17th May 2024
Reflections on IDAHOBIT: International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
13th May 2024
Value with Values: UK Commitment to Climate Partnership
25th April 2024
Reflect & Remember: Anzac Day 2024
8th April 2021
An update for UK nationals living in and visiting Europe
In recent weeks, inaccurate media reports around the new rules for UK nationals living in and travelling to Europe may have caused confusion, so I want to lay out the facts of what our new relationship with the European Union means for you. UK nationals settled in Europe before 1 January 2021 If you are […]
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8th April 2021 Vienna, Austria
Diplomatic lessons 6, Berlin 1998-2002: Specialise, or not?
Before our first child was born in 1992, we studied best practice in bringing up babies. Two pieces of expert advice stuck out (NOTE: DO NOT FOLLOW THIS ADVICE). First, babies should always be laid face-down in their cots, to minimise the risk of choking. Second, natural lamb’s fleece in the cot was a great […]
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7th April 2021 Berlin, Germany
Spurring UK German technology collaboration to fight online harms
In March 2021, the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) and the North Rhine Westphalian Cyber Crime Agency ZAC invited UK and German stakeholders to a first virtual roundtable on the role innovation and technologies can play to fight online harms. With the aim to spur […]
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23rd March 2021 Tripoli, Libya
A changing world – the UK’s Integrated Review and Libya
In the decade since Libya’s 17 February Revolution, we have seen major global changes: growing challenges such as climate change, Covid-19, organised crime and terrorism; rapid technological change; rising powers especially in the Indo-Pacific. As Ambassador, I often hear from Libyans who are curious not just about the UK’s approach to Libya, but also about […]
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22nd March 2021
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Partners
No country in the modern world can alone face the many security challenges of today – from climate change to pandemics, transnational crime to cyber-attacks. We all need partners and friends. We all need the chance to improve ourselves through cooperation. That’s what a relationship with NATO offers. And the nature of that relationship is […]
19th March 2021 Geneva, Switzerland
The Integrated Review and Disarmament
The Government’s Integrated Review (IR) of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy was published on 16 March. Entitled ‘Global Britain in a Competitive Age’, it sets out the Government’s assessment of the geopolitical context and its strategic framework that will guide the UK’s actions on the world stage, as a European country with global interests […]
18th March 2021 Vienna, Austria
Protecting our people
“My boy is back. Thanks for all the hard work that helped make this happen!” The tweet sent late morning on 4 April 2020 shows two happy faces. Father and son reunited again in the UK. It was a positive ending of a weeks-long operation by British Embassy Vienna staff, evacuating 391 young British ski […]
17th March 2021 Vienna, Austria
A “Gesamtkonzept” for UK foreign and security policy
During my career in the UK’s foreign service I have experienced how British foreign policy can be both stable and flexible at the same time. Does that sound like a paradox? It is entirely logical. For as long as I can remember, the UK government has sought to defend and promote human rights, democracy, rule […]
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17th March 2021
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A PLACE IN THE WORLD
What does the future hold for us all, and what will be the UK’s role in in? This week the UK has published its first Integrated Review. This is a public document, the fruit of a long period of analysis and reflection by many parts of the UK Government and our partners, at home and […]
15th March 2021
The Important Role of the OSCE in Strengthening European Security
For audiences outside of Vienna (where its headquarters are based), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) would benefit from demystification, and this is why I have decided to start this blog. It is an important international organisation and is here to make all of us living in its 57 participating States collectively […]
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