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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
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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
1st May 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Carrying the Baton for Turks and Caicos Islands
The recent arrival of the Queen’s Baton Relay was, as the Turks and Caicos Weekly News said, “…three days of immense patriotism…” for the Turks and Caicos Islands. It brought together young and old, politicians from both parties, athletes and businesspeople. I was able to share the enthusiasm it generated with hundreds of participants and […]
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1st May 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Magna Carta and the "Golden Thread for Economic Development"
“The authors of the Magna Carta clearly recognised the interdependence between personal freedom and economic freedom” said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as she began her speech at the annual Magna Carta Lecture, which the British High Commission hosts. Before a packed audience at the Victoria State Parliament, she set out her new development paradigm, for […]
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30th April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Feliz Año Nuevo – en Abril?
No se preocupen, no hemos cambiado los calendarios para juntarnos a los lugares del mundo que celebran el Nuevo Año en primavera. Más bien, el año financiero británico corre desde abril hasta marzo, entonces aquí en la Embajada se siente mucho como el nuevo año. Actualmente estamos planificando el año que viene y quisiéramos compartirles […]
30th April 2014 Gaborone, Botswana
It’s time to act together
“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights” Gloria Steinem Botswana recently joined the international community in celebrating International Women’s Day under the theme “Equality for women is progress for all”. Shortly after that, […]
30th April 2014 Washington DC, USA
Women boost the world economy
At the end of March I joined other members of the British Embassy in American University’s Race to Representation, a 5k run organised by the Women and Politics Institute in Washington. The annual race (now in its third year) helps raise awareness of the gender gap in political leadership in the US, while the mission […]
30th April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Britain and Ireland together at the Holy See
It has been an extraordinary few years for the relationship between the United Kingdom and Ireland. When Prime Minister David Cameron and Taoiseach Enda Kenny met in London in March, they commented that relations between our two countries had never been better. That’s a bold statement to make. And yet it was confirmed earlier this […]
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30th April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Architecture of How We Work
In recent weeks, I have walked into three very different sorts of buildings and had three very different sets of reactions. With Labour Day approaching, this has got me wondering: are buildings designed to have an impact on those that work in them, those that visit them, or both? Do people behave differently in a […]
30th April 2014 Paris, France
The UK Economic Recovery
This week I reflected for a French-speaking audience on the strong British economic recovery. The Chancellor, George Osborne, gave an interview to the French newspaper Les Echos on this subject, which was published today. Next Monday, I’ll be previewing a talk we’re organising here with Sir David Brailsford, head of Team Sky. Feel free to […]
30th April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
To Tweet or Not To Tweet
In 1805 it took over two weeks for news of the Royal Navy’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar to reach London. A ship had to be sent from the scene of the battle off the coast of Portugal to the nearest English port. An officer then had to take a horse-drawn carriage to London. […]
29th April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Happy new Year! – in April?
Don’t worry we haven’t changed calendars, to join up with those parts of the world that have a Spring new year. Instead because the UK’s financial year runs from April to March, it feels very much like the start of a new year in the Embassy. So we are busily checking our plans for the […]