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Defence

Sunday round-up 10 August 2025
Baroness Butler-Sloss, Rosanna Arquette and Antonio Banderas share a birthday with John the Blind of Bohemia, and the Treaty of Sevrès is signed then it…
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Eliot Wilson
1
Today in history: the Admiralty turns down the electric telegraph
The Royal Navy was offered a demonstration of electric communications in August 1816 but was quite content with its new semaphore system of wooden poles…
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Eliot Wilson
Sunday round-up 3 August 2025
The irreplaceable Sir Terry Wogan would have been 87 today; candles for the more-alive Steven Berkoff and Martha Stewart, and the feast of St Waltheof…
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Eliot Wilson
1
From Cameron to Lammy: Ed Llewellyn's new Foreign Office role
David Cameron's former Downing Street Chief of Staff has been appointed Foreign Office Political Director and David Lammy's principal policy adviser
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Eliot Wilson
1
Digest of the week: Starmer and Reeves need advice, Phillipson doesn't and a few thoughts on House of Lords committees
The government is looking for economic advisers; the Minister for Equalities ignores not one but two select committees; and Lord Robertson of Port Ellen…
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Eliot Wilson
9
Sunday round-up 27 July 2025
What do Bobbie Gentry, Bob Diamond, A-Rod and Jonathan Rhys Meyers have in common? Let's start with a birthday...
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Eliot Wilson
3
Digest of the week: Typhoons, gender and royalty
The UK signed a preliminary deal to sell fighters to Turkey, the President of the French Republic wants his day in court and a snippet of royal news
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Eliot Wilson
Sunday round-up 20 July 2025
Candles and cake for Carlos Santana, Sir Edward Leigh, Sandra Oh and Gisele Bündchen, a great Austrian naval victory and the feast of Elijah the Prophet
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Eliot Wilson
Are MPs bound by the Official Secrets Act?
Robert Jenrick claims he could not speak out because he would have faced prosecution, despite parliamentary privilege: I cannot see how that could be so
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Eliot Wilson
1
NAO review of the F-35 Lightning programme
The public spending watchdog has published its findings into our most sophsiticated aircraft, and the results are damning and worrying
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Eliot Wilson
1
Sunday round-up 13 July 2025
Birthday cake? Make it so for Sir Patrick Stewart, Harrison Ford and Ian Hislop, while Montenegro marks Statehood Day recalling the end of the Congress…
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Eliot Wilson
Defence digest: a fallen admiral, a rebrand and a new adviser at the MoD
The previous First Sea Lord was stripped of his commission, while Strategic Command changes identity again and Professor Malcolm Chalmers goes to work…
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Eliot Wilson
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