Greg Hands

Good to be back in Düsseldorf! 🇩🇪 Last time I was here was in August 2021 to represent the UK 🇬🇧 at the 75 years celebration of North Rhine Westphalia with Angela Merkel, ⁦@ArminLaschet⁩, President Nanu of Ghana 🇬🇭 and ⁦@jillgallard⁩!

On @TimesRadio shortly! With @carolewalkercw

Miguel Berger has been one of Germany’s most successful London Ambassadors. Active in all the right places and making sure that it all followed the art of the possible. At the farewell event at @GermanEmbassy last night with hundreds of others to give thanks for his work.

Mein Interview heute in The Pioneer podcast @ThePioneerDe in Deutschland mit ⁦@ChelseaSpieker⁩ über Brexit, dem neuen 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 Vertrag und bilateraler Beziehungen. thepioneer.de/originals/thep…

While I was in Prague, it was great to see the Czech PM in London! Our @EPGroup6 with £7 billion is the largest Czech 🇨🇿 investor in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧, with investments ranging from the @RoyalMail to power plants in GB & NI. Royal Mail is the largest 🇨🇿 investment ever!

In Prague, my walk to work at the moment passes some major sights! And historic interests like the monument to Czech & Slovak airmen who fought in the RAF in WW2, unveiled by @NSoames in 2014. And my former university, 1987 & 1989, the filosofická fakulta of the @CharlesUniPRG

This is a really good reform - creating one single portal for online Government services and one standard brand. We did this in the U.K. more than a decade ago with gov.uk for example. Previously, all government departments did their own branding.

It’s great to see @RoyalMailStamps⁩ getting back to what it does best with these stamps commemorating the 350th anniversary of the home of modern British astronomy and honouring the role of John Harrison in solving the problem of measuring longitude. shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-…

Having spent a few years on the EU Trade Council (FAC), the U.K. was always the most decisive voice then for transatlantic trade within the EU. I expect our presence is sorely missed in the current debate within the EU, on whether to negotiate with or retaliate against the US.

Soon after arriving in Prague, I bump into @KarelHavlicek_ who was my Czech opposite number as both Trade and Energy Ministers in 2020 and 2021. Now potentially moving to even bigger things after this Autumn’s 🇨🇿 general election.

It’s ridiculous to say the OBR (or any other economic forecaster) is “always wrong”. It’s a forecast, not a prediction. Like saying the weather forecast is “always wrong. It was 27C, not 26C as the Met Office said.” A forecast is a best estimate, it’s unlikely to be spot on.

These are fine words, BUT: ❌ The EU hasn’t seen a significant new trade deal since when I sat on EU Trade FAC in 2017-19. Except for the ones with the U.K.! ❌ The Mercosur deal is still tied up. ✅ EU should join UK and 11 others in the #CPTPP free trade zone.

This is only part true. CETA is a very good agreement - I took it through the U.K. Parliament in 2017 - but the main reason Irish pharmaceutical exports are taking off is that US pharma companies increasingly base their manufacturing in Ireland. Which has been noticed in DC.

What a privilege to be invited to the 80th birthday party of German & CDU economist Johannes Ludewig. With Angela Merkel, and many German Ministers past and present. In the words of one, Kohl was “the father of German unification, but Johannes Ludewig was its site manager.”

Here for our Fulham Town ward by-election at Fulham Town Hall. Polls open until 10pm!

Concerning that language learning is less widespread in schools in less affluent areas. Language learning should be an opportunity for everyone, not a privilege. German in particular is an extremely practical & sought-after skill – the highest in-demand among UK employers.

All done at the Apple Store. Greta service. I’ve been using an iPhone since its invention. Whenever in an Apple store, to try to get better service, I always tell them this, “since the iPhone 1” and add (which only amuses me!) “but of course it wasn’t called that then.”

Inspired by my earlier pep talk on @LinkedIn about working in McDonalds, I’m here for lunch. After 2 days with a mystery virus, you know you’ve recovered when you can eat 🍔 1/4lb with cheese 🍗 6 nuggets 🍟 Large 🥧 Hot apple pie And an orange juice for one of the 5-a-day!