A fuel metering valve comprising: a sleeve having an upstream end and a downstream end, the sleeve comprising: a gear pump inlet; a fuel inlet port arranged downstream of the gear pump inlet; a fuel outlet port arranged downstream of the fuel inlet port; a low pressure port arranged downstream of the fuel outlet port and fluidically connected to the gear pump inlet; and a fuel shutoff port arranged downstream of the fuel outlet port; and a valve spool having a stroke length along the upstream-downstream axis, the valve spool comprising: a first land arranged to contact the sleeve downstream of the low pressure port and the fuel shutoff port; a second land arranged such that the fuel outlet port extends farther upstream than the second land, and when the fuel metering valve sis in a shutdown state the second seal land extends farther in both the upstream and downstream directions than the fuel outlet port to minimize the fuel flow from upstream of the second seal land to downstream of the second seal land via the low pressure port and the fuel shutoff port; a third land arranged upstream of the fuel inlet port and downstream of the gear pump inlet; and a fourth land arranged upstream of the gear pump inlet. a sleeve having an upstream end and a downstream end, the sleeve comprising: a gear pump inlet; a fuel inlet port arranged downstream of the gear pump inlet; a fuel outlet port arranged downstream of the fuel inlet port; a low pressure port arranged downstream of the fuel outlet port and fluidically connected to the gear pump inlet; and a fuel shutoff port arranged downstream of the fuel outlet port; and a gear pump inlet; a fuel inlet port arranged downstream of the gear pump inlet; a fuel outlet port arranged downstream of the fuel inlet port; a low pressure port arranged downstream of the fuel outlet port and fluidically connected to the gear pump inlet; and a fuel shutoff port arranged downstream of the fuel outlet port; and a valve spool having a stroke length along the upstream-downstream axis, the valve spool comprising: a first land arranged to contact the sleeve downstream of the low pressure port and the fuel shutoff port; a second land arranged such that the fuel outlet port extends farther upstream than the second land, and when the fuel metering valve sis in a shutdown state the second seal land extends farther in both the upstream and downstream directions than the fuel outlet port to minimize the fuel flow from upstream of the second seal land to downstream of the second seal land via the low pressure port and the fuel shutoff port; a third land arranged upstream of the fuel inlet port and downstream of the gear pump inlet; and a fourth land arranged upstream of the gear pump inlet. a first land arranged to contact the sleeve downstream of the low pressure port and the fuel shutoff port; a second land arranged such that the fuel outlet port extends farther upstream than the second land, and when the fuel metering valve sis in a shutdown state the second seal land extends farther in both the upstream and downstream directions than the fuel outlet port to minimize the fuel flow from upstream of the second seal land to downstream of the second seal land via the low pressure port and the fuel shutoff port; a third land arranged upstream of the fuel inlet port and downstream of the gear pump inlet; and a fourth land arranged upstream of the gear pump inlet.