New EU (LOCATION) Taliban (ORG) Foreign Office (ORG) Labour (ORG) Lincoln (ORG) King Charles Street (LOCATION) Middle East (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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