2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
14th October 2025
Lost and Found (but mostly lost)
13th October 2025
UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls: September visits to Sarajevo and New York
27th March 2017 Geneva, Switzerland
Kicking the Habit
My last blog worried some of you enough that you offered to send biscuits to my children in adult-proof containers. I’d like to offer some reassurance that my kids have started hiding their chocolate almost forgiven me for my thievery and that I am now receiving professional support for my wafer addiction. My wife has […]
26th March 2017 Canberra, Australia
London, my London
I have two, what I jokingly call, spiritual homes in the UK. One is Wales, land of my fathers (actually my mother) and home now to all of my immediate family. The other is London. I was born in Hillingdon to the north-west of the capital, and raised in Ruislip, near the end of the […]
24th March 2017 Kolkata, India
Tea garden
I can’t find a good explanation for why they are called gardens. However, I’ve just seen a tea plantation or estate, as we tend to call them in Britain, and can understand why they are called tea gardens in India. Last weekend, I visited a tea garden in Assam, one of the main tea production […]
22nd March 2017 London, UK
If you seek his monument, look around you
I seem to have reached an age when there will be funerals. My father’s last year was bittersweet, after a life so fully lived. A similar mixture of grief and celebration permeated the funeral last month of Sir Nigel Rodley, the most distinguished British human rights expert of his generation. In these personal reflections I […]
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21st March 2017 Guatemala City
A trek to the lost Mayan city of El Mirador, Part 2
The next morning we were woken before dawn by the roaring of Howler Monkeys in the trees. We set out early for La Danta. Passing various excavations on the way, at one point our guide removed a tarpaulin to show us something of archaeological interest but all we could see were squirming snakes, tarantulas and […]
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20th March 2017 Holy See
Helping the Homeless at the Vatican
Last week I, Dame Louise Casey and Neil O’Connor of the UK Department for Communities and Local Government had the honour of visiting the Vatican Almonry to find out about how the Vatican helps the homeless. Dame Louise is something of a legend for her efforts to tackle homelessness, help troubled families and promote integration […]
20th March 2017 London, UK
Addressing the barriers that hold back women
We recently celebrated International Women’s Day, a day when we can celebrate the achievements of women in history and around the world. It’s also a day when we look to address the barriers that hold back women. I was delighted to have been appointed to the new role of Special Envoy for Gender Equality. This […]
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20th March 2017 Geneva, Switzerland
What lies beneath
I’m in big trouble. For the second Sunday running I’ve single-handedly, polished off a 26-pack of chocolate wafer biscuits which were supposed to be carefully rationed for the kids over the weeks ahead. I know it’s not going to do me much good come the morning as I try and squeeze into my suit, but […]
17th March 2017 London, UK
Curator’s view: Home of St Patrick Festival
This year’s Home of St Patrick’s Festival will be running over 17 days (3-19 March) in the Northern Irish counties of Armagh and Down to celebrate the amazing life of Saint Patrick. It will be bringing together renowned international artists including, Aboriginal Musicians (B2M) from Australia and The Secret Ensemble with artists from Iran and […]
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17th March 2017 London, UKJerusalem, Israel
From overlooked to overachieving – through UK tech
Like many teenagers, Maria Nassar was fascinated by popular fantasy books, depicting dragons, monsters and doomsday scenes. At just 16 years old, this native of Nazareth in Israel came up with a great idea, pursued it and five years later she now jointly owns an electronic platform for independent story-tellers with millions of monthly unique […]
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