Tag: RAAB

  • Raab calls for UK to up its game on India ties

    Raab calls for UK to up its game on India ties

    “India’s economic rise and geopolitical salience make it a linchpin partner, particularly as a counterweight to China,” he writes…reports Asian Lite News

    One of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s close allies and former deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, on Saturday called on the British Indian leader to up the government’s game to reap the full dividends of a closer partnership with India.

    Dominic Raab, who led Sunak’s leadership campaign and served as his Foreign Secretary before being forced to resign amid bullying allegations, wrote in ‘The Daily Telegraph’ that more can be achieved within the bilateral relationship with the UK’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage now in charge at Downing Street.

    He pointed to India’s “particular comparative advantage in tech” against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high-profile visit to the US this week during which mega deals were struck.

    “With the UK’s historic ties to India, and our first UK Prime Minister of Indian heritage, are we doing enough to maximise the rewards from this critical relationship,” questions Raab.

    “With Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, Britain remains uniquely placed to reap the dividends of a deeper friendship with India. To do so, we’ll need to up our game across the whole of government,” writes the Conservative Party MP.

    He notes that India as the world’s fifth largest economy predicted to overtake the Eurozone within 30 years, offers “enormous” trade opportunities as investor sentiment warms with investment in roads, and a large well-educated local talent pool to draw from.

    “When it comes to defence procurement, India is the world’s largest importer of military hardware. Again, Modi is in the market for joint ventures that allow tech transfer to help build up homegrown production. For the West, it is an opportunity to wean India off imports of Russian weapons,” he writes.

    “India’s economic rise and geopolitical salience make it a linchpin partner, particularly as a counterweight to China,” he writes.

    Acknowledging India’s own geopolitical compulsions, Raab admits India’s refusal to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in the same terms as the West as “maddening”.

     “But as a leading member of the non-aligned group, India has far-reaching influence amongst developing countries. That could be useful to the West in areas of common interest, like China… the case for cooperating more closely with India just gets stronger,” he writes.

    Reflecting his own frustrations with the civil service apparatus, which is referred to as the “Whitehall blob” in ministerial circles, Raab laments that an “ossified Whitehall bureaucracy has given France the edge over British aerospace firms in supplying India the new fighter jets it needs – an order of French Rafales is now expected.”

    “FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations were launched, cooperation intensified during COVID on the supply of vital goods from Personal Protective Equipment to paracetamol, with pledges to collaborate on tech and critical minerals, and a commitment to pursue mutual defence procurement. But this relationship requires constant focus to deliver results,” added Raab.

    ALSO READ-Raab to stand down as MP at next polls

  • Raab to stand down as MP at next polls

    Raab to stand down as MP at next polls

    The findings prompted Mr Raab to step down, but in his resignation letter he noted that the inquiry “dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me”…reports Asian Lite News

    Former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab will stand down as an MP at the next election. His decision, first reported in The Telegraph, comes a month after he resigned as a minister when a bullying inquiry found he had acted in an “intimidating” way towards officials.

    The paper quotes Mr Raab as saying he is concerned about “the pressure the job has placed on my young family”. Raab and his wife have two sons, aged 10 and eight. Since becoming an MP in 2010, Mr Raab has served in many ministerial roles.

    In 2018 then-prime minister Theresa May appointed him as Brexit secretary, a job he quit less than six months later. Boris Johnson picked him to be his foreign secretary and first secretary of state – the latter role meant he was left in charge of running the country when Mr Johnson was hospitalised with Covid in April 2020.

    Raab has also been a close ally of Rishi Sunak, supporting him in last summer’s Conservative leadership race. Sunak rewarded his loyalty when he became prime minister, making Mr Raab both his justice secretary and deputy prime minister.

    Raab confirmed that he would not seek re-election as the MP for Esher and Walton, which he has represented since 2010 and won with a majority of 2,743 votes in 2019. In a letter from Raab to his constituency, seen by the Telegraph, the MP said it had been a “huge honour to represent the Conservatives since 2010 in this wonderful constituency”.

    His departure from Parliament means the Conservatives will have to find a new candidate for the Surrey constituency – which is a key election target for the Liberal Democrats. Raab joins a growing number of senior Conservatives deciding not to stand in the next general election, expected in 2024.

    Former ministers including Sajid Javid and George Eustice have also announced their intention to leave the House of Commons. Raab was at the centre of months of speculation when bullying allegations from civil servants led to an inquiry into the MP’s conduct.

    The report – conducted by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC – concluded Mr Raab had engaged in an “abuse or misuse of power” as foreign secretary.

    The findings prompted Mr Raab to step down, but in his resignation letter he noted that the inquiry “dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me”.

    He also said the inquiry was “flawed and sets a dangerous precedent” and would “encourage spurious complaints against ministers, and have a chilling effect on those driving change on behalf of your government – and ultimately the British people”.

    Responding to his decision to quit as an MP, fellow Conservative Angela Richardson tweeted: “His constituents will miss his dedication. I am happy for his young family though. This job is tough enough on family life as a simple backbencher, let alone being in Cabinet.”

    ALSO READ-Dowden appointed Sunak’s deputy after Raab’s exit

  • Sunak reviewing ‘bully’ report on Raab

    Sunak reviewing ‘bully’ report on Raab

    Raab has said he will resign from Cabinet if the bullying allegations against him are upheld, as he dismissed calls for him to be suspended while the investigation runs its course…reports Asian Lite News

    Rishi Sunak has “full confidence” in Dominic Raab while he “carefully considers” the long-awaited report into bullying allegations against the Deputy Prime Minister.

    The Prime Minister’s official spokesman confirmed the months-long review by Adam Tolley KC was received by No 10 on Thursday morning, but the BBC has said that no decision on his deputy’s future will be announced today. Raab has been under investigation over eight formal complaints about his behaviour as Foreign Secretary, Brexit Secretary, and during his first stint as Justice Secretary.

    Raab has consistently denied bullying staff and says he always “behaved professionally”. He has said he will resign from Cabinet if the bullying allegations against him are upheld, as he dismissed calls for him to be suspended while the investigation runs its course.

    Downing Street has said the PM is still considering the report, but wanted to publish it “as swiftly as possible”. A spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister has received the report from Adam Tolley, the independent investigator. He received the findings this morning – he is considering those findings,” the spokesman said.

    “He does have full confidence in the (Deputy) Prime Minister – that still stands. Obviously he is carefully considering the findings of the report.”

    According to the Sunday Telegraph, the report may not specify whether Raab breached the ministerial code or not, but instead will lay out a timeline of facts and events. The latest edition of the register of ministers’ interests, published this week, reveals that Raab has paid for his own lawyers to defend him during the investigation.

    Raab has remained in post as the Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister throughout the probe, but Dave Penman, head of the FDA union, said that “any other employee…would in all likelihood be suspended” until the investigation is concluded.

    Conservative allies have backed Raab, with Jacob Rees-Mogg warning against being “too snowflakey” over bullying allegations, and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan rejected calls for Raab to be suspended.

    The three permanent secretaries who led officials working under Raab are thought to have given evidence to an inquiry into the Justice Secretary being led by Tolley.

    The former Tory party chair Jake Berry has said Raab should have been suspended while the investigation was being carried, and called the system for handling complaints in Westminster “outdated”.

    Appearing on ITV’s Peston show on Wednesday night, Berry, said: “It does seem to me quite wrong that when people are under these kinds of investigations of this type that they continue in their job.”

    He added: “Whatever the outcome is, and we’re going to find out tomorrow, I actually think there’s a fundamental rethink required about how we deal with these sorts of allegations, both in Government made against ministers and made against Members of Parliament. It’s a massively outdated system that isn’t what our constituents would expect of any of us.”

    Raab has rejected calls for him to be suspended while the investigation takes place, but said he will “co-operate fully with the inquiry, and I’ll respect the outcome of it”.

    He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “I think, actually, just by lodging complaints, you can knock out a Cabinet minister or senior figure, (I am) not sure that is right. We believe in innocent until proven guilty in this country and I’ll co-operate fully with the inquiry, and I’ll respect the outcome of it.”

    Asked whether he will then resign if the complaint is upheld, at first, Raab said he was not going to start speculating on what the outcome might be. Pressed further, he said: “Allow me to respond in the right way at the right time, of course. Look, if an allegation of bullying is upheld, I will resign.”

    Raab also said he believed there should be more “plain speaking in politics”. He said: “What we need, and I think this can be reconciled absolutely with having a zero tolerance on bullying, you need ministers who come in and correctly but directly challenge assumptions, test ideas — that is the way we get the best out of Government.”

    Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, dismissed Raab’s comments, insisting civil servants do not “have the confidence” to challenge bullying or harassment by senior figures in Whitehall.

    He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “The picture he paints is that everything is fine in the civil service and the relationship between ministers and civil servants is OK. That’s not the picture civil servants speak of, that’s not their experience.

    “One in six are saying they have experienced bullying or harassment, or have witnessed that, in the last 12 months alone across 20 Government departments. They don’t have the confidence of challenging those behaviours.”

    Penman previously told the BBC that Raab should be suspended to protect other members of staff while the investigation is conducted. He said: “If that was any other employee, if that was a permanent secretary in the civil service, they would in all likelihood be suspended from their job while the investigation took place.

    “That’s not to prejudge the investigation, that’s to say if there are serious allegations of bullying and extensive allegations like this, that one of the considerations is how do you protect employees from that sort of behaviour? And while it’s being determined, you would normally suspend someone, given the seriousness and extent of those accusations.”

    Raab’s cabinet colleague Keegan rejected calls for him to step aside while Tolley carries out his work. She told Sky News she think it is “fair to let investigations continue”.

    ALSO READ-Sunak declares wife’s link to childcare firm

  • Assange, his fiancée files lawsuit against Raab

    Assange, his fiancée files lawsuit against Raab

    The couple claims that the obstacles placed by the UK authorities in this matter are part of a political war against Assange, according to the Daily Mail…reports Asian Lite News.

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his fiancee Stella Moris filed a lawsuit against UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and the head of Belmarsh prison, where the whistleblower is currently held, for preventing their marriage, British media reported.

    The couple claims that the obstacles placed by the UK authorities in this matter are part of a political war against Assange, according to the Daily Mail.

    “There is no reason for political interference in what is a basic human right. The CIA revelations show the lengths some agencies are willing to go to in their persecution of Julian,” Moris was quoted as saying by the daily.

    Assange and Moris have been engaged for five years and have two children together. They have asked for assistance in arranging the marriage in May, when the whistleblower was already in jail awaiting extradition appeal trial, the newspaper said. However, the process stalled and Assange applied for official permission directly with the Belmarsh chief on October 7, to no effect. The couple’s lawyers also reportedly failed to get a response from the prison authorities.

    The lawsuit accuses Raab and Belmarsh Governor Jenny Louis of abusing their power over Assange, behaving irrationally and unfairly, and denying the couple and their children their human rights, the Daily Mail said.

    The accused have until November 12 to respond.

    Assange was arrested in London on April 11, 2019, and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for jumping bail in 2012. He took refuge inside the Ecuadorean embassy in the UK capital to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was facing sexual assault charges that were later dropped by a Swedish court.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJLAvFPIM9E

    Assange is wanted by the United States on espionage charges after WikiLeaks published thousands of classified documents that shed light on war crimes committed by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. If put on trial and convicted in the US, the whistleblower faces up to 175 years in prison.

    In September, it was revealed that senior US officials and the CIA were allegedly discussing the possibility of kidnapping and killing Assange in 2017 while he was hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

    ALSO READ-WikiLeaks founder Assange arrested in UK

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  • Raab rapped for wrong ‘misogyny’ definition

    Raab rapped for wrong ‘misogyny’ definition

    Raab was speaking at his Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester, northwest England, shortly before Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s keynote speech…reports Asian Lite News.

    Justice minister Dominic Raab on Wednesday came under fire after saying that “misogyny is wrong, whether it’s a man against a woman or a woman against a man”.

    His confusion about the definition arose during an interview with the BBC in which he was asked why the government rejected calls for misogyny to be made a hate crime in the wake of the murder of London woman Sarah Everard.

    “If you don’t know what misogyny is then you’re never going to find it,” Nazir Afzal, who has prosecuted grooming gangs and celebrity sexual abusers, wrote on Twitter.

    Misogyny is hatred aimed at women, while misandry targets men.

    “What I meant was… if we are talking about, effectively, insults with a sexist basis, I don’t think that criminalising those sorts of things will deal with the problem that we have got at the heart of the Sarah Everard case,” Raab said.

    “Criminalising insulting language — even if it’s misogynistic — does not deal with the intimidation, the violence and the much higher level of offence and damage and harm that we really ought to be laser-like focused in on,” the former foreign secretary said.

    The government on Tuesday announced an independent inquiry into “systematic failures” in policing, after an officer serving in London was jailed for life for Everard’s kidnap, rape and murder.

    The death of the 33-year-old marketing consultant rocked the country and led to an outcry over violence against women and girls in Britain.

    Wayne Couzens, 48, who served in the Metropolitan Police diplomatic protection unit, falsely arrested Everard as she walked home from a friend’s house, on the pretence that she had broken coronavirus restrictions in place at the time.

    Raab was speaking at his Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester, northwest England, shortly before Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s keynote speech.

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  • Raab Under Pressure to Quit Over Handling of Afghanistan

    Raab Under Pressure to Quit Over Handling of Afghanistan

    It was revealed that Foreign Secretary Raab was unavailable to make a crucial phone call last week while he was reportedly on holiday, as the Taliban advanced towards Afghanistan capital, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

    Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is under increasing pressure to resign as it emerged that a crucial phone call to Afghanistan he was advised to make but which was given to a junior minister to handle never took place.

    The government had said the call to get help evacuating interpreters from Afghanistan had been delegated as Raab was busy on other calls, the BBC reported.

    However, a spokesman now says it “was not possible to arrange a call” before the Afghan government collapsed.

    Opposition parties called for him to resign after it was revealed he was unavailable to make the phone call last Friday while he was on holiday, as the Taliban advanced towards Afghanistan capital.

    It followed newspaper reports suggesting the foreign secretary was seen relaxing on a beach on the Greek island of Crete on Sunday – the day Kabul was captured by Taliban.

    Though cabinet colleagues have defended Raab, some MPs from his own party remain unhappy with the government’s response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

    On Thursday, it was reported he was advised by senior Foreign Office officials last week that he should make contact with Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar to get urgent assistance in rescuing Afghan interpreters who had worked for the British military.

    Officials said it was important the call was made by Raab rather than a junior minister – but they were told he was unavailable. The Afghan foreign ministry reportedly refused to arrange a call with a junior minister, pushing it back to the next day.

    And, as reported in the Daily Mail, the Foreign Office has now confirmed the call did not take place.

    Raab speaks to Chinese counterpart

    Amid the rapidly unfolding events in Kabul, Dominic Raab said that he had discussed the situation in Afghanistan with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

    “Discussed Afghanistan with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today. We noted the importance of addressing security concerns, regional stability and addressing the humanitarian crisis,” Raab tweeted.

    Raab also exchanged views with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne about the situation in Afghanistan.

    He informed that Australia and the UK are united in evacuating people from the war-torn country and both the countries will evacuate nationals and Afghans who have worked for them.

    “Spoke to Marise Payne this morning about the situation in Afghanistan. The UK & Australia are united in evacuating our nationals & Afghans who have worked for us, & working together for a coordinated international response to tackle security threats & the humanitarian crisis,” Raab said in a tweet.

    A day earlier, Raab also exchanged views with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.

    Soon after the Taliban claimed control over the Afghan capital, several countries evacuated their diplomatic personnel from the country and hundreds of people flocked to the Kabul airport in an attempt to leave Afghanistan.

    Over 60 countries including the US, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and Canada have urged “all parties” to safeguard the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the war-torn country and said that roads, airports and border crossing must remain open. (with inputs from ANI)

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    READ MORE-Raab, Jaishankar discuss Afghanistan situation

  • Raab, Jaishankar discuss Afghanistan situation

    Raab, Jaishankar discuss Afghanistan situation

    Dominic Raab also held talks over Afghanistan with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken…reports Asian Lite News.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his British counterpart Dominic Raab on Wednesday exchanged views on developments and the immediate challenges.

    “Welcome the conversation today with UK Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab. Exchanged views on the Afghanistan developments and the immediate challenges,” Jaishankar, who is on a 4-day visit to the US, tweeted.

    Dominic Raab also held talks over Afghanistan with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

    The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace.

    Soon after the terror group claimed control over the Afghan capital, several countries evacuated their diplomatic personnel from the country, and hundreds of people flocked to the Kabul airport in an attempt to leave Afghanistan.

    Over 60 countries including the US, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and Canada have urged “all parties” to safeguard the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the war-torn country and said that roads, airports and border crossing must remain open. (ANI)

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  • Raab, Jaishankar discuss regional issues

    Raab, Jaishankar discuss regional issues

    Meanwhile, Raab said London and New Delhi’s friendship is invaluable as the two countries tackle common challenges together from COVID-19 to climate change…reports Asian Lite News.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and held a discussion over progress in Afghanistan and the situation in Myanmar.

    Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said he and Raab discussed the state of the world, regional issues, COVID-19 and climate action.

    “Met U.K. Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab this morning. Reviewed the progress of our bilateral Road Map. Discussed the state of the world, regional issues, Covid and Climate Action,” he tweeted.

    Meanwhile, Raab said London and New Delhi’s friendship is invaluable as the two countries tackle common challenges together from COVID-19 to climate change.

    Jaishankar and Raab are in Rome to attend the G20 ministerial meetings.

    “At the G20 today @DrSJaishankar & I spoke about the UK-India 2030 Roadmap, progress in Afghanistan & the situation in Myanmar. The UK Flag of United Kingdom & India Flag of India friendship is invaluable as we tackle common challenges together, from Covid-19 to climate change, so we can #BuildBackBetter,” Raab tweeted. (ANI)

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  • Raab’s visit to Vietnam aims to boost ASEAN ties

    Raab’s visit to Vietnam aims to boost ASEAN ties

    Speaking in Vietnam, Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said: “The UK greatly values our friendship with Vietnam. Since my last visit, we have made progress on trade and economic ties.”…reports Asian Lite News.

    Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Tuesday met his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son to discuss the implementation of the UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Agreement.

    They have also discussed subjects such as the global health security, climate change and Myanmar, the government said.

    It said the foreign secretary’s visit will build momentum for the UK’s bid to join the regional trade block – the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

    The UK Government is today setting out its approach to membership, alongside the release of the UK‘s strategic case for seeking CPTPP accession to include scoping and economic assessments.

    During the visit, the UK also looked to progress its ambition for ‘ASEAN Dialogue Partnership’ status, which would allow the UK to further strengthen relations with ASEAN countries, based on shared interests and mutual benefits.

    Speaking in Vietnam, Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said: “The UK greatly values our friendship with Vietnam. Since my last visit, we have made progress on trade and economic ties.”

    “We welcome Vietnam’s support for UK’s accession to the CPTPP trading block, and I am very grateful for its ASEAN chairmanship last year – laying the foundations towards the UK becoming an ASEAN dialogue partner,” he added.

    Raab has also met President Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Presidential Palace. They have discussed key issues with the climate change and Vietnam’s ambition for energy transition.

    Raab’s meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh covered developments within the Strategic Partnership Agreement, COP26, Covid-19 recovery and maritime security. The Strategic Partnership framework sets out cooperation between the two countries for the next ten years, the the government said.

    The Foreign Secretary has also met the Minister of Public Security, To Lam, with topics of discussion including cooperation to tackle illegal migration, human trafficking and transnational crime.

    While in Hanoi, the Foreign Secretary delivered opening remarks at the 5th ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) on the UK’s ambitions for its ’Indo-Pacific tilt‘ to an audience of more than fifty countries.

    Several regional foreign ministers, including Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Son, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Balakrishnan, Cambodia’s Sokhonn, Laos‘ Kommasith, Korea‘Chung, as well as the European Union’s High Representative Borrell, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Portugal’s Vice Foreign Minister, Zacarias, were present.

    Raab also announced UK funding to support a network of women peacebuilders and mediators across the region through the ASEAN Women’s Peace Registry.

    The financial contribution will also help ASEAN develop its Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and support ASEAN member states, including Vietnam, to develop and implement their own National Action Plans.

    The visit comes ahead of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group led by the HMS Queen Elizabeth, which will make its maiden visit to the region, arriving in Singapore later this year.

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  • Raab begins S-E Asia trip to boost post-Brexit ties

    Raab begins S-E Asia trip to boost post-Brexit ties

    This is Raab’s fifth visit to South East Asia since becoming Foreign Secretary, demonstrating the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific, as set out in the UK’s Integrated Review…reports Asian Lite News.

    Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has landed in Hanoi on Monday ahead of a three-day visit with high-level meetings in Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore focussing on trade, defence and security.

    The UK will formally launch accession negotiations with Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) nations today, helping Britain further engage with some of the world’s biggest economies. CPTPP members currently have a combined GDP of £9 trillion, a value which is expected to grow rapidly in the next few years.

    This is Raab’s fifth visit to South East Asia since becoming Foreign Secretary, demonstrating the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific, as set out in the UK’s Integrated Review.

    The visit also comes at a time of growing defence and security cooperation with the region, as the UK’s Carrier Strike Group led by the HMS Queen Elizabeth, makes its maiden visit to the region.

    Speaking ahead of the visit, Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said the UK is committed to strengthening our friendship across the Indo-Pacific.

    “We are demonstrating this through our commitment to join CPTPP, partner with ASEAN and invest more energy, time and effort in our bilateral relations in the region,” he said.

    While in Vietnam, the Foreign Secretary will deliver opening remarks at the 5th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on the UK’s ambitions for its Indo-Pacific tilt to an audience of representatives from more than 50 countries.

    He will meet Vietnamese leaders, including President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son to discuss the implementation of the UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Agreement, in addition to subjects such as global health security, climate change and combatting serious organised crime.

    Raab will then travel to Cambodia to meet Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn to set out the ambition for the UK bid for ‘ASEAN Dialogue Partnership’ status ahead of Cambodia taking up the chair of ASEAN.

    This status would give the UK the closest form of relationship with ASEAN. This will be the first Foreign Secretary visit to Cambodia since the British Embassy was reopened 30 years ago.

    The visit will finish in Singapore, with a meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to discuss geo-political security and climate change, as well as the international response to Covid. The Foreign Secretary will also meet Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and address British and Singaporean business leaders from across Asia Pacific, highlighting the economic and strategic benefits of CPTPP and the UK’s wider trade and foreign policy priorities for the region.

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