16th March 2016 London, UK
This week, we and other British Embassies around the world are celebrating Northern Ireland! Northern Ireland is a successful part of the UK, thriving economically and culturally. Check out the hashtag #NIFacts for lots of interesting details. Amongst my own favourite facts: Northern Irish capital Belfast is the #1 destination globally for financial technology investments; […]
11th March 2016 London, England
The newly appointed Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys for Africa show how the UK’s relationship with Africa is changing and developing. When I was appointed Minister for Africa I had clear instruction from the Prime Minister on what my focus should be – prosperity, prosperity, prosperity. Not just the UK’s prosperity, although that is of course […]
8th March 2016 London, UK
Just in case you missed it, the UK’s theme for International Women’s Day 2016 is “Leadership and Empowerment”. I think I’m alright on defining leadership (something to do with steering a boat, right?) but when I sat down to draft a pithy piece on empowerment, I hit a blank – rare, for me. Because what […]
3rd March 2016 London, England
‘The future of wildlife is in our hands’ – the theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day and a call to action. The issues raised are serious and affect us all. The Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is a major criminal industry worth more than £6bn each year. It threatens the existence of some of the […]
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1st March 2016 London, UK
Sometimes the Commonwealth is seen as a relic of the past. I argue passionately that it is nothing of the sort. The test is always the same – would we invent the Commonwealth today? The answer is that we would. It is an important organisation for the present and the future. My visit last week […]
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1st March 2016
1 March is St David’s Day, named after the patron saint of Wales who died in 589. The Consulate in Istanbul and the Embassy in Ankara are flying the terrific Welsh flag: I’m part-Welsh: my great-grandfather John Derfel (photo below) came from the the town of Llanderfel in north Wales and was the son of the […]
1st March 2016 London, UK
Today is St David’s Day – a special day for the United Kingdom, and in particular for Wales. Saint David is the patron of Wales, but who was he? He lived during the 6th century AD. The exact years of his birth and death are unclear, though it is believed that he was born in Cardiganshire, […]
26th February 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
I am not your typical intern. I am about to turn 35, I have 2 children aged 5 and 3, and a previous career as a Barrister. I traded in late night briefs, daily court advocacy and negotiations, and challenging clients for the trials and tribulations of child rearing and home making. Eighteen months ago […]
5th February 2016
At the 2015 General Election there were more overseas voters registered than ever. Almost 106,000 overseas electors registered to vote – three times the numbers that were on the register ahead of the previous general election in 2010. While this is a real improvement, it is still a fraction of the 5.5 million UK citizens […]
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25th January 2016 London, England
This week I will be attending the 26th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa. While I am a relative newcomer to the Summit, certainly in comparison to some of those present, the UK relationship with Africa is both long and rich. It is also a much more modern partnership than many may think. One that […]