Foreign Secretary William Hague has said the United Kingdom is “stronger and safer together” as he outlined the case for Scotland to reject voting for independence. Mr. Hague spoke of shared values between Britain and Scotland and said that remaining united would give the UK greater international “clout” and allow it to be “better able to make a difference in the world”.
UK Foreign Secretary and Chief Secretary of the Treasury are scheduled to launch on Friday in Glasgow a Scotland analysis paper, the first in the series to be published since the launch of the Scottish Government’s White Paper in November. Next September Scotland is holding a vote on independence.
The Foreign Office is being stretched “almost to the limit” as it attempts to cut spending at a time of international turbulence while having to cope with additional demands such as the London Olympics, MPs have said.
The Tory plan for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union cleared its first hurdle in the House of Lords last week. The Bill was given an unopposed second reading after a lengthy seven-hour debate in the Lords, in which more than 60 peers spoke.
Britain’s Conservative Party will stand by the people of Gibraltar “no matter what”. That was the pledge made by Foreign Secretary William Hague on Sunday night as he addressed the Gibraltar reception at the Conservative Conference in Manchester.
The British embassy in Paraguay which was remained closed since 2005 will be reopened this week according to Paraguayan foreign minister Eladio Loizaga. The news was confirmed following a meeting of the Paraguayan official with Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Ad hoc’ talks do not mean four sides: that was the swift and firm declaration from the Government of Gibraltar in response to statements made to the Gibraltar Chronicle by Gonzalo de Benito, Spain’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Britain’s relationship with Spain could be damaged by the ongoing dispute over Gibraltar, Europe Minister David Lidington warned. Lidington told the Financial Times there was a danger the row would overshadow all other parts of the Anglo-Spanish relationship. “There is clearly a risk that this will cloud the bilateral relationship,” he said.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague in an update to Parliament on the Spain/Gibraltar situation (border delays and illegal incursions into BGTW) said that the UK government continues to collect evidence of the Spanish disproportionate unlawful border measures, to share with the European Commission before their monitoring mission arrives and is also keeping under review the option of taking direct legal action against the Spanish Government.
Britain will always stand up for Gibraltar and the interests of its people, David Cameron said on Thursday. The prime minister said it was something that mattered to us “very deeply”, as he held a meeting to discuss the border dispute with Spain.