This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

28th May 2014

Briefing the Party Room

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop invited me to address the Coalition “Party Room” last night. Around a quarter of the party’s parliamentary members attended.

I talked about three things.

– What’s going on in the UK – the recent European election results, the forthcoming Scottish referendum, and the return to sustainable economic growth

– UK thinking on major current international issues: Ukraine, Syria, Thailand, Nigeria

– The UK/Australia relationship – the traditional economic/security & intelligence/people to people links; the rejuvenation of the relationship under the current leadership in both countries; the increased military cooperation over the last few years in Iraq and Afghanistan; current collaboration in the UNSC and G20; and our mutual interest in the rise of Asia.

The minister chaired  a lively discussion in which Members fired questions at me for nearly an hour, across a very wide range of subjects like Immigration, Northern Ireland, the Muslim Brotherhood, Gay Marriage and many more. They showed a strong understanding of the UK and a keen interest in how we work together.

Afterwards Sarah Henderson MP, the new chair of the Australia/UK Parliamentary network proposed a vote of thanks. I’m looking forward to working with her. Not least because she comes from Geelong, home to my favourite footy team.

About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.

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