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
9th December 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Trading Together
On Monday, I went to the opening of the London Stock Exchange Group’s new technology hub in Sri Lanka. The hub is in the TRACE Expert City precinct of Colombo. It’s a lovely location: working closely with the Urban Development Authority, the Group’s architects have converted beautiful old brick railway buildings into light and spacious […]
8th December 2016 Lagos, Nigeria
Royal Society of Chemistry and GlaxoSmithKline One Week Training in Lagos
I was opportune to present a speech about the Science and Innovation Network (SIN) at Pan Africa Chemistry Network (PACN) and Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)/ GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) GCMS Training which commenced 21 – 25 November 2016 at the University of Lagos (Unilag). Furthermore I wrote the speech for the Deputy High Commissioner at post […]
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8th December 2016 New Delhi, India
‘Smart’ farming – way ahead – UK India agritech partnership
We need to produce more food with less land and fewer resources. These challenges mean that new agricultural science and technology is needed. Precision farming combines technology with livestock and crop science to improve agricultural practice. One effect is on yields: precision agriculture (PA) allows farmers to extract as much value as possible from every […]
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7th December 2016 Lagos, Nigeria
Environmental Challenges in Nigeria and Need for Stakeholder Engagement in Green Economy
I was privileged to represent SIN at a film screening ‘Nowhere to run’ recently hosted by the UK- High Commissioner to Nigeria- Paul Arkwright, at his British Residence highlighting environmental challenges in Nigeria linked to the global threat of climate change. This compelling documentary won the best documentary award at the African Film Festival, amongst […]
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6th December 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
UK – Romania ties: the story of Her Majesty’s great-great grandmother
The small town of Sangeorgiu de Padure, in Mures County in the heart of Transylvania, has a mostly ethnic Hungarian population and an unexpected connection to the British Royal Family. At the heart of the town is the two-storey white-walled Rhedey Castle, actually more palace than castle, which dates originally from the 17th century, though […]
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5th December 2016 Riyhad, Saudi Arabia
BRITAIN IN THE GULF: PARTNERS BUILDING A SECURE AND PROSPEROUS FUTURE
In a fast changing world, enduring relationships built on trust and common interests matter. This year we celebrate 100 years of UK relations with Saudi Arabia, where I currently live and work, and an amazing 200 years of relations with Bahrain, my first posting as a baby diplomat 35 years ago and host to this […]
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2nd December 2016 Kolkata, India
White revolution
There are about 123 million cattle in India, so the Kolkata based Telegraph newspaper informed me recently. The paper was citing India’s 2012 national cow census. That’s a lot of cattle, or roughly one for every ten Indians. The equivalent number in Britain is 1.9 million. This is the size of the total dairy herd […]
1st December 2016 Tripoli, Libya
Presenting Credentials
Last weekend I had the enormous honour of presenting my credentials to Prime Minister Fayez Serraj in Tripoli. Four other European Ambassadors presented their credentials at the same time. What does this mean? And why is it important? Ambassadors are formally appointed by their Head of State and are given letters of appointment. These letters […]
1st December 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Visit to Vologodskaya region, home of Russia’s largest steel company and the first Russian Ambassador to Britain
Vologodskaya region is at the southern end of my consular district, Russia’s large North West Federal District. The two main cities are the regional administrative centre, Vologda, and the industrial centre, Cherepovets. Both lie approximately half way between Moscow and St Petersburg. I was keen to see and hear more about this region of Russia, […]
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30th November 2016 Holy See
Global Saint Andrew
How did a simple Galilean fisherman come to be the patron saint of Scotland? The Gospel of John tells us that Andrew heard John the Baptist refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God. “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him “We have found the Messiah” (that is […]