Lecture Abstract:

Mr Hammond will give a speech on the UK in the Asia Pacific region, setting out how the UK’s relations here are evolving as economic and political power shifts East in what is being hailed as the “Asian Century”. He will describe how the strength of the UK’s partnerships in the region, including with Singapore in its 50th Anniversary Year, transcend historical ties and draw on the UK’s contemporary strengths in soft power, trade and investment, defence and global security.

About the Speaker:

The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP was appointed Foreign Secretary on 15 July 2014. He is the Conservative MP for Runnymede and Weybridge.  Philip was born in Epping, Essex in 1955 and attended school in Brentwood before studying politics, philosophy and economics at University College, Oxford.  He was previously Secretary of State for Transport from May 2010, when he was appointed as a Privy Counsellor. Prior to this, he held a number of shadow portfolios. He was elected to Parliament in 1997 and was appointed Secretary of State for Defence in 2011.  Philip had a business career in small and medium-sized companies in manufacturing, consultancy, property and construction, and oil and gas, both in the UK and abroad.  He is married with 3 children and lives in Send, Surrey.