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The Much-Vaunted Soft Power Council Is Drifting Towards Oblivion
The Much-Vaunted Soft Power Council Is Drifting Towards Oblivion
Culture
Launched with fanfare but sinking without trace, the Soft Power Council appears to be an object lesson in how the UK fails to leverage its cultural, sporting and educational assets, reports Ben Gartside
Maritime Chokepoints: It Could Get Worse Than The Strait Of Hormuz Closure
Defence
Maritime Chokepoints: It Could Get Worse Than The Strait Of Hormuz Closure
China And Clean Energy: Is Britain Swapping One Dependency For Another?
Energy
China And Clean Energy: Is Britain Swapping One Dependency For Another?
Meet Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki, Who Loves Pubs, Paddington And The Premier League
Foreign affairs
Meet Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki, Who Loves Pubs, Paddington And The Premier League
Brexit Scars And UK Political Instability Temper Brussels Enthusiasm For EU Reset
Foreign affairs
Brexit Scars And UK Political Instability Temper Brussels Enthusiasm For EU Reset
Emily Thornberry: “I Wanted Keir To Have More Of An Opportunity To Be Himself”
Foreign affairs
Emily Thornberry: “I Wanted Keir To Have More Of An Opportunity To Be Himself”
Labour Cannot Rely On An EU Reset – Or Rejoin Pledge – To Win Over Voters
Brexit
Labour Cannot Rely On An EU Reset – Or Rejoin Pledge – To Win Over Voters
Opinion
Trump’s Iran war has changed geopolitics – but not in the way that he and Netanyahu had hoped
Foreign affairs
By Lord Ricketts
Trump’s Iran war has changed geopolitics – but not in the way that he and Netanyahu had hoped
Vital extradition protections have been lost in the new Crime & Policing Act
Foreign affairs
By Lord Carter of Haslemere
Vital extradition protections have been lost in the new Crime & Policing Act
Hormuz has shown the vulnerability but there are other emerging challenges to chokepoints like our own Dover Strait
Economy
By Rear Admiral Iain Lower
Hormuz has shown the vulnerability but there are other emerging challenges to chokepoints like our own Dover Strait
Most read
Lord Heseltine: 'We Must Not Have Reform Or Restore Anywhere Near The Corridors Of Power'
Lord Heseltine: "We Must Not Have Reform Or Restore Anywhere Near The Corridors Of Power"
Home affairs
Reform Council Leader Under Investigation For Sharing Contract With Reform HQ
Reform Council Leader Under Investigation For Sharing Contract With Reform HQ
Communities
Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls Awards ##sash##
Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls Awards
Health
Starmer Loyalists Plot Late Move To Block Burnham Coronation
Starmer Loyalists Plot Late Move To Block Burnham Coronation
Political parties
What Did Makerfield Reveal About Restore Britain's Threat To Farage?
What Did Makerfield Reveal About Restore Britain's Threat To Farage?
Political parties
The obsessions of the old guard are destabilising British politics
The obsessions of the old guard are destabilising British politics
By Colm Murphy
Political parties
Editor's choiceAll
Meet Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki, Who Loves Pubs, Paddington And The Premier League
Foreign affairs
Meet Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki, Who Loves Pubs, Paddington And The Premier League
Diplomacy is having a lean period as wars rage on, but it has found a star in Hiroshi Suzuki. Japan’s ambassador to the UK tells Ben Gartside about his love of the UK, the power of social media and travels with his stuffed toy
Emily Thornberry: “I Wanted Keir To Have More Of An Opportunity To Be Himself”
Foreign affairs
Emily Thornberry: “I Wanted Keir To Have More Of An Opportunity To Be Himself”
Foreign Affairs Committee chair Emily Thornberry tells Sienna Rodgers Labour needs ‘bold and brave and open leadership’ – from radicalism at home to the EU reset and British soft power around the world
How Thousands Of Ukrainian Children In The UK Are Growing Up In Limbo
Education
How Thousands Of Ukrainian Children In The UK Are Growing Up In Limbo
More than 60,000 Ukrainian children have grown up in the UK since fleeing Russia’s full-scale invasion. Zoe Crowther explores how the absence of a long-term settlement plan is leaving these children and their families in limbo.
Foreign Affairs news
The Global Partnerships Conference is an opportunity to show what Labour stands for
Foreign affairs
By Laura Kyrke-Smith MP
The Global Partnerships Conference is an opportunity to show what Labour stands for
Amid the political upheaval of recent weeks, a post from a former colleague caught my eye.
Confessions of an election observer: Viktor Orban's defeat
Foreign affairs
By Rupa Huq MP
Confessions of an election observer: Viktor Orban's defeat
Labour MP Rupa Huq shares her diary from Hungary, where she led a team of international MPs examining the elections that saw Viktor Orbán defeated
Mu Sochua: The Cambodian Politician Urging UK Action On 'Scam Centres'
Foreign affairs
Mu Sochua: The Cambodian Politician Urging UK Action On 'Scam Centres'
Mu Sochua is on an international mission to rid Cambodia of its industrial-scale ‘scam centres’. Noah Vickers speaks to her as she brings her message to Westminster
We're Going To Need A Bigger Stick: Britain Seeks AI Sovereignty
Foreign affairs
We're Going To Need A Bigger Stick: Britain Seeks AI Sovereignty
Britain has now made clear that it wants AI sovereignty, of a kind. But there are numerous hurdles in the way, reports Matilda Martin. For a seat at the table with the US and China, say experts, we’re going to need a bigger stick
The UK's ‘visa brake’ risks punishing students from conflict-affected countries
Foreign affairs
By Flora Alexander
The UK's ‘visa brake’ risks punishing students from conflict-affected countries
The blanket ban on certain overseas student visas will do little to tackle the asylum backlog, while harming the prospects of young people in some of the world's most dangerous countries.
The fall of Orbán is an opportunity – we must ensure it is seized
Foreign affairs
By Baroness Helic
The fall of Orbán is an opportunity – we must ensure it is seized
The fall of Viktor Orbán is good news not only for the EU but for the western Balkans, and for Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular.
Morgan McSweeney Says Mandelson's Friendship With Epstein Was 'Knife Through My Soul'
Foreign affairs
Morgan McSweeney Says Mandelson's Friendship With Epstein Was "Knife Through My Soul"
Keir Starmer's former chief of staff has described the moment when he realised the depth of Lord Mandelson's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein as having “a knife through my soul”.
No 10 Was 'Uninterested' In Mandelson Security Vetting, Says Ex Foreign Office Chief
Foreign affairs
No 10 Was "Uninterested" In Mandelson Security Vetting, Says Ex Foreign Office Chief
The former head civil servant in the Foreign Office has told MPs that Downing Street showed an "uninterested" attitude towards the security vetting of Lord Mandelson.
It is time for a serious conversation about rejoining the EU
Foreign affairs
By Mike Clancy
It is time for a serious conversation about rejoining the EU
The current government's approach to rebuilding ties with Europe is welcome and beneficial. But this alone won't come close to reversing the damage of Brexit.
In defence of Sir Olly Robbins
Foreign affairs
By Dave Penman
In defence of Sir Olly Robbins
It was, without risk of hyperbole, humbling to sit behind Olly Robbins as he gave his evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Why Britain’s partnership with Mongolia matters for our growth and security
Foreign affairs
By Seema Malhotra MP
Why Britain’s partnership with Mongolia matters for our growth and security
Last month, I made my first visit to Mongolia as Minister for the Indo-Pacific.
Cut pensions to fund defence? That'd be electorally unwise and socially irresponsible
Economy
By Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Cut pensions to fund defence? That'd be electorally unwise and socially irresponsible
The call from a handful of Labour ministers, peers and backbenchers to fund higher defence spending via welfare cuts ignores the purpose of our social security system.
Former Foreign Office Chief Accuses No 10 Of 'Dismissive Approach' To Mandelson's Vetting
Foreign affairs
Former Foreign Office Chief Accuses No 10 Of "Dismissive Approach" To Mandelson's Vetting
Former Foreign Office permanent secretary Olly Robbins has said No 10 had a "dismissive approach" to Lord Peter Mandelson's vetting.
Keir Starmer Says It “Beggars Belief” Officials Withheld Information Over Peter Mandelson
Foreign affairs
Keir Starmer Says It “Beggars Belief” Officials Withheld Information Over Peter Mandelson
Keir Starmer has said it “beggars belief” the Foreign Office withheld information over Peter Mandelson's vetting failure.
PM Says It Is 'Staggering' And 'Unforgiveable' He Wasn't Told About Mandelson Vetting Failure
Foreign affairs
PM Says It Is "Staggering" And "Unforgiveable" He Wasn't Told About Mandelson Vetting Failure
Keir Starmer has said he is "absolutely furious" that he wasn't told that Lord Mandelson failed security vetting before being appointed US ambassador.
'We seek not power, but the transfer of power to the Iranian people' Partner content
Foreign affairs
By Alliance for Public Awareness
"We seek not power, but the transfer of power to the Iranian people"
As conflict and instability intensify, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, sets out a proposed path from regime collapse to elections, and insists the country rejects both theocracy and monarchy as competing forms of dictatorship
Keir Starmer Sacks Foreign Office Permanent Secretary Over Mandelson Vetting Row
Foreign affairs
Keir Starmer Sacks Foreign Office Permanent Secretary Over Mandelson Vetting Row
The most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office is leaving his role over the Lord Mandelson vetting row.
Why The Iran War Is Making Food In The UK More Expensive
Economy
Why The Iran War Is Making Food In The UK More Expensive
Fuel and energy are not the only essentials impacted by the Iran war, with experts warning that grocery prices could rise sharply in the next 12 months.
Ed Davey: Hillary Clinton Told Me To “Stand Up To Bullies” Like Reform UK
Foreign affairs
Ed Davey: Hillary Clinton Told Me To “Stand Up To Bullies” Like Reform UK
Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton privately urged Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey to “stand up to bullies” like Reform UK during a recent visit to London.
The government must be bolder on the energy crisis
Energy
By Polly Billington MP
The government must be bolder on the energy crisis
This Labour government must emulate the boldness shown by Gordon Brown nearly two decades ago and convene an International Energy Summit.
The UK can learn from how Switzerland rebuilt public trust in its asylum system
Foreign affairs
By Jonathan Thomas
The UK can learn from how Switzerland rebuilt public trust in its asylum system
There is no magic bullet for running an asylum system, but the Swiss example demonstrates that a much better way of doing things is possible.
The North Sea still matters
Energy
By Graeme Downie MP
The North Sea still matters
North Sea extraction won't bring down energy bills or fund government subsidies. But, done responsibly, it has a role to play in our national security.
PM Warns Reopening Strait Of Hormuz 'Will Not Be Easy'
Economy
PM Warns Reopening Strait Of Hormuz "Will Not Be Easy"
Keir Starmer has warned that attempts to resume the vital flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz "will not be easy" in a Downing Street statement on the Iran war.
King's US State Visit To Go Ahead Despite Trump Attacks On UK Over Iran
Foreign affairs
King's US State Visit To Go Ahead Despite Trump Attacks On UK Over Iran
King Charles and Queen Camilla will meet US President Donald Trump on a state visit to the United States in late April, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
EventsAll
Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls Awards
2026
Speaker's House, Palace of Westminster, London
Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls Awards
Net Zero Week 2026
2026
Online and In-Person
Net Zero Week 2026
Back Nuclear Energy 2026
2026
Online and In-Person
Back Nuclear Energy 2026