AN OXFORDSHIRE MP will lead a group of British politicians in an international council.

Henley MP John Howell has been invited by the Prime Minister to take up the role of Leader of the British delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The Council is a non-EU organisation which the UK has remained a member of after Brexit, and mainly deals with human rights law.

Mr Howell said: “I am honoured to have been asked to do take on this appointment. The Council is one of the principal ways in which the British Government can continue to prove that we are the best possible allies, partners and friends of our European neighbours. It is a crucial part of our foreign policy objectives.”

The British delegation is a cross-party group of MPs drawn from the Conservative, Labour, SNP and DUP parties.

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It consists of 18 MPs together with another 18 alternates. The Council of Europe is a non-EU organisation of which we, therefore, remain as members beyond Brexit.

The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.

It has 47 member states and its parliamentary assembly is made up of parliamentary representatives from the members states and has to reflect the political balance of the country.

The Council meets in Strasbourg, discussing topics including climate change, sexual discrimination, the treatment of refugees, and conflicts between member countries such as Russia and Ukraine.

It is also the lead organisation for monitoring elections across Europe.