Category: Foreign Affairs

  • Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on Companies Avoiding Sanctions Regime

    Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on Companies Avoiding Sanctions Regime

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 17 June 2026.

    Those who seek to evade our sanctions regime and support Putin’s cronies should be in no doubt, we will come after you.

    It is vital we support Ukraine and continue to ramp up pressure on Russia, as every pound flowing into Putin’s war chest is being used to fuel conflict in Europe and undermine our security.

  • PRESS RELEASE : G7 Leaders’ Statement on mutually beneficial international partnerships [June 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : G7 Leaders’ Statement on mutually beneficial international partnerships [June 2026]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 June 2026.

    G7 Leaders’ Statement on mutually beneficial international partnerships.

    We, the Leaders of the G7, reaffirm our commitment to international cooperation on development and investment finance as a driver of shared prosperity and highlight our willingness to provide support to the most vulnerable. Partner countries of the G7, Kenya and the Republic of Korea, also support this declaration. We recognize that the impact of the international development finance architecture has served the most vulnerable for decades. Fostering durable growth, reducing global poverty and strengthening global resilience against external and natural shocks are key shared goals. Alongside private capital, blended finance and fair and transparent lending, concessional official development assistance continues to play a strategic role in supporting partner countries and addressing global challenges in alignment with our mutual interests and our existing development objectives.

    However, we recognize the need to update the current international development system to ensure it fully meets the needs of future generations and current challenges. While traditional development policies have achieved important results, they have at times had limited impact in reducing financial dependency on external assistance, strengthening country ownership and creating pro-growth incentives. The development architecture has also become overly complex, resulting in a suboptimal use of resources. Excessive macroeconomic imbalances, crises and conflicts, lingering poverty and debt vulnerabilities inflate financial needs, disproportionally affecting the most vulnerable. Public resources continue to play a strategic role, yet they are insufficient alone to meet global development needs. We need to catalyse structured reforms to rationalize the development architecture and ensure its efficiency and impact.

    We are united in reforming the development cooperation system and shaping mutually beneficial partnerships that take into account our strategic interests and those of our partners and foresee a strategic and catalytic use of concessional resources where they are most needed. We welcome the support of our African partners for a renewed approach, as expressed at the Africa Forward Summit. The success of efforts to promote development and prosperity also relies on partner countries’ ability to mobilize domestic resources and attract private capital. We aim to support our partners ability to self-finance and reinforce partner countries’ ownership, accountability, long-term economic sovereignty and resilience while respecting their development priorities. We stress that achieving the empowerment of all women and girls and the full and equal enjoyment of all their human rights and fundamental freedoms is a key driver of development and economic growth.

    We will continue to support partner countries, including through strengthening domestic resource mobilization and developing capacities for tax administration. We welcome the commitment to strengthen collaboration on domestic resources mobilization made by the Platform for Collaboration on Tax at the conference held in Tokyo in March 2026. Where appropriate, we will develop programmes which encourage co-investment with partner countries and produce positive incentives to engage in necessary institutional reforms. Such programmes will support partner countries in raising revenues, spending effectively, borrowing sustainably and adequately managing fiscal risks.

    We will enhance efforts to address escalating global debt vulnerabilities that threaten economic stability and constrain fiscal space for essential public service interventions. We underscore the importance of making further progress in the G20 towards a common approach to debt restructurings for vulnerable middle-income countries that are not eligible for the Common Framework. We will promote the strengthening of the implementation of the G20 Common Framework to ensure debt treatments are delivered in a predictable, timely, orderly and coordinated manner. We call for increased support to countries that have sustainable debt and a strong reform agenda but face high debt service that crowds out growth-enhancing investments, notably by accelerating the implementation of the IMF-World Bank 3-Pillar Approach. We will also continue our efforts to strengthen the global debt architecture, notably by calling for greater transparency in debt data and lending practices among all stakeholders. In this context, we urge all G20 creditors to participate in the Data-Sharing Exercise of the World Bank. We note the launch of the Borrowers’ Platform and look forward to continued dialogue with all relevant parties, including the private sector and in the Paris Club, to advance these efforts.

    We will seek to support more effective mobilization of private capital to finance long term development and impact at scale. To make development projects attractive to private investors, we will use our Development Finance Institutions and call on Multilateral Development Banks to promote the use of risk-sharing instruments, guarantees, blended finance, co-financing mechanisms, market instruments and address exchange rate risk. We stress the benefits of derisking solutions and reinforcing the guarantee architecture, notably through the African Trade and Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI). In this regard, we also welcome work by the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group, including through the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), to support growth, promote a sound investment climate and mobilize private capital in Africa. We aim to remove investment barriers and support initiatives to foster sound policy and regulatory environments in partner countries, including through the G20 Compact with Africa, and will promote standardized and investable projects, and strengthen data availability and transparency.

    We will promote supply chain resilience and diversification, and resilient transportation, energy and digital infrastructures, in line with the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructures Investment, including through the G7 Partnership on Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). To that end, we will promote a new approach to economic and development corridors, derisking and mobilizing private capital, including through the G7 Infrastructure Investment Council. We also recognize the importance of reliable critical minerals value chains for shared prosperity, and aim to harness the economic potential of critical mineral value creation through international cooperation along the supply chain and mutually beneficial partnerships based on high standards, transparency and local value creation. In light of supply chain disruptions, we task our ministers to work with and monitor international financial institutions and international organizations to evaluate the global impacts of access to essential inputs such as fertilizers and to coordinate support for countries in need, so as to address global food security.

    We will use concessional resources strategically where they are most needed, particularly in least developed and most vulnerable countries, addressing the specific needs of countries exposed to external and natural shocks, remoteness, limited access to capital markets and protracted or ongoing conflicts. In countries which have limited access to non-concessional or private capital, we will invest in sectors of human development, including in health, education, early childhood development, nutrition and food systems. Where appropriate, we stand ready to support our partners in the development, adoption and implementation of their National Health Compacts and similar country-platform approaches.

    We aim to address the fragmentation of the development system and to improve its efficiency and effectiveness also by strengthening coordination and collaboration among all development actors, including public development banks, development financing institutions, Multilateral Development Banks and vertical multilateral funds. We will prioritize building on successful financing vehicles and refrain from creating new ones, including where appropriate by incorporating them within existing initiatives. We recognize the value of the United Nations system as a development actor and encourage reform, including through the UN80 agenda.

    As major shareholders in Multilateral Development Banks, we reaffirm our commitment to make them more effective and impactful through reforms aiming to ensure that they work effectively as a system, including with Public Development Banks. In particular, we will coordinate to enhance opportunities for private sector investors and funds to deploy capital alongside Multilateral Development Banks on bankable high-impact projects.

    Delivering this transformative agenda will require sustained and collective commitment within and beyond the G7. We welcome initiatives that take this approach forward with partner countries at country and regional level. To this end, we note the recent Africa Forward Summit, the Global Partnerships Conference, the Mattei Plan for Africa, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development and the Global Gateway initiative, among others. We stress the importance of working with all stakeholders to promote fair and transparent development finance, in line with international standards and shared practices. We will strive to mobilize a broad multi-actor coalition, including emerging donors, the private sector, philanthropic actors and civil society to align with this renewed approach.

    This declaration reflects the outcome of the discussion between G7 members, benefiting from productive exchanges of views with partner countries.

  • Hamish Falconer – 2026 Comments on a US-Iran Deal

    Hamish Falconer – 2026 Comments on a US-Iran Deal

    The comments made by Hamish Falconer, the Minister for the Middle East, on 16 June 2026.

    The news of a US-Iran deal is a hugely significant moment and I am pleased to convey my personal thanks, and that of the UK, to Pakistan during my visit here in Islamabad. Pakistan has played a critical role in brokering this opportunity for regional stability and we stand ready to work together to support a path to lasting peace. 

    The UK-Pakistan partnership is critical for safeguarding global, regional and UK national security – working closely together to tackle terrorist threats, visa fraud and serious organised crime.  

    We are taking this partnership and our co-operation to a new level, with additional funding to deter illegal migration and target drivers from the source.

    We remain grateful for the role Pakistan has played in facilitating negotiations. The UK and our partners will continue to work together to see the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

  • Yvette Cooper – 2026 Comments on New Sanctions on Russia

    Yvette Cooper – 2026 Comments on New Sanctions on Russia

    The comments made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, on 16 June 2026.

    As the Kremlin resorts to ever more shady tactics to sustain its war, from its ageing shadow fleet to covert finance networks, the UK remains one step ahead in shutting them down. 

    These sanctions strike at the heart of these murky efforts, to starve Putin’s war machine and defend Britain’s security. 

    Shoulder to shoulder with our G7 partners, the UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

  • Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on New Sanctions on Russia

    Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on New Sanctions on Russia

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 16 June 2026.

    These sanctions target the vessels, the money and the actors propping up Russia’s war economy, and in turn, threatening European security.

    Working with our G7 allies, we will continue to increase the pressure in Putin and his circle of collaborators until Russia’s war machine is brought to a halt and peace returns to our continent.

  • Ed Davey – 2026 Comments on Vladimir Putin Ordering an Arson Attack on Keir Starmer

    Ed Davey – 2026 Comments on Vladimir Putin Ordering an Arson Attack on Keir Starmer

    The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 15 June 2026.

    It looks as though Vladimir Putin may have ordered an arson attack against the British Prime Minister last year.

    That is an incredibly serious escalation and shows why we must redouble our efforts with Ukraine and the rest of Europe to resist and deter Putin’s aggression.

  • Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on the Peace Deal between the United States and Iran

    Keir Starmer – 2026 Comments on the Peace Deal between the United States and Iran

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 15 June 2026.

    I warmly welcome today’s agreement reached between the United States and Iran. This is a hugely important step forward in ending the war, ensuring regional stability and re-opening the Strait of Hormuz. I congratulate President Trump and the mediators from Pakistan, Qatar and elsewhere who have contributed to this breakthrough. We have long urged de-escalation and this is the progress we had hoped to see. 
     
    Attention must now turn to fully implementing the memorandum of understanding to ensure the Strait reopens and remains fully and permanently open, and that the detailed elements of the nuclear agreement are finalised. We stand ready to support the technical talks that will now begin. Our priority is that this becomes a durable and lasting peace, and we will work with international partners to support that. 
     
    We are clear that toll-free freedom of navigation must now be restored in the Strait of Hormuz, to begin easing the severe economic impacts that have been felt for several months – on families here in the UK and around the world. 
     
    We will continue to work with partners to support this – including, if required, through standing up the defensive, independent multilateral mission which the UK and France have taken a leading role in planning up to this point, particularly to offer support on mine clearance in an agreed way. 
     
    For any peace to endure, it is essential that the commitments made, particularly in relation to Iran’s nuclear programme, are robust, verifiable and fully implemented. It remains the UK’s firm and longstanding position that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.

  • Yvette Cooper – 2026 Statement on the Anniversary of Air India Plane Crash

    Yvette Cooper – 2026 Statement on the Anniversary of Air India Plane Crash

    The statement made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, in the House of Commons on 11 June 2026.

    Tomorrow marks one year since Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad en route to London. This tragic accident claimed the lives of 260 people, including 52 British nationals and 113 others who lived in the UK—one of the largest losses of British life in any air accident. The continued heartache of the families and loved ones of those who died is impossible to imagine, not least for those who still have questions about the tragedy and the aftermath.

    The thoughts of the whole Government remain with all those affected by this tragic accident. When I visited New Delhi last week, I joined Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in commemorating the tragedy. I also raised the importance of closure for all those who have been left bereaved, as we continue to wait for the full accident investigation report, and as some families still wait for answers regarding their loved ones’ remains.

    The UK Government response to the crash was both immediate and long lasting. Following the crash, officials initiated our crisis response to provide direct support to bereaved families and address the needs and welfare of all affected British nationals. Our high commissioner, Lindy Cameron, travelled to Ahmedabad on the day of the crash and has continued to support the UK deputy high commission team in the city. Trained consular staff were deployed to Ahmedabad to support families through the immediate period following the crash, along with experts from disaster victim identification, Red Cross and the UK air accidents investigation branch.

    UK police family liaison officers also supported the families of deceased British and foreign nationals who were residents in the UK, and the FCDO continues to provide support to each family in need of help, including through dedicated consular caseworkers to hear feedback from the families and their representatives. As the Indian air accident investigation continues, AAIB family liaison teams have provided support to affected families. We also continue to engage with Air India and Indian Ministries to resolve outstanding issues that families have raised.

    At every level, from family liaison officers to Ministers, what we have heard constantly from those who lost loved ones a year ago is that they want information and answers, to help them understand how a tragedy like this could have happened, and to know for certain what happened to their loved ones remains in the aftermath. Not knowing what caused the crash can only add to their sense of grief and frustration, and I hope that the accident investigation report, when completed and published by the Indian authorities, will answer some of their questions. The UK Government will continue to provide all the help and support we can as they seek answers to the rest.

    In the meantime, my deepest sympathies remain with all those who lost their lives a year ago, and with all those who continue to mourn that loss today.

  • Maithripala Senanayake – 1976 Letter to Harold Wilson Following His Resignation

    Maithripala Senanayake – 1976 Letter to Harold Wilson Following His Resignation

    The letter sent by Maithripala Senanayake, the then Acting Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, on 17 March 1976.

    My dear Prime Minister,

    Your High Commissioner in Sri Lanka has delivered your message informing me of your decision to relinquish the office of Prime Minister.

    I was extremely sorry to receive this news. We are greatly appreciative of the distinguished role you have played in the affairs of the Commonwealth. We particularly value the initiatives taken by you to make the Commonwealth responsive to the needs and aspirations of the developing countries. I am sure that your colleagues will feel your absence not only in their dealings with your country but also at the Commonwealth Meetings.

    I should like to express my sincere appreciation for the personal interest you have taken in fostering the relations between our two countries. I share your conviction that these close relations will continue to grow in strength.

    I send you my best wishes for your good health and happiness.

    Maithripala Senanayake,
    Acting Prime Minister.

  • Henry Kissinger – 1976 Letter to Harold Wilson Following His Resignation

    Henry Kissinger – 1976 Letter to Harold Wilson Following His Resignation

    The letter sent by Henry Kissinger to Harold Wilson on 18 March 1976.

    Dear Harold,

    The announcement of your decision to retire as Prime Minister has left me with a profound sense of loss. I have known you as long as any political leader in the world either in or out of office. In addition to the privilege of being associated with you in political life, I have always considered you a personal friend as well and have had, throughout these years, tremendous respect and admiration for your vision, dedication and leadership. We will miss you.

    Warmest regards,

    Henry A. Kissinger