13th March 2014
Britain’s longest serving Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, famously looked out from his office overlooking St James’ Park in early August 1914 and, as war loomed, commented “the lamps are going out all over Europe”. I often thought of those words in August 2008, during the Russian aggression in Georgia, not least as my office, as […]
11th March 2014
The so called ‘Higgs Boson,’ for which British Professor Peter Higgs won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics, was only proved in 2012 at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland. CERN is a fantastic example of what we can do when we come together in the spirit of scientific endeavour. As facilities and instruments become more […]
7th March 2014
Upon receiving the Hillary Clinton prize for women, peace and security last month, UK Foreign Secretary Hague said, “I believe that there is no greater strategic prize of the 21st century than the full social, political and economic empowerment of all women everywhere.” [Full speech] Tomorrow is the 103rd International Women’s Day. A great deal […]
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3rd March 2014
Late last year, the UN General Assembly decided to make March 3 World Wildlife Day. On this day in 1973, the UN adopted the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, affirming the intrinsic value of wildlife and its various contributions including ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational […]
27th January 2014
Last week, UK Prime Minister David Cameron was in Davos for the World Economic Forum, where he discussed his strategy for making Britain the ‘Reshore Nation’. He also outlined what Europe can do to reap the benefits of reshoring. What is reshoring? It’s generally considered to be the process where a company has moved business […]
10th December 2013
One of the great pleasures of being Ambassador in Stockholm is the opportunity to host a lunch for our Nobel laureates. Yesterday Professors Peter Higgs and Michael Levitt, with their friends, family and colleagues came to the Residence. It was a chance to celebrate their discoveries. I noted what another British academic had given as […]
3rd December 2013
This Friday, December 6 at Konserthuset, the British Embassy in Stockholm will host a series of exciting events under the banner “Research & Innovation is GREAT”. We have world class scientists, entrepreneurs and experts talking about invention, discovery and innovation. It should be fascinating and fun. We’d love you to be part of it. You […]
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30th November 2013
Today is St Andrew’s day, Scotland’s national day. By this time next year a referendum will have taken place on whether Scotland should become independent. The UK Government firmly believes that it is for people in Scotland to decide their own future through democratic debate and a referendum in September 2014. This is a good […]
7th November 2013
One of the highlights of my time so far in Stockholm was the visit by The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in March 2012. Just over 18 months later, The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel are visiting London this week. The themes for the visits are very similar: young people, technology, climate change, […]
28th October 2013
The following is guest post by Mette Kahlin, Political Attaché. Today on the 28 October in Brussels, a large group of key EU Ministers and business people, including UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Edward Davey, and Swedish Environment Minister Lena Ek, will meet to discuss green growth. They all have a […]