Dominic Raab

British politics now exists in a moral vacuum. It cannot last

Sanctions against Belarus for the “hijacking” of a passenger plane carrying a journalist who had been critical of the Lukashenko regime must be “fully implemented”, the head of Nato has said. Secretary general Jens Stoltenberg met Boris Johnson in Downing Street on Wednesday and the pair discussed the future of the alliance ahead of a […]

European Council president Charles Michel said Minsk was playing “Russian roulette” after a Ryanair flight was diverted and a prominent critic arrested in Belarus. Journalist Roman Protasevich was on board a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday when it was forced to change course to head for the Belarussian capital after a reported […]

Dominic Raab “chickened out” of no-deal Brexit after his threats to pull out of talks were met with support from the EU, Michel Barnier states in his new book. The Grand Illusion: A Secret Diary of Brexit – out this autumn in English – delivers a detailed insight into Brexit negotiations from the EU’s chief […]

Dominic Raab has clashed with MPs as he sought to defend a cut to the government’s foreign aid budget by £8billion. Raab faced the International Development Committee on Thursday after last night’s confirmation that official development assistance (ODA) was being slashed from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income. Committee chairwoman Sarah Champion accused the foreign secretary of  […]

The US has announced a raft of new sanction on Russia over their interference in the 2020 US presidential election. This comes as Britain accused Russia’s foreign intelligence agency of responsibility for a major cyberattack affecting thousands of organisations in the West. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it had been assessed that it […]

Dominic Raab has been accused of breaking the law over his decision not to offer MPs a vote on shrinking the UK’s aid budget. A group of 28 MPs from seven different political parties wrote to Raab claiming his plans to abandon the 0.7% of GDP spend on aid would break a law instituted by David Cameron, […]

China has hit British institutions and MPs including former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith with sanctions in response to similar moves by the UK over the treatment of people in Xinjiang. Britain, the US, Canada and the European Union slapped sanctions on Chinese officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses in the country’s autonomous north-west […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg was accused of smearing a journalist and was urged to apologise during a row over trade deal remarks made by the foreign secretary. A leaked video call, published by the HuffPost website, suggested Dominic Raab told officials the UK should strike trade deals with nations that do not meet European standards on human […]

More than 25 million people in the UK have received a first dose of coronavirus vaccine but the country faces a looming squeeze on supply and a possible block on doses from the European Union. The milestone was passed in the first 100 days of the vaccination campaign, but the NHS warned there would be […]

Dominic Raab has denied saying the UK wants to trade with countries that violated human rights laws after a call with colleagues was leaked to the press. In a leaked video call listened to by HuffPost UK, the foreign secretary is heard telling departmental staff that only trading with countries that meet European Convention on Human […]

The foreign secretary has defended the government spending more than £2.6 million on creating a White House-style media briefing room in Downing Street after pictures of the refurbishment surfaced this week. The images published by ITV News on Monday show the room in No 9 Downing Street has been kitted out with cameras and rows […]

The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe says her case has been a “failure of diplomacy and campaigning” ahead of her return to court in Iran. Richard Ratcliffe said it would take “a long time” for his wife to recover from the psychological trauma of her ordeal, but that continuing media coverage had “kept her a bit […]

A senior European Union diplomat has been summoned to the Foreign Office in a row over coronavirus vaccine exports. Nicole Mannion, deputy ambassador of the EU to the UK, attended the meeting on Wednesday morning after European Council president Charles Michel accused Britain and the US of imposing bans on the movement of jabs. Foreign […]

Dominic Raab has written to the European Council president after he claimed the UK imposed an “outright ban” on coronavirus vaccine exports. Charles Michel accused Britain and the US of imposing bans on the movement of jabs as he used a newsletter to hit back at criticisms of the bloc’s vaccine rollout. The foreign secretary […]

Conservative MPs have demanded prime minister Boris Johnson gives them a Commons vote on moves to slash the UK’s aid contribution to war-torn Yemen. Former cabinet minister David Davis warned the policy “puts lives at risk” and must receive prior approval from MPs. The UK has pledged at least £87 million in aid, down from […]

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has urged people to wait a decade before judging whether Brexit has worked or not. Raab, appearing on The Andrew Marr Show, insisted that businesses take a “10-year view” to the troubles sparked by Brexit, before blaming the European Union for new bureaucracy. “We have always been clear that there are changes […]

A country estate used by Dominic Raab plans to spend £5 million to build 10-metre-high earth mounds on its land to block out the view of the M25 motorway. A massive landscaping project that would take five years to complete could be underway soon at the historic Chevening House in Kent, the MailOnline has revealed. The […]

The UK and the EU have clashed over the status the trading bloc’s ambassador in London should have. The UK government is refusing to grant Joao Vale de Almeida full diplomatic status offered to other ambassadors. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is insisting he and his officials should not have privileges and immunities afforded to […]

The foreign secretary has denied that the collapse of fishing businesses would be the result of Brexit. Dominic Raab claimed delays to fishing exports are just “teething problems” and that thee trading agreement will “create huge, sustainable opportunities” for the fishing sector. Exports of fresh fish and seafood have been severely disrupted by delays since […]

Dominic Raab has faced Tory pressure to develop new measures to block trade deals with countries found to have committed genocide. The foreign secretary told MPs he rejected a cross-party amendment made by peers to the Trade Bill, describing it as “well-meaning” but also “rather ineffective and counter-productive”. The House of Lords changed the proposed […]

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has dismissed a warning from Tesco chairman John Allan that Brexit could result in food shortages and price rises, saying he is “not concerned” by their claims. The chairman warned that failure to reach a deal with the European Union could see shoppers turning to buying UK-produced items when imported goods jump […]

Brexit trade talks could continue beyond the newly-agreed Sunday deadline, foreign secretary Dominic Raab has hinted. Raab was reticent to confirm Sunday’s deadline as a final cut-off, saying that “you can never say never” with EU negotiations. His comment came as Boris Johnson and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen agreed to scrap Thursday’s deadline in favour of […]

The government has called for ‘fresh thinking’ from the European Union over Brexit, as the foreign secretary insisted there is a deal to be done. Dominic Raab said this could be the last week of “substantive” negotiations as he urged Brussels to recognise the “point of principle” on Britain’s control of its waters. He told […]

The foreign aid budget could reportedly be cut temporarily after the UK’s public finances took a hit dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, despite foreign secretary Dominic Raab insisting the government was “absolutely” committed to the 0.7% target. The Times reported plans had been drawn up to pare back the commitment to spend at least 0.7% of […]

A television news presenter has rolled her eyes after foreign secretary Dominic Raab gave an “astonishing” defence of Donald Trump’s approach to the US election result. The minister said that “in principle, yes, of course” all votes should be counted in a democratic election, having failed to make such a statement when Trump had been […]

Nadhim Zahawi has become the second Tory minister to repeatedly refuse to condemn Donald Trump’s election fraud comments. The minister for business joins foreign office secretary Dominic Raab in shirking away from criticising Trump’s allegations that the US election has been ‘rigged’. Speaking with the BBC on Wednesday, Raab said it was ‘common practice’ for the British government not […]

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab is isolating after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. Raab will work remotely during 14 days of isolation after being told of a recent close contact’s positive test on Thursday, a spokesman for the cabinet minister said. It follows Brandon Lewis last week having to self-isolate […]