Burt was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 14 May 2010. His roles there included overseeing British-Syria policy for three years that included the start of the Syrian Civil War, and leading on Israeli issues for the government at the United Nations. Burt was angered at the failure of MPs in August 2013 to support the British government's plan to participate in military strikes against the Syrian government, in the wake of a chemical-weapons attack at Ghouta. He stepped down on 7 October 2013. Burt had been delegated under William Hague specific responsibilities for advancing FCO policy on: