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With journalist Ruth Sherlock quite literally on the road to Damascus and Tom Tugendhat MP in the studioIn a whirlwind 48 hours, more than half a century of brutal Assad family rule in Syria came to an end this weekend. Rebel forces entered Damascus after a lightning offensive that forced the Syrian president to flee on a plane to Moscow.Kamal and Camilla speak to Ruth Sherlock - who after years of reporting on the Syrian civil war is en-route back into the country - about the chaotic scenes on the streets of Damascus, where armed fighters have descended.And Tom Tugendhat MP, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, speaks to the Daily T about his "deep concern" at the power vacuum in Syria, whether the UK should still proscribe the leading rebel group as a terrorist organisation, and what Assad's departure means for Iran and Russia.Producers: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganPlanning Editor: Venetia RaineyExecutive Producer: Louisa WellsVideo Editor: Luke GoodsallSocial Media Producer: Niamh WalshStudio Operator: Meghan SearleEditor: Camilla TomineyOriginal music by Goss Studio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fraud, by some margin, is the biggest crime in Britain. How did it spin out of control? Who is responsible? And who do we call to tackle and prevent the biggest menace in the digital era? The Spectator's economics editor, Kate Andrews is joined by an esteemed panel for this discussion, kindly sponsored by TSB and hosted at Conservative Party Conference. Also on the panel: Tom Tugendhat MP, Minister of State – Minister for Security, Victoria Atkins MP, Finance Secretary, Bob Wigley, Chair – UK Finance, Richard Hyde, Senior Researcher and Lead on Fraud - Social Market Foundation and Paul Davis, Fraud Director - TSB.
CHINESE scientists probed weaponising coronaviruses five years before the Covid pandemic, bombshell documents reveal. Documents obtained by the US State Department reportedly show People's Liberation Army (PLA) commanders predicted that World War 3 would be fought with biological weapons. US officials obtained the papers which were written by military scientists and senior Chinese public health officials in 2015 as part of their own investigation into the origins of Covid-19, reports The Australian. Chinese scientists described SARS coronaviruses – of which Covid is an example – as heralding a “new era of genetic weapons”. They boasted the viruses could be “artificially manipulated into an emerging human disease virus, then weaponised and unleashed in a way never seen before”. Tom Tugendhat MP and Australian politician James Paterson said the document raises major concerns about China's transparency on the origins of Covid-19. Mr Tugendhat, chairman for the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: “China's evident interest in bioweapons is extremely concerning. Even under the tightest controls these weapons are dangerous. “This document raises major concerns about the ambitions of some of those who advise the top party leadership.” China has long been accused of covering up or distorting its role in the early days of the pandemic, with claims the Communist Party manipulated case and death figures while withholding information from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Questions still remain over the origins of the virus as well after a much derided WHO probe earlier this year, with the organisation ordering a further investigation which factors in the possibly of a lab leak. Most scientists have said there is no evidence that Covid-19 is manmade – but questions remain whether it escaped from the a biolab in Wuhan. There is no evidence to suggest it was intentionally released by China. The Chinese language military document, titled The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons, outlines the Chinese military's plans with regards to bioweapons. It reads: “Following developments in other scientific fields, there have been major advances in the delivery of biological agents. “For example, the new-found ability to freeze-dry micro-organisms has made it possible to store biological agents and aerosolise them during attacks.” US officials obtained the papers which were written by military scientists and senior Chinese public health officials in 2015 as part of their own investigation into the origins of Covid-19, reports The Australian. Chinese scientists described SARS coronaviruses – of which Covid is an example – as heralding a “new era of genetic weapons”. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/world-voices/support
The report by Michelle Bachelet, the former Chilean leader who is the UN's outgoing High Commissioner for Human Rights accused China of using vague national security laws to clamp down on the rights of minorities and establishing "systems of arbitrary detention". It said prisoners had been subjected to "patterns of ill-treatment" which included "incidents of sexual and gender-based violence". Others, they said, faced forced medical treatment and "discriminatory enforcement of family planning and birth control policies". All this confirms reporting by many international observers, including reporting by BBC News. Today's Amol Rajan spoke to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat MP as well as International Human rights barrister Philippe Sands QC and the Journalist and China expert Isobel Hilton. (Image: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, Credit: Reuters, Pierre Albouy)
We talk to Tom Tugendhat MP about how the UK can strengthen its energy security, deprive the Kremlin of oil and gas revenue, and protect people from volatile fossil fuel prices. Presented by Jack Richardson, CEN's Senior Climate Programme Manager. If you'd like to learn more about CEN, visit. cen.uk.com.
What can we do to help Ukraine? As Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I spoke with Tom Tugendhat, MP, Chair of the UK Foreign Affairs Committee, on what Britain and its allies can do for a special emergency #BritainDebrief. Is this a major turning point in European history? What does Tugendhat think of Boris Johnson's new sanctions package on Russia? Will the capital fall to the Russian onslaught, and if yes, what happens next?
What is going in Kyiv, and will there be war in Europe? As the crisis at the Ukrainian border continues to grow, I interviewed Tom Tugendhat, MP, Chairman of the UK Parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee, for this week's #BritanDebrief for the Atlantic Council. What role is the UK playing in this crisis? Is the UK playing enough of a role in supporting Ukraine? What warning does Tom Tugendhat, MP, have for the United States if it does not support Ukraine? If Russia invades, what will happen in Ukraine, Europe, and the rest of the world?
Chair of the China Research Group, Tom Tugendhat MP was joined by Desmond Shum for a conversation on Desmond's recent book Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China, a rare look at the inner workings of the Chinese Communist Party. Desmond's journey as a successful businessman during China's boom period in the 2000s took him close to the nexus of power at the top of the Chinese Communist Party. After studying in the US and working in Hong Kong, he moved back to Beijing, where he married Whitney Duan. Whitney was close to Zhang Peili, the wife of Wen Jiabao (China's premier from 2003 to 2013). The relationship gave Desmond insight into power, wealth and corruption across China in a period where its GDP was growing by 10% a year. Together, Desmond and Whitney leveraged their business and political connections to cut major business deals, pulling off the development of the largest air cargo logistics facility in China, the Beijing Airport Cargo Terminal. In his book, Desmond argues that entrepreneurs felt the tightening of CCP control as early as 2008. But Desmond and Whitney experienced significant pressure in 2012 when the New York Times splashed on the ‘hidden riches' of Wen family corruption, which implicated his wife Whitney. And after three years under Xi's rule, Shum decided to leave the country in 2015 and move to the UK. Whitney disappeared in China in 2017. No one had heard from her for four years. But on the eve of Red Roulette's publication earlier this year, Desmond received a call from Whitney - who asked him not to publish the book. The discussion includes Desmond's perspective on Xi's power base and the political slant of his anti-corruption campaign in 2012/13, how China's 'red aristocracy' controls the CCP and the situation in Hong Kong. Further reading: Buy the book: Red Roulette by Desmond Shum on Waterstones. Red Roulette: It Sucks to be a Chinese Billionaire on ChinaTalk.
In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Chair of the British Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat joins Rory Medcalf to unpack what the AUKUS arrangement could mean for the future of the Indo-Pacific.It's not quite an alliance, it's not formally a treaty, but AUKUS is certainly a striking alignment of nations. The question is: what impact will it have beyond the initial nuclear submarines arrangement? And can the damage done to Australia's standing with France – a key Indo-Pacific partner – be repaired? Tom Tugendhat MP joins Professor Rory Medcalf to share a UK perspective on these questions and more. This discussion builds on a recent publication by Mr Tugendhat on Australia-United Kingdom security ties.Tom Tugendhat is the Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling in the United Kingdom and has been Chair of the British Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee since 2017. Before becoming an MP, Tom was in the British Army and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of the National Security College at The Australian National University. His professional background involves more than two decades of experience across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism.We'd love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this episode we look back on previous guests who have served in Afghanistan.They include from season 1: Johnny Mercer MP, Dan Jarvis MBE MP & Doug Beattie MC and season 2: Tom Tugendhat MBE VR MP, Cllr Greg Hammond and Clive Lewis MPOur host Jonny Ball served in Afghanistan in 2011-12 and reflects briefly on that tour. He dedicates this episode to the memory of his friend killed on operations, Sqn Ldr Ant Downing.This is a time for the armed forces community where there are more questions and answers. We hope that this episode helps people reflect, and more importantly, inspire them to stand up and serve again in public life, just like our Afghan veterans here!This podcast series maintains its independence and features several parties.NOTE- We are independently funded without any fancy sponsors so rely on you to rate, donate or become our mate. Donate - CampaignForce
What does the collapse of American Afghanistan mean for Britain? As horrific scenes unfold at Kabul airport with the Taliban now in control of Kabul, I wanted to find out what this means for Afghanistan, American credibility and British foreign policy for this week's #BritainDebrief for the Atlantic Council so I spoke Tom Tugendhat, MP, chair of the UK Parliament's foreign affairs select committee. What does this expose about British weakness and dependence? How has Boris Johnson's government handled the situation? What has this done for American geopolitical standing? And what can the UK now do about refugees?
With the WTO in desperate need of reform and Australia hit by trade sanctions by the PRC, do we need a new allied trade treaty? How should the UK, EU and US come together to rethink the economic challenge posed by China? This event took place in tandem with the launch of a new policy paper written for the China Research Group by Robert D. Atkinson, which you can read here. The paper looks at whether democratic nations should form an allied trade treaty to combat Chinese trade aggression. This event was chaired by Tom Tugendhat MP, with the following speakers. Speakers: Rob Atkinson. Founder and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), recognised as the world's top think tank for science and technology policy, and author of upcoming paper for the China Research Group: NATO for Trade. Reinhard Butikofer. Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA) and the Co-Chair of the European Green Party (EGP). He is the Chair for the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the People's Republic of China. Agatha Kratz. coordinates Rhodium Group's European activities and leads research on European Union-China relations and China's commercial diplomacy. She co-authored the paper “Home Advantage: How China's Protected Market Threatens Europe's Economic Power”.
Veterans In Politics- Season 2, Episode 8 with Tom Tugendhat MBE VR MPIn the last of this current series Jonny sits down with fellow Int Corps Reservist, linguist and veteran of Afghanistan (and other operations!) Tom Tugendhat. Their chat is as you might imagine when two people from the same Corps family come together for a catch up and you're invited to listen in.They cover the 'Big Society', Tom's observations of community kindness during Covid-19 and Jonny even has time to rib Tom for a social media picture of both him and Dan Jarvis MP (a previous guest of the show) currently doing the rounds on social media showing them on tour in Afghanistan with some dubious haircuts. This is a fantastic episode to round off the series and Tom was a fabulous guest, funny, observant and easy to talk to.This podcast series maintains its independence and features several parties in this series.NOTE- We are independently funded without any fancy sponsors so rely on you to rate, donate or become our mate. Donate - CampaignForceFor more info on Tom go to: https://www.tomtugendhat.org/About Tom (in his own words): I grew up in London and Sellinge, near Ashford, before going to read Theology at Bristol University where I also worked in the local homeless shelter in the St Paul's area. I then studied for a Masters' degree in Islamics at Cambridge University, which including learning Arabic in Yemen.After graduating, I went to Beirut as a journalist where I wrote about the conflict as well as regional politics and economics. Soon after I established one of Lebanon's first public relations companies and won some major international clients. When I returned to the UK I worked as a management consultant before going into energy analysis in the City. At about the same time I joined the TA.When the Iraq War broke out in 2003, I was mobilised as an Arabic-speaking intelligence officer to serve with the Royal Marines. After the war I returned to my job in the City, but was soon asked to help with the distribution of the New Iraqi Dinar as part of the economic reconstruction effort. Over the next six months I ran the central region – Baghdad and surrounding cities – and distributed much of the $4.5 billion-worth of cash that went into Iraq.The next year I saw a series of projects conducted on behalf of the British government and companies including helping to improve Morocco's ports to ensure they were compliant with modern protocols. In 2005, I was asked by the Foreign Office to go to Afghanistan and help grow the National Security Council. Working in the Dari language, the project involved setting the strategic goals for a new office that coordinated Afghanistan's strategic advice to President Karzai. When one of the members of the National Security Council was named governor of Helmand Province, he asked for me to go with him as his adviser. Together, and this time working in Pashto, the language of southern Afghanistan, we set up the first non-warlord administration in Helmand since the Soviet invasion.After two years in Afghanistan I returned to the UK, but my former Royal Marines unit was deploying to Helmand and asked me to go too. I mobilised and served operationally for a further two years, for which I received the MBE, coming off my last patrol in July 2009.On returning to the UK, I was asked by the new Chief of the General Staff to work on the Army Strategy Team. When he was made Chief of the Defence Staff he asked me to serve as his military assistant and principal adviser. I remain a reserve officer.In 2015 I was elected as Member of Parliament for Tonbridge, Edenbridge and Malling. I live with my wife, Anissia, and our two children near Edenbridge.#StandUpServeAgain
Former political advisor Laura Round speaks to politicians, opinion formers and business people to find out about the experiences, people and places that have inspired them. What motivates them? Why did they decide to do what they do? What are the most memorable and surprising situations they have found themselves in? The answer is often unexpected. Guests this season include former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, former Cabinet Secretary, Mark Sedwill, former Director of Communications to Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell, Welsh Secretary Simon Hart, Baroness Sugg, Broadcaster Ayesha Hazerika, and many more! And if you haven't listened to the first two series yet, you can catch up with episodes with Rory Stewart, Jess Phillips MP, Matt Forde, Nick Timothy, Caroline Lucas, Iain Dale, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, Tom Tugendhat MP and many more. Make sure to subscribe, so you don't miss out!
Anand Menon, Professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King's College London leads a discussion on the future of EU-UK relations. He is joined by Sophia Gaston, director of the British Foreign Policy Group; Alyn Smith MP, foreign affairs spokesperson for the SNP; Tom Tugendhat MP, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee; and Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, ambassador of the European Union to the United Kingdom. In this conversation, the panel discusses the current UK-EU relationship; explore changing attitudes towards foreign policy, with ongoing issues of trust and changes in trade agreements; and describe why cooperation may become a “necessity” in the future.
Tom Tugendhat MP is Chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and one of the five British MPs placed on a sanctions list yesterday by the Chinese Communist Party. He spoke to Freddie Sayers about what it means.On the impact of sanctions on him personallyIt doesn't affect me at all, really, because I have no interests in China, either personal or professional. So for me, it's not significant. But what this is, is an attempt to intimidate British business people, intimidate British politicians and, by the way, intimidate many other people around the world. This is an attempt to bully and I hope it will be seen for exactly what it is.These are Chinese rights, not Western rightsI think we need to stand up for human rights as set out by the UN Declaration of Human Rights, which is not a Western imposition. Those human rights were written by P.C. Chang, a Chinese diplomat. These are Chinese rights that we're standing up for. And it's quite something that the Chinese Communist Party is the organisation that is looking to condemn the Chinese citizenry to hardship and its non Chinese powers that are looking to stand up for the Chinese people.‘Guarding the guards' over Covid restrictionsI know the government got extra powers, which allow it to go until six months time, but it needs to lift them the moment that that is reasonable to do so which I hope, according to the government's own timelines will be around the 21st of June. So I think that, you know, there is certainly a job of guarding the guards for members of parliament today and powerful speeches by people like Charles Walker yesterday, and and indeed many others on all sides of the house were very important to listen to, but I don't think it's quite the same parallel.On personal harassment by the Chinese stateI've had letters sent to my home, which is a sort of a ‘we know where you live' type of message by people in mainland China and friends of mine in agencies have been quite clear as to who they believe has done it. And I've had fake email addresses set up in my name and sent out messages to people like you often claiming all sorts of extraordinary and spurious claims… There's absolutely no doubt that in a tyrannical state like China, these are not the actions of free citizens. These are the actions of the Chinese state. There's no doubt about it at all. And speaking to internet providers, it's absolutely clear, who has been doing it, there's really no doubt at all.‘Minor irritation'The Chinese state has been doing this to its own people for 50 years — it's hardly surprising that it's now doing it to people it considers a nuisance overseas. The reality is that the Chinese government runs an extremely aggressive totalitarian regime with which it seeks to silence dissent. It has some of the largest numbers of people in prison, it has some of the highest capital punishment rates in the world, it executes in prisons in order to achieve its aims. And it intimidates in order to attempt to silence beforehand. And you know, the fact that I'm getting some minor irritation, it shouldn't be here or there. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This week, Geostrategy360 welcomes Tom Tugendhat MP, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling. Interviewed by the Council on Geostrategy's Viktorija Starych-Samuoliene, Tom talks about the Integrated Review, the future of British foreign policy and the challenges of environmental diplomacy.
Panel: Lord Richard Benyon, CEN Peer and former Environment Minister (Chair); James Heappey MP, Minister for the Armed Forces and CEN Alumni; Tom Tugendhat MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Sophia Gaston, Director of the British Foreign Policy Group; Erin Sikorsky, Director of the International Military Council on Climate and Security; and James Rogers, Co-Founder of the Council on Geostrategy.
Our new China Research Group paper, written by Eyck Freymann, is now published: 'The UK's Strategic Options: Belt and Road'. -- Back in 2013, President Xi Jinping unveiled his expansive vision of a modern Silk Road, promising to revolutionise China's global influence. Eight years later, and 130 countries have signed up to Xi's signature foreign policy. But the ‘project of a century' remains loosely defined and poorly understood. Despite accusations of predatory debt diplomacy, Chinese infrastructure lending has been in decline since 2019. Instead, a new phase of the Belt and Road has been accelerated by the pandemic. China has pivoted away from physical infrastructure and accelerated its expansion of the Digital, Green and Health Silk Roads. But what does the future of this version of the Belt and Road Initiative look like? And should like-minded democracies respond? We were joined by a panel of three experts for a discussion moderated by Tom Tugendhat MP, Chair of the China Research Group. Jonathan Hillman - Senior Fellow at CSIS and Director of the Reconnecting Asia Project Meia Nouwens - Senior Fellow at IISS and Digital Silk Road lead Eyck Freymann - Author of One Belt One Road: Chinese Power Meets the World and doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford
In this conversation, Rana Mitter joins Tom Tugendhat MP, chair of the China Research Group, for a discussion on the UK's relationship with China and China's wider foreign policy. Rana discusses the value of the Chinese public's trust in the UK, and the need for the UK to be more aware of its strategic strengths in the relationship. He also answered questions on the broader picture of the Belt and Road, China's relationship with Pakistan and India, and the influence of the CCP on modern Chinese society. Rana Mitter is Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford. He has written widely about modern China, having authored several books looking at China's historical perspective. He has also written a paper with Sophia Gaston for the British Foreign Policy Group assessing UK-China relations.
In episode five of Making Common Ground, Cat Neilan talks to Conservative MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat about polarisation in British politics, why he thinks people should get involved in the democratic process well before elections and why social media platforms should be recognised as publishers.
We get the lowdown on the process that led to the Jewish News-Jewish Care 120 over 80 from one of the judges, Baroness Ros Altmann. We also hear from Tom Tugendhat MP on what more needs to be done to support the Uyghurs in China and Dr Sharon Raymond on her ongoing work to support those most in need during the pandemic.
Laura Round is joined by Tom Tugendhat MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. They discuss diplomacy, the power of tech and what impact his time serving in Afghanistan and Iraq foreign policy and working as a journalist in the Middle East have had on him and his politics. He also shares his secret to building strong relationships with politicians around the world. You can follow Tom and Laura on Twitter: @TomTugendhat and @LauraRound ++ In What Were You Thinking former political advisor Laura Round speaks to politicians, opinion formers and business people to find out about the experiences, people and places that have inspired them. What motivates them? Why did they decide to do what they do? What are the most memorable and surprising situations they have found themselves in? The answer is often unexpected. This podcast is in partnership with the Big Tent Ideas Festival, the non-partisan festival of politics, culture technology and fresh thinking. Give them a follow: @BigTentIdeas And if you are looking for more content, become a friend of the Big Tent for only £6 per month.
Today Andy is joined by Tom Tugendhat MP, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Commons Select Committee. Tom responds to the latest warnings from the Chinese ambassador, warns Beijing it should not attempt to "bully" Britain, and Hong Kong's economic future. He also offers us his take on the Russia report and the "cabal" at the top of the Moscow government, as well as warning that great powers need to see eye to eye — but basic rights need to be respected by them all. Andy also looks at dire US economic data, Trump's Twitter, more woe for the travel industry, the collapse of a Saudi-backed bid to buy Newcastle United and the end of an era at Argos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit countries around the world with each government having to quickly create a strategy to combat the spread of the virus. Many countries have followed guidance from the World Health Organisation but there hasn't been a consistent global effort to fight COVID-19. Each country and government has faced their own challenges in their own way, so will this lead to a change in rhetoric for global diplomacy after the pandemic is contained? Andy Bell speaks with Tom Tugendhat MP, the Chairman of the UK's Foreign Affairs Committee, who thinks foreign policy has never been more important as a way to protect our interests and "protect our home". They discuss Covid-19's origin, the dialogue between superpowers US and China, and how the UK will appear on the world stage after the outbreak as it attempts to continue with Brexit. How did we get here? Explaining the news is a podcast from 5 News. Join Andy Bell as he explains the world's biggest news stories through interviews with politicians, experts, and analysts.
Lorries backing up in Kent, a Mars bar shortage, and no more Rome city breaks – these are just some of the things that we have been warned about when it comes to a no deal Brexit. But what will really happen (00:40)? Plus, is China a greater force to be reckoned with than Russia (22:30)? And last, what is it with Brits and obsessing over aristocratic sex scandals (33:10)? With Lord Peter Lilley, Ian Dunt, Kerry Brown, Tom Tugendhat MP, Cosmo Landesman, and Sophia Money-Coutts. Presented by Lara Prendergast.
With Paul Wood, Tom Tugendhat MP, Matthew Parris, James Forsyth, Harry Mount and Nick Hilton. Presented by Lara Prendergast.