In the UK, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issues travel advice and warnings for British citizens. They provide detailed information about safety, security, entry requirements, and local laws for countries around the world.
When the FCDO advises against travel, they typically use two main levels of warning:
“Advise against all travel” to a specific country or region.
“Advise against all but essential travel.”
It's time for them to issue an "Advise against all travel to the USA" #USA #RogueState #FCDO #Mastodon #Fediverse

Ex-diplomat alleges Britain ‘complicit in war crimes’

Britain’s system of arms control ‘broken’

February 2025

Allegations by an ex diplomat that officials were instructed to manipulate findings of misuse of weapons by allies will not come as shock to readers of this site. We have frequently questioned the oft repeated statement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office that ‘Britain’s export licensing controls are some of the most robust in the world’ as palpable nonsense. We have regularly featured items published by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, CAAT.

In this case, featured on the front page of today’s Guardian newspaper (10 February), the ex-diplomat claims that officials are ‘bullied into silence’. Processes are manipulated to produce politically convenient outcomes. The article suggests that probably the most significant of his allegations was that officials had demanded the toning down of evidence that UK arms had been used to commit war crimes. This would appear to be a clear example of manipulation of what was intended to be an objective exercise. One tactic was to say they are ‘waiting for more evidence’ as cover for inaction. The FCDO office denies these allegations.

Palestinians returning to north Gaza have been shocked to see almost total devastation of their homes, communities, medical facilities and much else. What greets them are piles of rubble where once they lived their lives. The bombing of civilian targets using dumb bombs and the killing of thousands of non-combatants including many women and children, is clear evidence of a war crime. Israelis have been able to do this with weapons such as the F-35 parts of which are manufactured in the UK. Yet the UK government refuses to ban these exports.

The ‘revolving door’ enables corruption to continue

As we have argued before, the UK is in a kind of trap when it comes to these sales. Arms exports are one of the few areas where we do well from an economic perspective. Many jobs depend on these sales and a proper regime of controls would hit the industry. Arms firms employ many lobbyists to promote themselves. CAAT have spoken of the ‘revolving door‘ whereby senior staff from the civil service, the military and government retire and emerge as consultants or directors of these firms. Such senior staff have a clear incentive therefore, to sing the industry’s songs so as not to destroy the opportunity for lucrative employment post retirement. It is as close to corruption as you can get. We must not forget however, the end result of this corruption and manipulating processes as alleged, is the death, destruction, maiming and general mayhem as the weapons are used to destructive effect.

Apart from Gaza, another area where Britain turned a blind eye and pretended not to know was Yemen. We continued arming Saudi and provided support and advice stopping just short of arming the planes thus avoiding claims of being mercenaries.

Listening to ministers opine about peace ring hollow when its own staff are allegedly manipulating evidence to enable arms sales to continue.

#Arms #FCDO #foreignOffice #government #UK

🇳🇫 #TAIWAN (#台灣): ❝The #British_government 🇬🇧 should make clear that #former_president #Tsai_Ing_wen (#蔡英文) is welcome to visit, a member of the #British_Parliament said following a report yesterday that the #British_Foreign_Commonwealth_and_Development_Office (#FCDO) had requested that the visit be “deferred” to avoid angering #China 🇨🇳.❞
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2024/10/13/2003825204

#Bigots mad at #ForeignSecretary #DavidLammy for flying #bisexual #Pride #flag at #ForeignOffice for #BisexualAwarenessWeek

“The #FCDO stands for #inclusivity, #diversity and #acceptance, both at #home and #abroad.

#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #UK #Tories #TERFS #Conservatives #Extremism #Fascism #Religion #Censorship #RepublicanParty #Hate #Bigotry #Violence #Genocide #Discrimination #Biphobia #Homophobia #Transphobia #ThePartyOfHate #EmptyThePews #TERFIsland

https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/09/23/david-lammy-bisexual-pride-flags-foreign-office/

I'd expected nothing from this #Labour government but 'hoped' the new Equalities Minister would not be as vehemently transphobic as recent predecessors. But #AnnelieseDodds has been SILENT on #trans issues & appears engaged only with her full time role at #FCDO.

#兩邊走走｜EP94｜英反恐行動拘港經貿辦官員，涉違英國安法將再提堂｜港經濟貿易辦事處總開支增，被指偏離職能華府檢討

📌 到 YouTube / IG Story 按連結收看

涉案袁松彪非港駐英外交人員；美國定期審核港經貿辦地位；行會極速改組社工註冊局

今集內容：
💡 港經貿辦員涉英間諜案
💡 港府官員對間諜案反應
💡 倫敦經貿辦角色已改變？
💡 YouTube 限港搜願榮光
💡 政要聯署要求黎案作供
💡 港府速完善社工註冊局

#經貿辦 #袁松彪 #間諜案 #境外干預 #FCDO #卡梅倫 #鄭澤光 #李家超 #願榮光歸香港 #YouTube #黎智英 #IPAC #社工註冊局 #孫玉涵 #陳虹秀 #綠豆

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🚨 New blog post:
WorldPop to advise UK government on big data, machine learning and AI

#FCDO #BigData #machinelearning #AI #InternationalDevelopment

https://www.worldpop.org/blog/worldpop-to-advise-uk-government-on-big-data-machine-learning-and-ai/

Foreign Office is ‘elitist and rooted in the past’, says new report | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/08/foreign-office-elitist-rooted-in-the-past-new-report

#ForeignOffice
#Elitism
#FCDO

Fresh blow for Rwanda deportation plan as report shows extreme poverty and hunger | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/28/fresh-blow-for-rwanda-deportation-plan-as-report-shows-extreme-poverty-and-hunger

#Rwanda
#RwandaPlan
#Tories
#Deportation
#Poverty
#Hunger
#AsylumSeekers
#AsylumBan
#ForeignOffice
#ForeignCommonwealthAndDevelopmentOffice
#FCDO
#TrickleDown
#Poverty
#HomeOffice

#UK / The #FCDO has issued a statement firmly rejecting any suggestion of the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza.

“Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and will be part of a future Palestinian state. The UK firmly rejects any suggestion of the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza.”

“We share the concerns of our allies and partners that Gazans should not be subject to forcible displacement or relocation from Gaza.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-statement-on-situation-in-gaza-3-january-2024

@israel
@palestine
#Gaza
#Israel
#EthnicCleansing
#PopulationTransfer

🧵 2/2: "Hello Ayman, once you have passed into Egypt, we will provide you transport to Cairo and 2 nights accommodation should you need it. We are not facilitating flights from #Egypt at this time. There are a number of commercial options from Cairo to the UK." So the #FCDO is telling #British citizens that they have to pay for their own #repatriation? #Brazil sent a dedicated charter for its citizens. Does the #UK believe getting bombed in #Gaza for 26 days is not enough to earn support?

🧵 1/2: My friend Ayman is still stuck in #Gaza. He has dual #Palestinian #British citizenship. So far, the #UK has provided TWO names to #Egypt/#Israel to allow safe passage at #Rafah. There's an estimated 200 people registered with #FCDO. It is impossible to know if the UK have communicated the full 200 names, and/or given reasons for #Israel to deprioritise as both see fit, #brown citizens last, especially with dual nationality. Today the FCDO sent Ayman this message: ...

6th issue of our Newsletter is out NOW👇
https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/foodequity/files/2023/10/Project-Newsletter-6-October-2023.pdf

✅Check out some thought-provoking stories from the field work in #India around #FoodInsecurity
✅Evidence submitted to #FCDO for sexual & reproductive health programmes
✅Latest on Expert Interviews & many more..

Paralysed Swedish woman in London cannot return home due to bureaucracy | UK news | The Guardian
#Sweden
#Paralysis
#Bureaucracy
#Repatriation
#SwedishHealthcare
#FCDO
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/22/paralysed-swedish-woman-london-cannot-return-home-bureaucracy

Day 4 of our 5-day #GRID3 #population #modelling & #preEA workshops for demographers in #Abuja #Nigeria. Today we were warmly welcomed by the Chair of National Population Commission, the Director-General #2023Census & other key Directors & Officers of the Commission #FCDO #UNFPA