Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 November 2022.

• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office staff marking 150th anniversary of famous fixture by playing Scotland v England games around the world
• granddaughter of football legend Jack Charlton amongst those pulling on their boots to celebrate the world’s first international football match
• diplomats working overseas in countries including Bahrain, British Virgin Islands, Malaysia, Mozambique, Poland and Serbia celebrate with St Andrew’s Day kickabouts 150 years on from first ever Scotland v England friendly

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office staff around the world have been marking the 150th anniversary of the first ever football international on St Andrew’s Day by holding their own Scotland v England matches.

The granddaughter of football legend Jack Charlton will line-up for England in a charity match organised by staff at the FCDO’s joint HQ, Abercrombie House, in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire this Sunday (4 December).

Kate Wilkinson moved to Scotland 6 years ago to work as a Syria programme manager for FCDO and is looking forward starring in the staff Scotland v England clash, which is raising funds jointly for the East Kilbride Community Trust and Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire.

Diplomats working overseas in countries including Bahrain, the British Virgin Islands, Malaysia, Mozambique, Poland and Serbia are also celebrating the historic fixture’s 150th birthday.

The fixture is celebrated as the world’s first international football match after Scotland and England drew 0-0 in front of 4,000 spectators at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground, in Glasgow, on 30 November 1872.

World Cup winning defender Jack, who died aged 85 in 2020 after a battle with lymphoma, made his mark on the famous fixture.

Leeds-born Kate, 28, said:

My grandad loved England v Scotland games and used to joke to fans that if he had not got injured in the famous 1967 match, Scotland would never have won 3-2.

There were no substitutes allowed back then so my grandad was forced to hobble around as a striker for most of the match after breaking his toe early on. He still managed to score a goal.

I’m very much looking forward to helping celebrate the 150th anniversary of the fixture, although I’ve told my team not to expect much from me- I’ve got 2 left feet!

Funnily enough, the Charlton soccer skills did not pass down from either Jack or Bobby to the rest of the family. There was no danger of me being part of the England Lioness’ Euro winning side this summer.

I think my grandad must have taken one look at me and my siblings playing when we were younger and thought ‘Gosh, what on earth has happened here?’.

I’m sure once my team have seen me play, they will decide I’d be better cheering them on to victory from the touchline. It’s a great chance for us to raise money for good causes.

Almost 1,000 staff are at the heart of delivering UK foreign policy from the FCDO’s joint HQ in Scotland – with plans to redeploy a further 500 jobs to the East Kilbride site as part of the UK government’s levelling-up agenda.

Sunday’s fundraiser is taking place at the K-Training Academy in East Kilbride at 4pm.

East Kilbride Community Trust Facilities Manager Ian Aitchison said:

It is fantastic that the FCDO is marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of international football by holding Scotland v England games around the world.

Ideally, Scotland would have been facing England this week at the World Cup, but we are proud to be part of this event in East Kilbride.

Scots diplomat Euan Davidson and English colleague Freddie Brunt skippered the sides for a Scotland v England 6-a-side match in Maputo, Mozambique on Sunday. The Dark Blues triumphed 9-5.

Euan beamed:

It was a great game for the neutral, with England regaining the lead in the last 10 minutes before Scotland came back to secure a historic win.

What the Scottish players lacked in fitness, skills and ability, we made up for with some creative signings, drawing on Mozambicans, Brazilians and Dutch players to score all our goals!

Freddie said:

It was a topsy-turvy game played in true British conditions – windy and wet. Scotland were leading, England came back, but then we tired and Scotland ran away with it.

I suppose the Scotland win will soften the blow of them not having a team to cheer on at the World Cup… unlike England and Wales.

Staff in Warsaw, Poland braved snow and sub-zero temperatures to play their game, while in Belgrade, Serbia diplomats Lara Bryden and Thomas Wright had fun contesting a Scotland v England Subbuteo game during a St Andrew’s Day event held at the British Embassy. Their match finished 1-1.

The FCDO is also celebrating St Andrew’s Day around the world – with Scottish Secretary Alister Jack travelling to Paris on a 2-day trip to promote Scottish trade with France.

The Secretary of State will meet UK and French businesses, as well as government ministers, diplomatic staff, parliamentarians, senators and British community leaders. He will visit Chanel, to see how they are using Harris Tweed and other Scottish materials in their latest range, and will also jointly host a St Andrew’s night dinner with the British Ambassador to France, Dame Menna Rawlings.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 November 2022.

UK explanation of vote at the Security Council adoption on the mandate of the 1540 Committee.

Thank you Mr President.

We voted in favour of this resolution, as the United Kingdom is steadfast in its commitment to preventing the proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and their means of delivery. Resolution 1540 remains a key pillar of the non-proliferation framework. We call on all states to implement their obligations under Resolution 1540 in full.

We pay tribute to the Chair of the 1540 Committee and his team in guiding us through the review process and to a new ten-year mandate for the Committee. We thank the Group of Experts and its coordinator for their support to the Committee in its work.

The obligations set out in Resolution 1540 remain as relevant as ever, but the context in which states are implementing them has changed since 2004. We are disappointed that due to the resistance of one Council Member, this resolution did not go further in strengthening the 1540 Committee’s support to Member States as they implement the resolution, including on the important issue of proliferation finance.

We look forward to continued cooperation with all Council Members through the 1540 Committee. The risks of WMD proliferation to non-state actors are grave. Collectively, we must redouble our efforts to address them.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 November 2022.

The Foreign Secretary has announced a new package of 22 sanctions targeting officials who have promoted and enforced mobilisation in Russia.

• Deputy Prime Minister of Russian Federation and officials behind the forced mobilisation of citizens in Russia sanctioned
• Arkady Gostev, Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation, also sanctioned for supporting the recruitment of prisoners into Wagner Group
• The UK has now sanctioned over 1,200 individuals and over 120 entities in response to Putin’s war in Ukraine

The Foreign Secretary has today (Wednesday 30 November) announced a new package of 22 sanctions targeting the officials who have promoted and enforced the conscription of citizens to fight in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

This includes the Deputy Prime Minister Denis Valentinovich Manturov, who is responsible for overseeing the Russian weapons industry and responsible for equipping mobilised troops.

10 governors and regional heads have also been sanctioned. This includes the heads of Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kalmykia – some of Russia’s poorest ethnic republics, from which a significant number of conscripts have been drawn. In July, the UK sanctioned 29 regional governors for their role in providing financial support to Russian proxy administrations in Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The Russian regime’s decision to partially mobilise Russian citizens was a desperate attempt to overwhelm the valiant Ukrainians defending their territory. It has failed.

Today we have sanctioned individuals who have enforced this conscription, sending thousands of Russian citizens to fight in Putin’s illegal and abhorrent war.

The UK will continue to use both sanctions and military aid to support Ukraine in the defence of their independence.

Arkady Gostev, Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation and Dmitry Bezrukikh, the head of the Federal Punishment Service of the Rostov region, have also been sanctioned.

Bezrukikh and Gostev have reportedly worked closely with oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, ally of Putin and head of the Wagner Group, to fill the ranks of the mercenary gang that is supporting Russia’s army in Ukraine.

They have drafted criminals, including murderers and sex offenders, in exchange for pardons from President Putin – resulting in Bezrukikh’s region being dubbed ‘The Wagner Group recruitment hub’.

Also sanctioned today are Ella Pamfilova, chairperson of the Central Election Commission and Andrey Burov, head of the regional election commission in Rostov, who were both responsible for organising the sham referendums in the four temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine. Pamfilova has since actively supported Russia’s forced mobilisation.

The UK has continued to support Ukraine through delivering vital military equipment, as well as implementing targeted sanctions to undermine the Russian war machine.

The UK has committed over £2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including most recently a package including 25 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter deadly Iranian-supplied drones.

UK sanctions are also having a significant impact on Russia’s ability to maintain their war machine. Technology imports have forced them to mobilise Soviet-era tanks and use semiconductors from kitchen appliances to restock equipment. Recent Defence Intelligence has shown that Russia is likely removing nuclear warheads from ageing cruise missiles, and using them in Ukraine, as a desperate attempt to maintain their assault.