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
13th October 2014 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Tourism
Last Thursday I joined other Tashkent Ambassadors in a visit to Samarkand to hear President Karimov’s speech at the opening of the 99th Executive Council session of the World Tourism Organisation. The president spoke about the value of tourism as a means of encouraging contact and understanding between nations, and about the rich history and […]
13th October 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Challenges and Opportunities for Europe
A new Swedish government has taken office. A new European Commission is about to. It seemed to me a good time to set out some thoughts on some of the big priorities facing the UK, Sweden and our EU partners over the coming months. Here’s a translation of the article I wrote for Saturday’s Dagens […]
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10th October 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
World Day Against Death Penalty*
Today is the 10th of October, the day we celebrate the World Day Against Death Penalty. The day that we join the international community and peers around the world to reaffirm together that the capital punishment has no place in the 21st century. The day that we position ourselves against this practice which, despite popular […]
10th October 2014 Budapest, Hungary
British Bobbies on the beat at Sziget Festival
Guest blog by Police Sergeant Natalie RANAHAN and Police Constable Steve WARDLE, British Bobbies visiting the Sziget Festival, organised by the Hungarian Police and the British Embassy. As police officers, both of us have a number of years experience within the Operations Department and in particular Support Group. This involves a variety of duties including the policing […]
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10th October 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
Sofia in 1987 and 1988
by Hazel Onn Hazel Onn lived in Bulgaria in the late 1980s when her husband Tony was Head of Security at British Embassy Sofia. Hazel kept many good memories of her time in Bulgaria, including of their diplomatic flat on Juliot Currie Str., Kuchia, the dog of their Russian neighbours, how once she was absolutely covered head […]
10th October 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Media should be responsible as well as free
I have on many occasions made the point that a free media is an important part of a functioning society – it can help free flow of information and ideas, to educate its audience, to hold those in power to account in areas such as exposing corruption scandals. But in each society there is a balance […]
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10th October 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Indian Ocean Rim Association ministers meet in Perth
The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is not one of the most well known international regional groupings. But it is of growing significance. The 20 countries who flank the world’s third largest ocean represent more than a quarter of the world’s population, and include African, Arab and Asian nations. Around half the world’s cargo ships and two thirds […]
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10th October 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
How bad is corruption in Turkey? (Part 2)
Back in February 2013 I wrote a blog called “How bad is corruption in Turkey?” It noted that in the latest Transparency International Corruption Index, published in December 2012, Turkey had improved its ranking by 7 places to 54th place, putting it ahead of some EU countries. In December 2013, Transparency International produced its latest […]
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9th October 2014 Washington DC, USA
Battles historic and partnerships enduring
The P-51 Mustang was an iconic fighter aircraft in US combat service during the 1940s and 1950s during the Second World War, and the Korean War. A global phenomenon, it was also pressed into service by allies including Australia, South Africa, the Republic of Korea, France and the Netherlands. It was first flown operationally by […]
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9th October 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Elections: Leadership and moderation please
I recently visited Srebrenica with a group of visitors as part of a UK Government-funded project which aims to learn the lessons of Europe’s only genocide since the Second World War, and to apply them to improving relationships between diverse communities in the UK. During the visit, I met a number of mothers who had […]
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