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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
20th February 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Turks and Caicos Islands – a world away from Mumbai: a small population with a big Christian following.
I wrote blogs from Mumbai for over three years, and after four months in the Turks and Caicos Islands it is time to start here. I have a number of aims. First, and most importantly, I hope that they may be of interest to residents in these beautiful islands, as a modest illustration of the […]
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20th February 2014 Havana, Cuba
A musical journey, from the UK to Cuba and back again!
My thanks to UK singer Holly Holden for this guest blog on making music in Cuba and how a chance meeting in Havana led to her touring Europe’s top festivals with UK dub-step pioneer DJ Mala. When I was thirteen my mother took me to see the documentary film Buena Vista Social Club. I remember leaving […]
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20th February 2014 Madrid, Spain
The benefits of an EU-US trade deal
The British government strongly supports a new Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the European Union and the United States. It would break down trade barriers, unlock new growth and create a huge number of jobs. Ian Livingston, British Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Jaime García-Legaz Ponce, Spanish Secretary of State […]
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20th February 2014 Montreal, Canada
A long awaited visit to Montréal finally becomes a reality!
As promised, voilà! – the last chapter of the series “smarty blog themes”. The “smart and distinguished” British visitors came by train from Ottawa and stayed at same hotel where John Lennon and Yoko Ono did their Bed-In in Montréal in 1969 (which ended with a spontaneous recording of Give Peace a Chance). But who […]
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20th February 2014 Chennai, India
Moving on up. Moving on in.
It’s been a long silence, for which apologies. That’s at least partly down to the fact that I’ve joined the fantastical world of 140 character messages, hashtags and retweeting (@DHC_Chennai if you’re interested). I’ve managed to get up to 44 followers in 2 weeks (it was 45, but a management consultant from Nebraska gave up on […]
20th February 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Gordon in Khartoum- Take two
Living History General Charles Gordon is one of the totemic figures in the shared history of the UK and Sudan: the leader of the British Force in Sudan killed on the steps of what is now the Presidential Palace by the Mahdi’s army in 1885. In the last couple of weeks two descendants of General […]
20th February 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Will the London future taxi be Turkish?
At first sight, the vehicle looks like a slice of science fiction futurism from “The Fifth Element”. When we climb into the big, low-floored cab, designed to offer easy access to disabled people and wheel-chair users, everything feels familiar. Yet somehow it is also different: more comfortable and spacious than usual. We’re at Hexagon Studios, […]
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19th February 2014 Washington DC, USA
Syrian Children Need Our Help
My children are the most delightful people I know. You probably feel the same about your children, your grandchildren, your nieces and nephews. My son is a mix of winning charm and 3 year old defiance. My daughter, who is 9 months, is smiley, chubby and cuddly. My children live in a protective environment: one […]
19th February 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Religion, Violence and Sectarianism
Baroness Warsi is the first ever British Minister for Faith in a British government. She is also Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In both roles, at home and abroad, and with the strong support of the Prime Minister, she has made religious freedom a personal priority: promoting and protecting people’s […]
19th February 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Wrong Mansaf
Jordanians are proud of their national dish. And rightly so: this tasty dish of rice, lamb and jameed (a kind of yoghurt) is a symbol of Jordanian tradition and an essential part of major occasions. Mansaf is also a regular part of the visits that diplomats make to parts of the country. And of course, […]