For defence and security types, I'll be talking about whether the UK can afford to fight a war with General Sir Richard Barrons and @oliviaosullivan.bsky.social at Chatham House on 27th November. You can sign up here for online or in person: www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/o...

⚡️Ukraine just became the first non-member to join the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force.

😮 Norway finds out that its electric busses - produced by a Chinese firm - can be remotely controlled from China! The good news of this is that the Norwegians realised this because they did a cybersecurity test. We need to think about, and test, stuff like this more. www.focus.de/panorama/wel...

Pretty extraordinary story here www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....

Another momentous week for the #India-#UK relationship. I discuss the key achievements in the following thread along with sharing my earlier analysis on the bilateral relationship: @chathamhouse.org, @chasiapacific.bsky.social www.chathamhouse.org/2025/07/modi...

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet India’s Narendra Modi in Mumbai next week to drive forward their tech and security partnership, multiple people familiar with the planning told POLITICO. www.politico.eu/article/keir...

Happy Stanislav Petrov day! Sometimes, questioning what the computer tells you, is the way to go.

Taipei for the first time unilaterally imposed semiconductor export controls on a country, limiting shipments to South Africa for trying to weaken ties with Taiwan — a key demand of Beijing from its formal partners.

On the other site I have a list of people I follow - regular Gazans who mostly tweet in Arabic - and the stories they tell and the depth of their despair are absolutely breaking my heart. And they're blaming Hamas and Israel in almost equal measure

BREAKING: The governments of Canada, Australia and the UK have formally recognised the Palestinian state. 🔴 LIVE updates: aje.io/lcqb2s

Hopes the visit would provide a breakthrough on efforts by UK negotiators to axe the 25% tariffs facing Britain’s beleaguered steel and aluminum industry were dashed even before Trump landed. www.politico.eu/article/keir...

But first up, will Starmer's 'flatter Trump' strategy pay off once more over the state visit? Short and sharp from @iona-allan.bsky.social with excellent comment from @oliviaosullivan.bsky.social and @rentouljohn.bsky.social www.chathamhouse.org/publications...

Here comes the money: UK lands Trump tech deals Britain’s quest for AI sovereignty is made in the USA. www.politico.eu/article/uk-m...

Trump now publicly calling all Nato members to put 50-100% tariffs on China 'I am ready to “go” when you are. Just say when? I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA, to be fully withdrawn after the WAR with Russia and Ukraine is ended'

Poland formally asks for Article Four consultations. “Tusk later announced that the consultations with the allies had already taken on the form of a formal request to launch art. 4 NATO. - This is our joint recommendation - the head of gov’t pointed out.” www.fakt.pl/polityka/ros...

“Following the cold war, western governments popularised the notion of a “peace dividend” from reduced defence spending. Now the British government refers to a “defence dividend” as it aims to use defence spending to generate economic growth.”

Yesterday in Parliament, I raised the case of my former @financialtimes.com colleague who is stuck in Gaza and is starving. Too many journalists have been killed in targeted attacks by the Israeli military. (1/2) My question 👇

Event | In conversation with HE Dr Husam Zomlot, Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK Husam Zomlot will speak at @chathamhouse.org next week to discuss the growing international calls for Palestinian statehood. Date📅: 2 September Time⌚️: 13:00 Find out more⤵️

You have to see the whole board. Trump's policies are a regime shift from the US as insurance provider to protection racket, creating The New Economic Geography. It isn't just about any one tariff or Fed official - the implications are far broader www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

The lengths I'd go to make you focus on the front page of the Sunday papers so you didn't notice the football pages.... (now with the link done right. Cos I'm a tech bro) observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

UK Ministry of Defence intelligence report this morning: “It would take Russian forces approximately 4.4 more years to gain 100 per cent of the four Ukrainian oblasts’ territory, [which] would lead to approximately 1,930,000 further Russian casualties (killed or wounded).”

Thank you @krishgm.bsky.social and @channel4news.bsky.social for the opportunity to discuss Gaza, Sudan, the humanitarian funding gulf, and the battle ahead for the UN.👇 youtu.be/k4n074586Tc?...

My new piece with my first reflections on the longer-term implications of Trump's AI chip deal with Nvidia and AMD: www.chathamhouse.org/2025/08/trum...

Payola. That supposed new US "global" trade system seems to have as one of its core anchors simple bribery. www.ft.com/content/cd1a...

'We are determined to protect the viability of the two-state solution ... unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza,' Downing Street said in a statement. www.ft.com/content/c3af...

Prime Minister Keir Starmer should lead his cabinet to agreement on recognizing a Palestinian state now. Recognition of a state is only a symbol. But it sends a clear message. Read @bronwenmaddox.bsky.social's latest expert comment for @chathamhouse.org ⤵️

15% US tariffs on the EU would be a massive shock under any other President. And they’d have been seen as a huge deal in January. Now they are almost a relief. Trade policy as slowly boiling a frog.

Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through. In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window.

A Palestinian mother in Gaza: “My children have become skeletal, skin and bone. Even the slightest effort makes them dizzy. They are asking for food, and I have nothing to give. I can’t lie and say I’ll bring them something when I know I won’t be able to.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

UK debate about how the Indo-Pacific figures in its foreign policy has often been narrowly focused on its military presence in the region. With Ben Bland and @chietigj.bsky.social, we make the case in this paper for a wider approach, working with European partners on shared interests:

Japan is heavily investing in a new kind of ultra-thin, flexible solar panel that it hopes will help it meet renewable energy goals while challenging China's dominance of the sector.

Do read @nvondarza.bsky.social's excellent latest contribution for @cheurope.bsky.social on how the new UK-Germany treaty marks a revival of the E3 format, a key pillar for European security. www.chathamhouse.org/2025/07/afte...

My new piece on yesterday's Franco-British summit for @ukandeu.bsky.social : ukandeu.ac.uk/the-franco-b...

🚨This new study by @chathamhouse.org’s Chris Vandome and @dideberg.bsky.social serves as a technical and logistical primer on traceability mechanisms, focusing on upstream #mining in Africa – the part of a mineral supply chain from extraction to transformation. europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en...

Re upping my piece for LSE blogs in light of UK Gov’s “resilience action plan” yesterday Still no word on resources… main intervention to support ‘whole of society’ resilience appears to be for the public to visit prepare.campaign.gov.uk - which along with the plan, doesn’t mention state threats!

Very excited to be offered an Associate Fellowship @chathamhouse.org in their UK in the World programme. Some fantastic work going on there right now. Looking forward to working with them. www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our...

A big few weeks for the UK in the World programme @chathamhouse.org - our Associate Fellow Grace Cassy gave evidence to the Joint Committee on National Security on Monday, covering the National Security Strategy and defence tech parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine visited Chatham House today and was welcomed to the institute by Orysia Lutsevych, the head of our Ukraine Forum. The event was held at the institute in London under the Chatham House Rule. Find out more: bit.ly/3T2Aco3

I spoke with @ichotiner.bsky.social from @newyorker.com about the consequences of the U.S. strikes on Iran. Here's my big concern in one paragraph... newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...

As Beijing asserts itself amid global trade tensions, it is playing an ace it has kept up its sleeve for decades: control over the flow of minerals Western countries desperately need to fuel their green, digital and defense ambitions. www.politico.eu/article/chin...

Good from @politico.eu - confess a bit startled at mass evacuations and family plans for war raised when I was in Poland and Baltics recently UK's Strategic Defence Review says NHS must be "be prepared to deal with mass military casualties" - we have among lowest beds + doctors per capita in OECD

Pentagon launches review of Aukus nuclear submarine deal www.ft.com/content/4a93...

The FCDO is by far the biggest loser in today's spending review. Day-to-day spending is down by almost 7% in real terms. Add to that the govt's decision to cut the ODA budget to 0.3% of GNI, and it's hard to see how the UK can be an effective foreign policy actor with such a major hit to its budget.

Though in reality she's cutting current spending from overseas aid to fund other domestic spending. The defence increases are almost entirely capital. It's not a shift from ODA to defence but from ODA to other priorities with extra capital allocated to defence

On increasing the NATO spending norm to 5%: “Spending more is not about pleasing an audience of one, it is about protection a billion people.” Mark Rutte at @chathamhouse.org

Great to write this piece responding to the SDR with @mgmessmer.bsky.social - this SDR much more focused on the state of the defence than the state of the world, we suggest, but it contains many welcome lessons from Ukraine - the key is implementing it all www.chathamhouse.org/2025/06/uk-s...

Very exciting - come join us on Monday!

Ahead of the publication of the defence review, the UK announces it intends to build 12 SSN-AUKUS attack submarines, compared to seven of the current Astute-class. It had not previously given a figure. The aim is to have them in service by the late 2030s. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Amid legal limbo, big picture is that a lot of US tariffs look set to remain in place • Court cancelled IEEPA-linked measures; IEEPA does not authorise tariffs and is only for emergencies • Section 301 tariffs on China and measures on steel, autos, solar and aluminium look set to remain in place