Tag: liz truss

UK’s Johnson Hails ‘Decisive’ Win in Confidence Vote

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has described the results of a confidence vote in his leadership as “convincing” and “decisive,” though over 40 percent of his own Conservative MPs voted against him. Johnson survived a vote of confidence within the ruling Conservative Party on Monday, with 211 MPs backing him and 148 wanting him to…


British-Iranian Citizen Says She Had to Sign ‘False Confession’ Before Being Freed

British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who returned to the UK in March after spending six years in detention in Iran, has revealed she was forced to sign a “false confession” in front of a UK government official before she was allowed to leave Iran. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 43, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was…


UK’s New Aid Strategy Seeks to ‘Challenge Dependency on Malign Actors’

The UK will use international aid to “challenge dependency on malign actors” and “offer honest alternative for low- and middle-income countries,” the Foreign Office has said. Announcing the new International Development Strategy on May 16, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the UK must use international aid to achieve its foreign policy goals and counter “malign…


UK to Introduce Law Overriding Northern Ireland Protocol of Brexit Trade Deal

The UK government is set to introduce new legislation overwriting parts of the post-Brexit trade deal on Northern Ireland, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced on Tuesday amid protests from opposition parties and the European Union. In a statement to the House of Commons, Truss said the new law will put in place the necessary measures…


New UK Sanctions Target Putin’s Financial Work Including Ex-wife

The UK has added Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former wife and family members to its sanctions list in a bid to target the financial network supporting Putin’s “luxury lifestyle,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced. The new sanctions are targeted at Putin’s “wallet” of family and friends, those whom the Russian leader “rewards with state…


UK, Japan Must Work More Closely Together Against ‘Autocratic, Coercive Powers’: Johnson

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stressed the need for European and East Asian allies to united against “autocratic, coercive powers” as he hailed a new defence pact with Japan. Speaking in Downing Street alongside visiting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Johnson said he was “so glad” the two nations had agreed a reciprocal access…


UK Bans Services Exports to Russia to ‘Help Ensure Putin Fails in Ukraine’

The UK government has announced a ban on exports of management services to Russia, as it further ratchets up economic pressure on the Kremlin following its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s access to the UK’s management consulting, accounting, and public relations services will be cut off, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on May 4. Russia is…


British National Killed in Ukraine, Foreign Office Confirms

A British national has been killed in Ukraine and another is missing, the UK Foreign Office has confirmed. In a statement on April 28, the Foreign Office said: “We can confirm that a British national has been killed in Ukraine and are supporting their family.” On the missing person, the spokesperson said: “We are aware…


NATO Must Ensure ‘Democracies Like Taiwan’ Can Defend Themselves: UK Foreign Secretary

Democracies such as Taiwan must be able to defend themselves, the UK’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Wednesday as she called for a “reboot” of the free world’s approach to global security. In a keynote speech at the Easter Banquet in the City of London, the British foreign secretary said the post-war global order “has failed Ukraine,”…


UK’s Johnson Dismisses Fears of Russia Using Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has played down fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin might order the use of nuclear weapons to avoid defeat in Ukraine. He dismissed the idea that Putin will feel under pressure to escalate the conflict further, arguing that the Russian leader has the “political margin for manoeuvre” to back down….