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 April 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
History, Conspiracy and Meaningful Independence
As a Brit in the Levant, you can never go far without being reminded of history, and our role in it. At this week’s Lebanese Army conference, the moderator spoke of ‘the British habit of interventions in the Middle East’. I countered that this was a relatively recent phenomenon – others had been at it […]
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12th April 2013 Washington DC, USA
Co-ordinating care for wounded vets
I accompanied the Right Honourable Mark Francois, Minister of Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Min DPWV) for four days in Washington last week during his visit to discuss all aspects of the Service Personnel, Veterans and Families Taskforce (SPV+F). We were looked after tremendously by our American counterparts, with the highest levels of access in […]
12th April 2013 Toronto, Canada
New cleantech investment across Canada
Back in February, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) announced the latest round of SD Tech Fund investment. This round released $61.8 M to 23 projects across the country, many of them highly relevant to SIN: Anti-bacterial pesticides that are less damaging to the environment ($1.5 M) A biomass-derived coal (torrefaction) demonstration plant ($2.7 M) A […]
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12th April 2013 Los Angeles, USA
Cricket ‘Explained’
The history of the UK and the US is one of closeness and familiarity. From Britain, America got the very foundations of its culture: its language, its legal system and “So You Think You Can Dance.” We’re also each other’s strongest allies. But as in any good relationship, there’s still a little mystery. For an […]
12th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Threats Old and New
This week, Foreign Ministers from the Group of Eight (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, US and Russia) met in London. They looked at a wide range of issues, including the situation in the Middle East (specifically Syria and Iran), Africa, DPRK and climate change. Two particular issues they addressed illustrate that diplomacy has a […]
12th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Conflict: preventing it, ending it, dealing with its consequences
The Foreign Ministers of the G8 met this week in London as part of the UK’s one year G8 Presidency. As their statement made clear, they addressed between them the major issues of the day: Syria, Iran, North Korea, and the Middle East Peace process. But G8 Ministers were not just fire fighting. The focus […]
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12th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Somalia: a way forward
Last year was a hugely significant year for Somalia. After two decades of civil war, the country took its first steps towards a new beginning. A new and more legitimate government is in place, and many Somalis are starting to think of a better future. The UK’s Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds (MP) visited Ethiopia […]
11th April 2013 Paris, France
The death of an important British political figure
Earlier this week, we were waiting for the arrival of David Cameron here in Paris, on what was going to be his first visit to President Hollande in the Elysée, when we had the sad news of Baroness Thatcher’s death. And David Cameron decided he had to go home straight away from Madrid, to get […]
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11th April 2013 Bangalore, India
Understanding Indo-UK health regulations
Research between India and the UK is growing and joint research funding between both countries now exceeds £100 million. An important strand in this research co-operation is health and biopharma. But if this research is to become real-world treatments and medical products, regulations in both countries will come into play. Therefore, regulations which support collaboration, […]
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11th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Four more indigenous scholars head to Cambridge and Oxford
There are few things more important than education. Our Chevening scholarships benefit the individuals who come to the UK to study, the communities from which they come, and the societies to which they return, often to play future leadership roles. So it was a great pleasure to be sending four more young indigenous Australians off […]
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