Latest news with #UKAmbassador
Arab News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Saudi deputy FM receives UK ambassador in Riyadh
Saudi Deputy Minister for International Multilateral Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Rassi was visited by UK Ambassador to the Kingdom Neil Crompton in Riyadh on Wednesday. The ambassador visited to bid farewell on the occasion of the end of his tenure in the Kingdom, the Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X. Al-Rassi praised the ambassador's efforts in strengthening and advancing relations between the two countries.
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
George Osborne was on No 10 list to be UK ambassador to US, Keir Starmer's biographer says
George Osborne was on Downing Street's shortlist to be the next UK ambassador to Washington, it has been claimed, despite the former Conservative chancellor being reviled by many in the Labour party and wider political left. In the new edition of his biography on Keir Starmer, the writer Tom Baldwin suggests the prime minister's senior aides 'invested considerable effort' in unsuccessfully pushing Osborne's application. Sources confirmed to the Guardian that the former Tory politician was approached about the role. However, Peter Mandelson was announced as the new UK ambassador last December after Starmer decided the Labour peer and former EU trade commissioner was the best candidate for what was going to be a delicate diplomatic role, with Donald Trump returning the White House. However, the revelation that senior No 10 figures felt that Osborne, the architect of the Tory austerity that brought Britain's public services to their knees, was a suitable candidate is likely to cast further doubt on their judgment among Labour backbenchers. There are already concerns over Downing Street's handling of the welfare cuts rebellion last week, which led to the bill being ultimately hollowed out with changes to disability payments dropped and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, left to plug a £5bn hole in the country's finance. At the time of the appointment, sources said Downing Street felt that a former politician might be the best option given how much Trump was opposed to bureaucrats. Lord Mandelson was an architect of New Labour and served as a cabinet minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. However, Osborne also had a reputation as a deft political strategist who had links to Washington neoconservatives. He is now an investment banker and podcast host. In an article for the New World newspaper, Baldwin, a close ally of Starmer, argued that the prime minister should trust his own political instincts and values to find a way through the daunting domestic challenges ahead – just as he had done while navigating difficult global issues. 'Another illustration of Starmer's straight-forward approach on foreign policy was over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the US in December. He has generally been regarded as a success with his political skills and swagger adapting well to the narcissistic Maga-land of Washington,' Baldwin wrote. 'The new edition of my biography reveals that this was despite, just days beforehand, the name of George Osborne being added to the final shortlist presented to the prime minister by Downing Street advisers. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'They are understood to have invested considerable effort in unsuccessfully pushing the former Tory chancellor's application, even though that perhaps unnecessarily complicated what Starmer would ultimately regard as a relatively simple decision.' Downing Street has been approached for comment.
Fox News
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump admin stands by Israel, rejects UN resolution backed by UK and France
The U.S. rejected a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, standing by Jerusalem. France, the U.K., Russia and China all supported the resolution, which received 14 votes in favor and one vote against, meaning it was not adopted by the council. "It is inexplicable that many members of this council still refuse to acknowledge that Hamas could end this conflict tomorrow by surrendering and laying down its arms. It is unconscionable that the U.N. still has not labeled and sanctioned Hamas as a terrorist organization," U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Dorothy Shea said. In her remarks, Shea also stated that the Security Council could not "reward Hamas' intransigence" after the terror group rejected multiple ceasefire proposals. Hamas was not condemned in the draft resolution, which only included a demand that terror organizations in Gaza release the remaining 58 hostages. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon thanked the U.S. for voting against the resolution. "We thank the United States for standing on the right side. For standing on the side of truth, justice, and moral clarity. Thank you for refusing to abandon the hostages and for refusing to legitimize the lies of this resolution," Danon said in a statement. U.K. Ambassador to the U.N. Barbara Woodward defended her country's decision to vote in favor of the resolution, saying that "the intolerable situation in Gaza needs to end." She said that the U.K. is "determined to see an end to this war," condemned Israel's actions in Gaza and called on the Jewish state to ease restrictions on humanitarian aid. Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust Anne Bayefsky slammed the resolution and its "obscene equation between the hostages — who have been starved, tortured and executed over the past 19 months — and Palestinian prisoners." However, Bayefsky argued that the resolution was not just about the U.N. attacking Israel, it's about members of the international body taking a swipe at President Donald Trump. "Make no mistake, this is an attack on the United States, and President Trump in particular, by the French and the British, who are attempting to use the United Nations to sideline and belittle the U.S.," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. Shea also had a warning for the world body. "Engaging in this performative process at a time when serious questions are being asked about the utility of the U.N., its funding and use of resources is shameful. This council should not be used in this way. This council must hold itself to a higher standard." Earlier on Wednesday, Danon issued a statement against the resolution, saying it "undermines" humanitarian aid efforts and "ignores the reality on the ground." "It ignores the one party still endangering civilians in Gaza: Hamas. The group that hijacks trucks and stockpiles the aid to their benefit," Danon said. "If you care about the people of Gaza, then stop protecting those who started this war and continue to prolong it. If you care about aid, then help ensure it reaches civilians and not terrorists." Ultimately, Danon said that the resolution "betrays the very people it claims to protect."
