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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
6th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Manufacturing – it’s what the UK’s still good at and we’re going to get even stronger.
The Cleveland Indians, the Cleveland Browns, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Buckeyes. That’s just a few of the things associated with Cleveland in Northeast Ohio, home of my in-laws. But manufacturing has also traditionally been a part of Cleveland and Ohio’s landscape too. I was in Cleveland on 31 October and 1 November […]
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6th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Donetsk, Ukraine and the EU
What would the great Welshman and founder of Donetsk, John Hughes, think of Ukraine today? I was privileged to be invited to Donetsk recently to give the inaugural John Hughes memorial speech. My audience was the Donetsk Chamber of Commerce and the British Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce. In the speech I paid tribute to John […]
6th December 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
Syria in the spotlight
The Human Rights Council turned its attention to Syria again on Friday last week with another Special Session called by the EU- the 3rd consecutive time in 7 months it had met in response to the Assad regime’s ongoing brutality. This level of attention is a clear indication of the international outrage at what is going […]
6th December 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
Celebrating Torture Prevention
You wouldn’t expect an international meeting on torture prevention to be a happy occasion but November’s global forum on the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture had the feel of a large and joyous family gathering. Given that the Optional Protocol is still in its youth, the atmosphere was more one of Barmitzvah than […]
5th December 2011 Washington DC, USA
Elementary My Dear Watson
We spend a lot of time here at the Embassy talking about the interconnectedness of the UK and US. Our defence relationship, both historic and present; our mutually essential trade links; and the cultural roots that underpin this special relationship – this is the bread and butter of what the Comms team here does. And […]
5th December 2011 Toronto, Canada
PM launches Strategy for UK Life Sciences
This is John Preece reporting on the launch of the Strategy for UK Life Sciences, announced earlier today by Prime Minister David Cameron. You can read the full document on the BIS website, and the press release on NDS. Here’s what the Prime Minister had to say: We can be proud of our past – […]
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5th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The first mosque in Kyiv
Shortly after I arrived in Ukraine in 2008, the Mufti of Ukraine, Sheikh Akhmed Tamim, invited me to visit him at the site of the proposed new Kyiv mosque, the first in the city. I was pleased to take up this invitation and had an interesting discussion with him about Islam, and the history of […]
5th December 2011 Chevening, UK
Ethnicity and Nationality: Thoughts from a Chevening Scholar
Our latest blog entry is from one of our Malaysian 2011/12 Chevening Scholars, Niki Cheong. Niki is studying MA in Digital Culture & Society at Kings College London. You can read more posts by Niki on his blog. Ever since my first visit as a 16-year-old teenager, London has remained at the top of my list of […]
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5th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
UCL Graduation Ceremony in Adelaide
I was honoured to be the guest speaker at University College London’s (UCL) first ever overseas graduation ceremony in Adelaide last week. UCL is a great British institution, regularly ranked in the top ten universities in the world. It recently established its first overseas campus – a School of Energy and Resources – in South […]
4th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
"Sírva vigad a brit"
I leave Budapest today at the end of a 4 year tour as Ambassador. I have been proud to lead and work with a great British Embassy team during an active period which has witnessed the Hungarian EU Presidency and a very full and varied visit by High Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and […]