Leigh Turner

It is 1.59 a.m. in Vienna.  The city sleeps.  But at the Kunsthistorisches Museum a crowd waits in eager anticipation. At precisely 2 a.m., the British artist and writer Edmund de Waal steps forward to begin a talk called During the Night with the words “So, it’s two in the morning in the Kunsthistorische Museum.  […]

One year ago at the UN General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Theresa May launched a Call to Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Tackling the scourge of modern slavery is a top priority for the British Government.  We are delighted that dozens of UN Member States have signed up […]

What brings together Portuguese painter Vieira Portuense (1765-1805); Swiss painter Angelika Kauffmann (1741-1807); and English painter Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830)? More than you might think. The connections between the three illustrate the close connections between artists in the Europe of the 18th and 19th centuries. They are also a reminder that such connections continue to […]

I recently appeared on the Austrian TV news show “Zeit im Bild 2”.  You can see the video below (in German).  It includes an important message on citizens’ rights. The Prime Minister has always made clear that citizens’ rights are a priority in the Brexit negotiations.  The draft Withdrawal Agreement published in March will secure […]

“So,” said my senior visitor.  “You are going walking in Lower Austria. I guess that must be pretty flat?” “Er, no,” I said.  “Bits of Lower Austria are flatter than bits of some other Austria provinces; but Lower Austria has plenty of mountains.” My visitor looked at me sceptically. Lower Austria is the largest of […]

The questions come thick and fast.  Then the selfies. I take every opportunity I can to visit schools and universities in Austria.  Talking about the UK, Brexit and UK-Austrian relations helps to get across the message that the UK is open for business. Getting in touch with people who perhaps do not often meet diplomats […]

The quote that “Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language” is often attributed to Sir Winston Churchill.  A version I hear often in Vienna is “nothing unites Austrians and Germans so much as their divided language” (“nichts verbindet  Österreicher und Deutsche so sehr wie ihre geteilte Sprache”. Austrian German is full […]

How many tech geniuses can you squeeze into a single room? We tried this experiment recently when our Department for International Trade (DIT) team in Austria hosted #UKTECHNIGHT at the British Embassy in Vienna. #UKTECHNIGHT is a unique tech forum focused on key business and investment opportunities in the UK market – and how Austrian […]