We are pleased to announce that the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship is now open for applications.

You’ll need to complete an online application form. This will take about 20 minutes to complete and you can save your progress as you go.

The next stage will be the online tests, these are made up of 3 sections:

• Verbal and numerical reasoning tests (Take around 6 minutes for each exercise)
• Situational judgement questionnaire (untimed, takes around 20-30 minutes to complete)
• Competency questionnaire (untimed, takes around 20-30 minutes to complete).

If you are successful at this stage you will be invited to attend the Fast Track Assessment Centre for a half-day event that will feature:

• a group task
• a written task
• a strengths-based interview.

Good luck with your applications, we look forward to meeting you soon.

Mr Dan Chugg has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Burma in succession to Mr Andrew Patrick who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Chugg will take up his appointment in May 2018.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name: Daniel Patrick Brendon Chugg

Married to: Alison Chugg

Children: Two

2015 – present FCO, Head, Counter-Daesh Communications Department, Communication Directorate

2014 – 2015 FCO, Head, ISIL Taskforce and Iraq Department, Middle East and North Africa Directorate

2010 – 2014 Beijing, Counsellor (Political)

2007 – 2010 New Delhi, First Secretary (Press and Communications)

2005 – 2007 FCO, Press Officer later Deputy Head of Press Office

2001 – 2005 Hong Kong, Vice-Consul (Political)

1999 – 2001 Full time language training (Chinese)

1998 – 1999 FCO, Desk Officer, Hungary and Slovak Republic, Central European Department

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Mr Irfan Siddiq OBE has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Sudan in succession to Mr Michael Aron who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Siddiq will take up his appointment in April 2018.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name: Irfan Siddiq

Married to: Penélope Siddiq

Children: Two

2017 – 2018 Plan International, International Advocacy Director
(secondment)

2016 – 2017 FCO, Head, Secondment Unit

2013 – 2016 Baku, Her Majesty’s Ambassador

2011 – 2013 FCO, Head, Arab Partnership Department

2010 – 2011 Baghdad, Deputy Head of Mission

2007 – 2010 Damascus, Deputy Head of Mission

2005 – 2007 FCO, Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary

2004 – 2005 Washington, secondment to US State Department as Political Officer

2003 – 2004 Baghdad, Political Officer, Coalition Provisional Authority

2002 – 2003 Cairo, Second Secretary (Political/Press)

2000 – 2002 Full time language training (Arabic)

2000 – 2000 FCO, Desk Officer, Middle East Peace Process Section

1999 – 2000 New Delhi, Second Secretary (Economic/Commercial)

1998 –1999 FCO, Desk Officer, NATO

1998 Joined FCO

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Minister Burt said:

The UK strongly condemns the Israeli government’s decision to ‘legalise’ the Netiv Ha’avot outpost in the West Bank. The international community has repeatedly stated that settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the physical viability of the two-state solution.

Further information

• Follow the Minister Burt on Twitter @AlistairBurtUK

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Following Mr Lancaster’s visit to Poland in August 2017, the Polish Under Secretary of State has been in the UK for a two-day visit to discuss plans for the continued close defence relationship between the two countries.

The pair visited the UK’s leading contribution to NATO, the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. The high readiness force staff includes two Polish nationals, as well as UK nationals and personnel from 21 NATO countries.

Minister for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster said:

Our defence cooperation with Poland continues to go from strength to strength. We recently signed a defence treaty together, only the second such treaty the UK has signed with another EU country, signifying the importance of our relationship. We remain entirely committed to the security of our friends in Europe.

We are allies together in NATO and this visit has shown how our troops work side by side within the alliance to protect our interests.

The UK has deployed 150 military personnel to Poland as part of NATO’s Enhance Forward Presence (eFP) in the region. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson visited these troops in December.

As well as visiting the UK’s leading NATO high-readiness headquarters, the Defence Minister and his Polish counterpart commemorated veterans at the Polish War Memorial and witnessed a Ground Based Air Defence demonstration at Salisbury Plain. They also held a series of bilateral talks following on from the successful signing of the new defence treaty in December.