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
24th November 2016 New Delhi, India
Newton at TECH Summit – developing UK-India ‘RISTA’
I got an opportunity to attend the India-UK TECH Summit which was held in New Delhi from 7-9 November 2016, a mega event showcasing GREAT Britain’s technological prowess and opening up portals for greater Indian investment and partnership. This three day spectacle comprised of a gamut of activities which included five summits on technology, innovation […]
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24th November 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Memorial to British and Allied Airmen, Kego Island, North West Russia
My most recent blog (Remembrance Day Commemorations in North West Russia) described our annual Remembrance events across North West Russia in honour of the brave British and Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen who served in North West Russia during World War One, including the Allied Intervention period of 1918-19, and World War Two. There has […]
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23rd November 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
The Future Of Globalisation
To appreciate the paradox of globalisation, consider this: – The first of the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals was to halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income was less than $1.25 a day. This target was met five years early. Over half those lifted out of extreme poverty during this period, […]
23rd November 2016 Beijing, China
First non-animal test method accepted by China
China has taken an important step, supported by the Science & Innovation team in Beijing, to improve animal welfare in China. On 11 November the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) published its first non-animal method for testing cosmetic ingredients. This is great news as the new method can now be used to assess the […]
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22nd November 2016 Washington DC, USA
In A Force of the Future, An Equal Opportunity to Serve
I had the pleasure of joining Samantha Job from the Embassy and Mackenzie Eaglen from AEI on a panel on Monday night discussing Women in Defence. Moderated by Nina Wagner from the Pentagon. We talked about how far we had come, not least in the 35 years of my military service, but also how much […]
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22nd November 2016 London, UK
Linking ports to power the engine room of East Africa’s trade
Trademark East Africa’s support for the modernization of ports in Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam, and its one-stop border posts, are transforming trade and driving integration across East Africa. The UK in Kenya and Tanzania plays an important role in supporting them, through UK aid. The time it takes to move goods from Mombasa to Kampala has […]
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22nd November 2016 Jerusalem, Israel
Preserving a Palestinian Tradition
The olive harvest season in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Families get up early in the morning and journey to their land in the mountains and fields in order to pick those small green or black olives. They work under the hot sun for hours, have a traditional Palestinian meal and […]
22nd November 2016 Bangalore, India
Connected cities – seeking new opportunities for global partnership
I arrived in India after an exciting few days at the Innovate 2016 event in Manchester, co-hosted by Innovate UK and the Department for International Trade. Cities of the future were an important theme of the event, showcasing UK innovation. Panel sessions and presentations covered topics ranging from urban living to autonomous transport, and digital […]
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21st November 2016 London, UK
Rolls-Royce for EL AL: How we landed the biggest UK-Israel trade deal in history
I’ve always been fascinated by jet aircraft, especially those used by commercial airlines. As a kid, it was a real holiday for me when my father would take me for a drive on a Sunday to see the aircraft taking off and landing at London Airport – now Heathrow. More recently my interest has been […]
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21st November 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Remembrance Day Commemorations in North West Russia
Every November we recognise the brave British and Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen who served in North West Russia during World War One, including the Allied Intervention period of 1918-19, and World War Two. This was a particularly important year as we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first of the Arctic […]
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