Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

As I’ve mentioned a couple of times in my blog now, a big focus for us in the first part of 2021 is following up the UK-sponsored UN General Assembly resolution on reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours. I thought I’d use this post to give a flavour of what […]

One of the things I like the least in this job is having to say goodbye to so many good people. Just over three weeks ago I had to bid adieu to our long-serving team leader and unsung Council hero Matt Forman. It’s been a long three weeks since then, and I’ve been awake most […]

Visibility is important. In my first month in Norway the evening news ran a profile piece on me in which I talked about my husband Xavier. A 16 year-old boy wrote to me and told me that seeing this had made him believe for the first time that his dreams were worth just as much […]

I retire at the end of February, after 32 years in the Foreign Office, and 40 years in public service in total. Just another civil servant moving on from a job. But to me it feels a poignant moment. When I left university in 1980 I wasn’t seeking fame or fortune, which was perhaps just […]

I leave Japan at the end of February on completion of my term as Ambassador. It was also my first posting as a young diplomat, so it’s rather an appropriate place to be ending my career in. I have been fascinated by Japan since 1983, when I visited on a study tour, after winning an […]

As I prepared to leave Japan at the end of February, on completion of my assignment, I have been reflecting on my four years as Ambassador here, as well as the four years I spent here earlier in my career. I’ve been flicking through my photos. I decided to do 39 tweets highlighting things I […]