Sir Henry Wotton, a 16th Century diplomat is reputed to have said that a diplomat is “an honest man sent abroad to lie for his country”. That may have been true then but it is the one thing that we absolutely do not do today. An Ambassador’s job these days is more complicated: to use connections and exploit opportunities in order to promote, protect and influence. He or she may do any and all of these on a typical day.

Promoting has many elements. We promote UK values through campaigns on press freedom, preventing sexual violence in conflict or on pushing for accelerated measures to halt climate change. All of these things also contribute to promoting the UK’s prosperity. Stable and safe spaces overseas which share a common vision on the issues confronting the world make the UK a safer and more prosperous country. So does promoting the UK as a great place to do business, study or conduct research. The ties created in promoting this agenda can create links that last a lifetime and result directly in investment in the UK, exports for British companies and UK jobs.

Protecting is equally multi-faceted. There is obvious work on protecting British citizens from harm by cooperating on anti-terrorism measures, but also countering cyber attacks, defence cooperation and promoting peace and stability through our membership, amongst others, of the UN Security Council and NATO. We also work closer to the coal face in protecting British citizens when things go wrong through accidents, natural disasters or simply a lost passport.

The Ambassador’s basic tools are networks, soft power, reputation and local knowledge. All of these can lead to influence over the country to which you are posted. The toolbox is thankfully varied, and I have used the UK’s commitment to carbon emissions reductions, our economic powers, but also the Premier League, James Bond, UK’s education excellence, our research reputation and many other levers in order to wield influence over people I have engaged with in the last few weeks alone.

No two days are the same. But as a study of what any day may have in store, today I had internal meetings to develop a strategy for leveraging Norwegian support on COP26; I lobbied politicians to support regulations which would allow British companies to bid for contracts; I spoke to government officials in order to discuss Norway’s approach to post-Brexit trade negotiations; I lobbied Norway to support a British judge for the International Criminal Court; I had a phone call with officials in London about fisheries issues; I spoke to a seminar on UK/Norwegian relations in the future, and I went to the Japanese celebration for the Emperor’s birthday in order to catch up with the other guests on undercurrents in Norwegian politics at the moment.

The day is varied, but an Ambassador cannot lose sight of the core of the job: advance British interests by promoting, protecting and influencing.

By Richard Wood

Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway

Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway, Richard Wood, On The Core Duties Of Being A Diplomat