26th March 2014 London, UK
From my window in the Foreign Office, you can just about see St James’ Park, and it’s easy on a sunny, spring day to be infused with a sense of optimism and general wellbeing. But elsewhere in Europe, there is a chill in the air. I have just returned from Lithuania and Latvia, where memories […]
7th March 2014
On Tuesday 11 March a group of officials from different British government departments will be in Rome to meet their Italian opposite numbers, to explain how our benefits system has changed and how it will work for those coming into the UK. On this topic, it is important to underline that we are not trying […]
14th January 2014 New Delhi, India
Awareness Raising and Information Campaign in India – 9 January to 31 March 2014 Last week I was at the Indian Institute of Technology – Delhi (IIT-D) to represent the UK at the first event of the European Roadshow 2014 Research, Innovation & Higher Education. The UK shares strong linkages with the IIT-D and it […]
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4th December 2013
We all know the phrase about lies, damned lies and statistics. I often think this is particularly applicable when trying to identify and quantify people’s religious identity. How do we count the number of Anglicans, Catholics or Muslims? For Christians, is it based on baptism, whether they go to church every week, or what they […]
10th October 2013 Ottawa, Canada
A study co-produced by my colleagues in Washington, TTIP and the Fifty States, got me thinking about the benefits to be had from a conclusion to both CETA negotiations and the recently started TTIP talks …
27th August 2013 Ottawa, Canada
I will admit trade policy isn’t always edge-of-your-seat material, but lately it has been getting its fair share of press. From a new Director-General at the World Trade Organisation, to the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, and the start of bilateral trade talks between the EU and US, there are a lot of potential game changers for global trade on the horizon. . .
24th July 2013
Many people hold strong views about the Europe Union based on different perspectives about its role , but perhaps we don’t think enough, in the round, about the impact of EU membership and current EU rules and laws on the UK as a whole. Therefore in July 2012 the UK Government launched the so-called “Balance […]
3rd June 2013
Some once said that football was a game where England played Germany over 90 minutes and extra time and then the Germans won on penalties. Which is an inelegant way of saying that the UK and Germany are very much together on the reform team in the EU, with Sweden on side as well, of […]
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16th April 2013
Today, an important vote is taking place in the European Parliament. The British Government has asked all British MEPs to vote for a more competitive EU by supporting a higher price on carbon emissions. A well-functioning market, where it is more expensive to produce carbon emissions is crucial for green growth, and for the UK, […]
2nd April 2013
Last month I was in Rotherham in South Yorkshire with a delegation from Dolj County looking at approaches to Roma inclusion. This was the return visit after the leader of Rotherham Municipal Borough Council Roger Stone OBE visited Craiova and Podari last January. I wanted him to see the excellent work that local authorities have […]
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