David Lammy has urged Foreign Office staff not to use the words “help” or “assistance” when talking about poorer nations because it can be seen as patronising.

The Foreign Secretary said there was no place in British diplomacy for “old-style paternalism” towards less developed countries.

Mr Lammy promised a reset of the UK’s relations with so-called Global South nations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean within days of Labour taking office last year.

More recently, he defended the planned handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as an example of “showing that we mean what we say” on partnerships with such countries.