17th July 2025
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
15th July 2025
International Day of Women in Diplomacy: UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls visit to Geneva
1st May 2025
The UN Commission on the Status of Women: My first visit as UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls
15th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Visit by the Foreign Secretary to Romania
A visit by the Foreign Secretary is an important moment for any Ambassador or High Commissioner, providing opportunities for working with the host government at the most senior level, and a spur to host authorities to think about the bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom and how to develop it. And so I was delighted to welcome Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond […]
Read more on Visit by the Foreign Secretary to Romania | Reply
15th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
MY TWO WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR – PEACE AND PROSPERITY, FOR ALL
Predictions and resolutions for a new year can often prove wildly wrong or optimistic. Sadly, one possibility I mentioned to a meeting of Permanent Secretaries (PSs) just before Christmas – a terrorist outrage in Europe or the US – has already proved chillingly accurate, with the carnage on the streets of Paris in early January. […]
Read more on MY TWO WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR – PEACE AND PROSPERITY, FOR ALL | Reply
15th January 2015 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
New Year
Last weekend I joined a group of Tashkent bird-watchers for the annual new-year count of water birds at the Tuyabuguz reservoir. It’s part of a world-wide effort co-ordinated by Wetlands International, in which Uzbekistan has participated for the last eight years. The weather was terrible – cold and rainy and misty – but we did […]
13th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
My first play… on a Sydney stage
I was in Sydney this weekend to watch a short play I’d written being performed at the New Theatre in Newtown. It was my first play, so I was quite excited. It was part of the “Short and Sweet” festival, which originated in Sydney but now operates in other Australian cities, and a few other […]
13th January 2015 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 29 December 2014-11 January 2015
Trouble reading this story or moving through pages? Check it out on Storify here: https://storify.com/SINCanada/canadian-science-news-29-december-2014-11-january [View the story “Canadian science news: 29 December 2014-11 January 2015” on Storify]
Read more on Canadian science news: 29 December 2014-11 January 2015 | Reply
13th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Universal Papacy
The title may have startled you. It was Pope Innocent III, back in the 13th century, who declared that as ‘Vicar of Christ’ the Pope had received from God “not only the universal church but the whole world to govern”. Even at the time, secular rulers begged to differ, leading to centuries of competition for […]
13th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
We Cannot Afford Not to Reform the European Union
The UK and Bulgaria are geographically at opposite ends of Europe. Our economies are different in size and structure. And our historical experiences of building democratic institutions have been poles apart. Yet, as British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond will see for himself this week, our two countries have a lot in common when it comes to […]
Read more on We Cannot Afford Not to Reform the European Union | Reply
13th January 2015 London, UK
Together, we will consign Da’esh to the forgotten footnotes of history
The so-called Islamic State has no credibility. It is founded on fear. We – an international community inspired by our common humanity – will defeat it. As 2015 opens up before us, and as we reflect on the events of the past year, the actions of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria stand […]
Read more on Together, we will consign Da’esh to the forgotten footnotes of history | Reply (1)
13th January 2015 Beirut, Lebanon
Keeping the ‘Islamic State’ out of Lebanon, and Lebanon out of the ‘Islamic State’
All of us share the sadness of the French people at last week’s terrorist attack in Paris, and of the Lebanese people at the weekend attack in Tripoli. In their condemnation of the deaths in Paris, the four Muftis of Lebanon sent a powerful message against extremism. It was a reminder that many in this […]
Read more on Keeping the ‘Islamic State’ out of Lebanon, and Lebanon out of the ‘Islamic State’ | Reply (1)
13th January 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Consular work in Australia
In my final few weeks in Australia I’ve been blogging about different aspects of our activities here. People often ask me what our consular work involves. It’s a big part of what we do, involving about one sixth of our staff – some 16 people – plus Honorary Consuls in five cities where we don’t […]