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 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton comes to Australia
The Queen’s Baton has just come through Australia. It is currently travelling around some 70 nations and territories which will be competing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow starting in July 2014. There are 53 countries in the Commonwealth comprising one third of the world’s population: The Gambia regrettably resigned last month, hopefully temporarily. But at the Games, territories […]
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7th November 2013 Washington DC, USA
Following Suit: TTIP and the Fashion Industry
Last month, Ambassador and Lady Westmacott hosted a reception to celebrate the Bloomingdales GREAT British Invasion Campaign. The Campaign is a line of menswear designed to honour the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, as well as a ‘Best of Britain’ menswear line featuring 40 high-end and traditional British designers […]
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7th November 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
Saving Syria’s children
The UK is working hard on three priorities for Syria: ensure that the world does all it can to alleviate the humanitarian suffering; support efforts to find a political solution that brings the conflict to an end; and prevent Assad from using chemical weapons against his own people. The UK has committed £500 million to […]
7th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A Royal Return Visit
One of the highlights of my time so far in Stockholm was the visit by The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in March 2012. Just over 18 months later, The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel are visiting London this week. The themes for the visits are very similar: young people, technology, climate change, […]
6th November 2013 Brasilia, Brazil
International Exchange: what is it good for?
A question that usually comes up when we talk about international exchange is: what is it good for? Exchange is, above all, about sharing. Different points of view, ideas, and cultures bring an important element to human knowledge: diversity. Great civilizations have their foundations in a mixture of different knowledge to produce knowledge in ancient […]
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6th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
G8++ African Clearing House
Today, I participated in the 2013 Africa Clearing House (ACH) meeting at the Headquarters of the African Union (AU) here in Addis. The UK co-hosted the event with the AU as part of our G8 Presidency. The ACH began in 2004 and aims to “provide a multi-lateral forum to exchange information on security assistance and […]
6th November 2013 New Delhi, India
From smart grids to zoom cars | UK’s innovative companies visit India
Hello readers! Following from my earlier post on the UK Innovation is GREAT showcase event; here is an update on some of the UK companies that will be speaking at the event. As mentioned in my earlier post, the event is designed to enable R&D intensive businesses in India to hear experiences and network with […]
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6th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Jerusalem: Handle with Care
At an exhibition in Jerusalem recently I saw a display of amusing but thought-provoking objects. One was a simple box of safety matches, the kind that you can flip open. The only difference was that the heads of the matches were shaped like the domes, spires and minarets of Jerusalem. The message was clear: this […]
6th November 2013 Vientiane, Laos
The UK in Laos: One Year On
On 5 November, the British Embassy celebrates one year since its re-opening by Foreign Secretary William Hague, during his visit to Vientiane for the ASEM Summit. This ended a 27 year absence of a British diplomatic presence in Laos. Since re-opening, we have actively been working to raise the profile of the UK and its […]
6th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A trip to the Palace
I received my CMG from HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace last week. Amidst all the pomp and circumstance you actually feel more nervous than you might expect, as you await those final few moments before you step forward to have the medal ribbon placed around your neck. For some reason the orchestra struck up […]