Trade and Investment specialist. Previous 🇬🇧 Envoy to 🇺🇸. Former Minister for Trade Policy. US and UK based. Honorary Texan!
Bournemouth
Joined October 2011
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It has been the honour of my life to serve the people of Bournemouth West for the last 14 years. I thank them for the huge privilege they gave me. Now is the time for a new chapter to open. I hope to contribute to benefit of my country in the future.
Love the detailed appraisal of the policy. Analytical and incisive. Will really spark an informed debate.
I’d like to say ‘I don’t have words’ but I do . Debased , vile , cruel , inhuman , regressive and incalculably selfish . They will stop at nothing in a race to the bottom . bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3j4…
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This is so right. Another big mistake (I made it this year with a dodgy ‘family office’ in Texas) is to trust the credibility of an introducer. The best conmen get into a network through one person and everyone else assumes someone else did due diligence.
social media has bred monsters among us
we must be more vigilant than ever who we do business with, entrust in our inner circle, choose to win with. in the age of ai, taste in people is the ultimate filter for success and joy, speaking from my own learnings
congrats david
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This is like the Brittas Empire of diplomacy. Can’t decide who is Gordon.
If Putin is ready for peace he can stop bombing the shit out of Ukraine and pull out.
It increasingly feels like Russia is on both sides of the table in these ‘negotiations’
.@jaredkushner says President Trump believes the war has gone on too long and is "disturbed" by the toll the Russia-Ukraine war has caused. Kushner says him and Steve Witkoff "strongly" believe Russians and President Putin are ready for peace.
‘just 4% in it now’. This isn’t an end of season play off. It pretty serious stuff.
Just 4% in it now. Still too soon for ''unity poll'' as there is no stable majority for unification in the North just yet. But it is coming. Time to prepare - north and south. The FG blueprint published at the weekend sets out some of the next steps that should be now be taken. It is timely and welcome 🇨🇮☘️😀
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Take 90secs to read this. One of the best things I’ve read in some time.
🇨🇳 🇺🇸 Imagine China invades the United States. Chinese troops occupy Alaska. Chinese missiles destroy American cities, power stations and hospitals. Beijing complains that Washington has been behaving provocatively by refusing to surrender.
President Donald Trump appears on television, desperately appealing to Europe for help.
Europe’s response?
“Donald, shut up. You don’t have the cards. You’re in a very bad position. You should be grateful we’re even talking to you.”
Then a Chinese missile strikes an elementary school in Washington. Dozens of American children are killed.
A European leader is asked whether Beijing should be held responsible.
“Look, it’s terrible. Absolutely terrible. But we must remember that people are dying on both sides. Chinese soldiers are being killed by American troops, too. We cannot simply blame China because some American children have died. We need to understand the legitimate security concerns of both countries.”
Meanwhile, reports emerge that 50,000 American children have been forcibly taken by Chinese occupation forces. Children from Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas and Texas have been transported to China, separated from their parents and placed with Chinese families.
Europe urges everyone to remain calm.
“Frankly, some of these children have been placed with better Chinese families. Very respectable people. Lovely homes. We mustn’t allow emotional arguments about children to derail the peace process.”
Trump demands their immediate return.
European leaders roll their eyes.
“Honestly, the man is exhausting. Every time we speak to Trump, it’s the same bloody thing. Anti-aircraft missiles, air defence systems, ammunition, weapons, weapons, weapons. Can’t he just shut up for five minutes? We’re trying to negotiate peace here.”
Meanwhile, Europe demands that Washington immediately stop attacking Chinese oil refineries and military infrastructure.
“American strikes are escalating the conflict and threatening global energy prices. Beijing needs reassurance that its infrastructure will be protected.”
China continues systematically destroying America’s electricity grid, bridges and railway networks.
Europe calls for restraint. From America, naturally.
European envoys then fly to Beijing to negotiate lucrative deals involving gas from occupied Alaska and a magnificent new North American security architecture.
“We must address China’s legitimate security concerns. Perhaps America could withdraw its troops from certain states and reconsider its military alliances. After all, Beijing has genuine concerns about American military forces operating so close to Chinese positions.”
The Chinese positions are in Texas.
Trump protests that nobody has asked the Americans what they think.
“Donald, we’re negotiating peace. Please stop being difficult. China’s security concerns are just as legitimate as yours.”
Eventually, Brussels announces a historic agreement with Beijing determining the future of North America.
The Americans are invited to applaud.
Now, if this sounds like foreign policy devised by a committee of spectacularly incompetent estate agents attempting to sell a house while its owners are being murdered upstairs, congratulations. Your brain is functioning.
In modern American diplomacy, the country invading its neighbour deserves security guarantees, commercial opportunities and understanding.
And the children?
Well, there are always two sides to every story.
The moral collapse of a government.
Stay connected, follow @Microinteracti1
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Well worth a read and a reflect
Thank you, Mr. Kushner. Those five principles are important. However, Moscow subscribed to these principles in documents signed in 1975 (Helsinki Final Act) and 1990 (Charter of Paris).
The problem isn't agreeing to principles, but Moscow's failure to abide by them. 🧵 /1
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The problem is the trust tank is running on empty. Sovereignty, pride and national self-determination are not only worth defending for America.
President Trump today advanced an important discussion with several European leaders about the need for a broader European security architecture that can help establish the conditions for lasting peace.
Building on his leadership and the substantive work undertaken this week in Brussels with Ukraine, NATO, and our European partners, @SEPeaceMissions and I wanted to share some of the objectives guiding our ongoing discussions.
For more than 30 years, Europe and Russia have struggled to establish a sustainable security framework. Decades of mistrust, competing security concerns, and the devastating consequences of this war make this an extraordinarily difficult challenge, but one that is essential to lasting peace.
Our objective is to develop practical arrangements that address the security concerns of all sides, reduce the risk of future conflict, and create a more stable and predictable security environment.
We are exploring five principal goals: permanent security consultations, reliable crisis communications, greater military transparency, reciprocal measures to reduce escalation risks, and an enduring framework for long-term European security and stability.
Any arrangements must fully respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independent decision-making of every nation. Each country will retain authority over its own security and alliances, and no country would have a veto over another’s sovereign choices. NATO will remain central to European collective defense, and this initiative would build upon existing institutions and commitments.
We will continue consultations through the Shell Bay format with Ukraine, NATO, the EU, and our European partners, expanding engagement to ensure that all relevant perspectives and ideas are considered. We will also engage Russia as part of the peace negotiations.
Next week in Abu Dhabi, the United States will convene the first trilateral peace discussions with Ukraine and Russia since February. All parties remain intensely engaged in preparing for substantive and productive negotiations. We will consult closely with our European partners on the sidelines and, if progress is made, aim to move toward a broader multilateral format with their direct participation.
These ideas continue to evolve, and we welcome thoughtful input. Creating the right structure will be critical to ending this war and transitioning from conflict toward conditions that make possible a durable peace.
This is difficult, detailed work. There are no easy solutions. But the opportunity to help end this devastating war and build a foundation for a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous Europe for generations to come makes it a challenge well worth undertaking.
We will see how these discussions develop and continue working intensively with all parties toward President Trump’s objective of a comprehensive and lasting peace.
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Listening from Florida. Only disagree with one element from Frank Luntz. @afneil was right to raise corruption. Luntz was right that social security and healthcare are more important to people.
But it is feasible to do more than one thing at a time in a legislature.
"This was not a Democratic victory. This was a loss for Republicans." In his post-election analysis on The Andrew Neil Report, Frank Luntz joins Andrew Neil to unpack how voters across America delivered a rebuke not just to the Republican Party, but to Donald Trump himself
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The genuine question here is under what definition are we using ‘right’? If that means MAGA then ok. But tariffs and hostility to allies are not usually part of the agenda of the ‘right’.
NEW: JD Vance fired off yesterday’s stunning intervention without the President’s approval, two sources tell @Telegraph.
And it wasn’t just about distancing himself from an unpopular war.
Those close to Vance see it as a signal that he’s ready to claim the crown as leader of the American Right.
Having been involved in the UK-India trade negotiations (almost scuppered by Truss incidentally) there are many stronger things to highlight.
But interesting to know how many of them would survive Labour’s EU ‘reset’?
Hearing a lot of talk about ‘witch hunts’ in the US. But what’s wrong with witch hunts if you are certain that there are actual witches?
People who have done nothing wrong should have no fear. People who have should be bricking themselves.
Amen
4 of my best friends are from law school. We have a group chat that stays pretty active.
2 are MAGA conservative. One is extremely liberal. I’m pretty middle but lean left, another is pretty middle and leans right.
Even though we all voted differently yesterday and disagree on a lot of things, we are all still best friends this morning.
Don’t let social media fool you, the vast majority of people are good and decent and we can all get along in spite of (and in some cases, because of) any political differences.
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Having grown up in the era of Reagan and Thatch when deep conviction was expressed with civility and decorum I find these sorts of tweets genuinely pathetic.
This cancerous toxicity needs to stop and those who engage in it need to be put to the margins where they belong.
This is an unusual tweet. My reading of this is the Vice President is blaming the policy of the President. And the son of the President is tweeting agreement.
Am I missing something? Is there a really clever play at work here or is someone dense?
