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
8th November 2014 Athens, Greece
In Memoriam
I attend a lot of commemorative events. Greeks and Britons share much history, and we value its importance, feeling its presence at least dimly in our lives. We commemorate key moments of our history, because we are aware that the freedoms we enjoy were built on the endeavours of those who were here before us. […]
7th November 2014 Budapest, Hungary
"BUREUCRATIA" in Budapest – the Labyrinth of EU Regulation
Guest Blog by Katalin Szilágyi, Senior Economic Policy Officer at the British Embassy. Budapest, 10 November 2014 One year has passed since the Prime Minister’s Business Taskforce presented its findings on Cutting EU Red Tape. Since then, the UK Government has been working hard, with partners in European capitals and in Brussels, to […]
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7th November 2014 Beirut, Lebanon
Is The Pen Mightier Than The Sword?
The Lebanese spend more on education than anything but food, more per capita than any other country. It’s a downpayment of hope in Lebanon’s future. In schools as on the borders and checkpoints, the UK stands beside Lebanon with actions not words. The UK is now Lebanon’s main education partner, through four gamechanging programmes. For […]
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7th November 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Voice and choice
I come from a politically engaged family. My parents were active in local politics and spent quite a lot of their spare time attending meetings or public events in support of their party. I don’t think I ever really discussed with them why they were so interested in politics. We talked more about what needed […]
7th November 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
My Most Vivid Memory from Sofia
by Mike Johnson Mike Johnson was Administration Officer at British Embassy Sofia in the late 1970s. It was at 9.20pm on 4 March 1977 that the Bucharest earthquake was felt in Sofia. At the time I was the Administration Officer at the British Embassy in Sofia accompanied by my wife, Anne, and five year old son, […]
6th November 2014 Chevening, UKBrasilia, Brazil
From soft power to hard action – the Chevening network
As this year’s application window for Chevening scholarships moves into its final stretch (applications close on 15th November) it seems an appropriate moment to bring Chevening back into Speaker’s Corner and focus on what makes this scholarship programme such a unique tool for the work we are trying to accomplish here in Brazil. Chevening is […]
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6th November 2014 Pretoria, South Africa
Supporting Women of the future
Supporting women’s progression both in the Diplomatic Service and outside has long been a passion of mine. A flying visit to the UK last week with South African Ministers allowed me to do both – and with really satisfying results. The project began with an invitation to select some young South African businesswomen for the […]
6th November 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Vale Gough Whitlam
One of the privileges of being a High Commissioner is being invited to represent Britain at great state occasions that tell the story of a country. Yesterday I was in Sydney for the State Memorial Service for former PM Gough Whitlam who passed away at the grand old age of 98. All seven living Australian […]
5th November 2014 Montreal, Canada
The Frankencell saga continues
The Frankencell saga we started last year (“Creating-altering life – the Frankencell”) continued after the long awaited visit to Montreal of UK´s Synthetic Biology champion former Minister David Willetts and this third episode discusses last week’s first UK-Canada Synthetic Biology Workshop. British Consul General Nick Baker opened this two-day event in Montreal hosted by […]
5th November 2014 London, UK
New York and the Human Rights ‘Third Committee’ at the United Nations
I have grounds to be nostalgic about New York, where I cut my teeth on human rights work more than twenty years ago. But I never thought I could be made to feel nostalgic about its “smoke filled rooms” (the root cause of the beige decor at UN HQ). But my colleague, Rhian Checkland, has […]
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