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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
17th December 2025
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9th December 2025
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6th February 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
60 Years of Service
6 February saw the start of the celebrations of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which will culminate this summer in a spectacular pageant on the River Thames in June. We can expect parties and fireworks, ceremonial and reflection on an extraordinary life devoted to public service. The Olympic and Paralympic Games in July and August will […]
3rd February 2012 Washington DC, USA
A Uniquely American Breakfast
Yesterday morning I had breakfast with three thousand people. It’s not every day that I can say that. This was the 60th annual National Prayer Breakfast, a key date in the political calendar of this city and country. It was a remarkable occasion. The sheer scale of the event was dizzying. So was the guest […]
2nd February 2012 USA
The REAL (Screen) Producers of DC
This week Washington welcomed the best and brightest in reality and unscripted television industry to the (sold-out) 14th Annual RealScreen Summit. Home to non-fiction powerhouses like Discovery Communications, The National Geographic Channel and PBS, the event here brought together the top creative talent who develop the shows we love (or love to hate), like Wife […]
2nd February 2012 Chevening, UK
Iraq, My Homeland, Or So I'm Told
Our latest Chevening Conversations blog is by Iraqi scholar Seja Majeed. Seja studied law at Brunel University in 2009/10. Iraq, my homeland, or is it? Yes my parents are Iraqi, thus by default I am also Iraqi. But isn’t there more to one’s identity then simply deriving your parents genes. Just like ‘relationships,’ is it not right […]
2nd February 2012 Washington DC, USA
A Pivotal Period in Britain’s History
It has been a whirlwind three weeks since my arrival in Washington. I’ve visited the White House to present my credentials to President Obama and watched from the House gallery as he delivered his State of the Union address. I’ve travelled outside of D.C., seeing the South Carolina Republican primary at first-hand and meeting with […]
2nd February 2012 Toronto, Canada
UK releases Climate Change Risk Assessment
Last week, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affiars (DEFRA) released a comprehensive report into the risks and opportunities presented to the UK by climate change. The report, the first of its kind and the first in a five-year cycle, assesses 700 impacts (100 in exhaustive detail) across 11 sectors and is available to […]
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2nd February 2012 London, UK
Croatia moves closer to joining the EU
On 22 January the people of Croatia made history by making a clear choice in favour of joining the European Union. The finishing line of 1 July 2013 is in sight, and Croatia is on course to become the 28th member of the EU, after it first applied nine years ago. The next step is […]
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1st February 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Calls in London
I’m still in London, making a series of calls on government officials, business representatives and others with links to Australia. Describing some of my meetings below will give you a flavour of the enormous diversity of UK/Australian interests we engage with. I visited Ramsay Healthcare, a major Australia provider which operates around 40 hospitals and […]
1st February 2012 Washington DC, USA
The Enduring UK-Afghan Partnership
President Karzai was in London this past weekend with Prime Minister Cameron signing the Enduring Strategic Partnership between the UK and Afghanistan. The Partnership is a quick read – only four sides of paper – but it lays out the fundamentals of the UK’s relationship with the Afghan people for the foreseeable future. That’s important […]
1st February 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
The cricket has been great!
Great cricket! Pakistan’s that is. Some of Pakistan’s media described Pakistan’s crushing win over England in the second Test in Dubai as a miracle. To a non-cricketer like me, it didn’t look like a miracle. It looked like a very professional demolition job by some fine spin bowlers. Of course I would have liked England […]