6th February 2012 Washington DC, USA
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… going to the UK this weekend. Flying into Heathrow on Saturday morning, I found Britain in great excitement about Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday. So it was clearly the best of times to head to Broadstairs, Dickens’ favourite holiday destination where he spent his […]
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3rd February 2012 Washington DC, USA
Yesterday morning I had breakfast with three thousand people. It’s not every day that I can say that. This was the 60th annual National Prayer Breakfast, a key date in the political calendar of this city and country. It was a remarkable occasion. The sheer scale of the event was dizzying. So was the guest […]
2nd February 2012 USA
This week Washington welcomed the best and brightest in reality and unscripted television industry to the (sold-out) 14th Annual RealScreen Summit. Home to non-fiction powerhouses like Discovery Communications, The National Geographic Channel and PBS, the event here brought together the top creative talent who develop the shows we love (or love to hate), like Wife […]
2nd February 2012 Washington DC, USA
It has been a whirlwind three weeks since my arrival in Washington. I’ve visited the White House to present my credentials to President Obama and watched from the House gallery as he delivered his State of the Union address. I’ve travelled outside of D.C., seeing the South Carolina Republican primary at first-hand and meeting with […]
25th January 2012 USA
A unique feature of the UK’s policy and political work with the US on climate change over the past several years has been the engagement of Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, our Climate and Energy Security Envoy. This first-of-its-kind role has provided the Rear Admiral and our government with new opportunities to work with a key […]
23rd January 2012
I love a good beer. Preferably a real ale (consumed responsibly, naturally). If I was back home in the UK, I’d order a pint of Spitfire, brewed by England’s oldest brewery, Faversham-based Shepherd Neame. So I thought I was going to be disappointed with the lighter offerings in the US, and have to resign myself […]
20th January 2012 USA
The following is a guest post by Melinda Goforth, Consul, Head of Trade and Investment — Washington. George Bernard Shaw once said that America and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language. But I think the quirky differences in our respective ways of phrasing can actually bring us together, a point illustrated […]
20th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
I’m not sure if it was nerves, enthusiasm, or a combination of the two, but the atmosphere in the Embassy here in Washington DC was palpably different this week. Ties and new haircuts had been acquired by colleagues over the weekend. And—clearly a sign that something was up—we were all early to the regular Embassy-wide […]
19th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
It is an immense privilege to return to Washington as British Ambassador, and a great honour to serve at the heart of a relationship that is not just special, but – as our respective leaders have said – essential. I begin my assignment this week at the start of what will be a very exciting […]
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13th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
Long before I knew I was coming to DC, I saw Alec Ross, Senior Advisor on Innovation to Secretary Clinton, give a talk at the London School of Economics on foreign policy in the era of social media. He argued to an enthusiastic London audience that high speed Internet is the infrastructure of the 21st […]
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