UK sanctions 25 targets in illegal migration crackdown July 23, 2025 The UK government has banned 25 people smugglers, fraudsters, and bankers in the first set of sanctions aimed at curbing illegal migration, putting pressure on countries across Europe and the Middle East to follow suit. The Foreign Office has disclosed the names of 24 individuals and one company it has accused of facilitating people-smuggling and [...]
UK government to sanction companies driving illegal migration July 22, 2025 The UK government is set to introduce a new sanctions regime targeting people smuggling gangs and rogue companies driving illegal migration as part of efforts to curb small boat crossings and stop modern slavery in the UK. In new reforms unveiled by the Foreign Office, individuals and companies responsible for irregular migration will see their [...]
Top bosses briefed by Foreign Office on global risks July 21, 2025 Top business executives are set to receive briefings from the Foreign Office on global risks including conflicts and trade tensions as part of a wider strategy to help UK firms expand overseas. Representatives of the Premier League, Lloyds Bank and PwC are among those attending a first-of-its-kind event at Lancaster House where leading diplomats are [...]
UK investigators arrive in India for plane crash June 14, 2025 UK air accident investigators have arrived in India as tributes continue to pour in for victims of the Air India plane crash. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off on Thursday in what is one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed. The aircraft struck a medical [...]
Lammy set for further talks with counterparts as Iran and Israel exchange fire June 14, 2025 David Lammy is expected to spend the day in talks with counterparts across the Middle East after Iran launched retaliatory attacks against Israel overnight. The Foreign Secretary will be briefed by officials on Saturday and will speak to figures in the Middle East and elsewhere. It comes after conversations with representatives from Iran, Jordan and [...]
David Lammy: ‘Technology is the frontline of geopolitics’ as Foreign Office teams up with Big Four giants June 5, 2025 “It is essential" that firms such as the Big Four and UK government "work together", Foreign Secretary tells Morning Wire as his focus shifts to AI.
India launches air strikes on Pakistan, as UK ready to ‘support’ deescalation May 7, 2025 The UK is ready to “support” both India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions following an exchange of fire between the two nations, a minister has said. Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the situation in Kashmir was “hugely worrying”, just hours after signing a billion pound trade deal that had been three years in the making. [...]
Exclusive: City firms matched with UK diplomats in growth push April 10, 2025 Top City firms including Big Four consultancies are hosting Foreign Office diplomats as part of the department’s efforts to become the “salesforce for UK plc”. More than 100 diplomats and representatives from professional services firms, including KPMG and EY, have been paired up in a bid to improve British business representation overseas. The scheme was [...]
UK ambassadors to have growth ‘KPIs’, foreign secretary tells trade summit March 21, 2025 The UK’s ambassadors will have “KPIs that contribute to our economic growth” as diplomats shift to a more economic mindset, the foreign secretary has said. David Lammy told an audience of businesses that he wants the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to become the “international delivery arm of the government’s missions, the first of [...]
‘Trump is right’: Lammy says defence spending must rise January 9, 2025 With Russia on the march and the end of post-Cold War peace, David Lammy has argued that Europe’s defence spending must rise. The foreign secretary said for the UK to be “taken seriously… we must put our money where our mouth is” in his first major speech of 2025. Lammy told an audience of diplomats [...]