Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

12th July 2012 Washington DC, USA

by Peter Westmacott

Former Ambassador to the United States of America

Winning Gold in the Green Race

Today the UK is being recognized by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), for its efforts and achievement in energy efficiency. The ACEEE believes that “a country that uses less energy to achieve the same or better results reduces costs and pollution, creating a stronger, more competitive economy.” This is what we’re doing […]

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12th July 2012 London, UK

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by David Lidington

Minister for Europe, London

Reviewing the Balance of Competences between the UK and EU

Today the Foreign Secretary launched the review of the balance of EU competences. As he said, now is the right time to take a critical and constructive look at exactly where competence lies, how the EU’s competences, are used and what that means for our national interest. A desire to see significant reform and change […]

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12th July 2012

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by Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

Just ‘As I Like It’

I had a rare treat yesterday evening. A troupe of travelling actors turned up in the George Enescu square and put on a free show for the Bucharest public. The play was Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like it’.  The actors happened to be from William Shakespeare’s very own theatre, the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London. For […]

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11th July 2012

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by Peter Millett

Ambassador to Libya, Tripoli

Be Prepared!

Watching the Wimbledon tennis championships last week reminded me of the old Scouts motto: “Be Prepared”.  It demonstrates yet again that preparation is the key to success. We not only saw the players thrashing the ball at each other on Centre Court, but also saw snippets of their painstaking preparations, spending hours every day honing […]

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10th July 2012

by Judith Macgregor

British High Commissioner to South Africa

We’re getting closer

UK and Mexico celebrate Virgin Atlantic´s new route from London Gatwick airport to Cancun.  This is a great addition to our aim of doubling trade with Mexico by 2015. Read more about new Virgin Atlantic´s flight: New opportunities in Mexico, by Richard Branson

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10th July 2012 Cape Town, South Africa

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by Simon Atkinson

Deputy Head of Mission, Cape Town

Celebrating UK sport and royalty in South Africa

I last blogged from Windhoek, Namibia, where I was covering for our High Commissioner Marianne Young. I’m now back on my more usual perch as Deputy Consul General, Cape Town. I thought I’d update you on what we’ve been doing in Cape Town recently to promote the UK and the GREAT campaign. (It’s no secret […]

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