20th December 2012
Athens, Greece
In January 2009, the then newly-arrived Ambassador, Dr David Landsman, OBE walked into my room, accompanied by our then Political Counsellor, for a brief discussion about my work. Upon leaving, he asked “what is the single area of work that you think will be most important in the period ahead?” I replied “migration”. I think […]
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20th December 2012
Beirut, Lebanon
Each year, many ambassadors send Ministers a review of trends in their country, and thoughts on what lies ahead. To share the more candid elements would be a bit of digital transparency too far, but here is a redacted version of what I have just sent. You can read the rest when it is released […]
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6th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
As winter sets in here, the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered what’s called the Autumn Statement to Parliament in London on 5 December. The Government’s economic strategy is focussed on reducing the deficit, restoring stability, rebalancing the economy and equipping the UK to compete in the global race. The government’s new decisions relate to three […]
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30th November 2012
London, UK
The Rolling Stones may not have been foremost in the minds of Ministers as they agreed to open trade talks between the EU and Japan yesterday, but if the negotiations are successful, they could be among those that benefit. The decision to open negotiations between two of the world’s largest economies was a major success […]
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16th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
SME exporters in Leeds, big corporates in Canary Wharf, Australian inward investors in Manchester. I’ve spent a busy few days supporting the UK economy, which is the top priority for our overseas network. At an export seminar in Leeds hosted by the big international law firm DLA Piper, I spoke about the many export opportunities […]
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15th October 2012
London, UK
This week, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Single Market, and it is a good moment to look back at how our relationship with Europe has changed over that time. Since 1992, the UK’s trade with EU member states has more than trebled. Currently, 3.5 million jobs – 11% of the UK’s workforce – […]
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4th October 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Here in the British Embassy’s trade team, we’re just as likely to be in downtown DC extolling the virtues of free trade and why Britain’s open for business to anyone and everyone who will listen as we are tied to our desks doing the more traditional reporting roles expected of Embassy officials. That’s all […]
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12th September 2012
London, UK
This autumn represents a real challenge to the EU and eurozone to put in place the right measures to ensure a sustainable and long term solution to the eurozone crisis. There have been some really important steps recently in moving towards that solution, such as last week’s announcement of ECB bond buying (or in the […]
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15th August 2012
Washington DC, USA
You know you’re British when the first conversation starts, and continues, with the weather. I descended upon the Falkland Islands in the early afternoon to glorious sunshine and a cool breeze – exactly what I needed after a long flight full of recycled air. As soon as my ride picked me up from Mount Pleasant […]
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19th July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Traditional manufacturing centres in Australia and Britain continue to evolve as global supply chains are transformed. Geelong, Victoria’s second city, is responding to challenges which would be familiar in many British cities. Employment has been declining in its historical large manufacturing sectors like car-making and aluminium-smelting, not helped by the strong Australian dollar. Ford announced some further […]
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