Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is heading to Syria to encourage the transition in the country following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by Islamist insurgents.

From left, Günter Sautter, German Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy talk to each other

Breaking open the closed shop is intended to be disruptive. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, wants to increase the clout of the FCDO within Whitehall after years of marginalisation.

Downing Street confirmed Keir Starmer will be following the spectacle in Washington from No10, arguing that there is a convention that premiers do not attend.

Sir Keir Starmer will hold talks with Donald Trump in Washington within weeks as the “special relationship” faces strains under the incoming president.

A British teenager jailed in a ‘hellish’ prison in Dubai for having sex with a 17-year-old girl wasn’t allowed to speak to his family on his birthday. Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham, was 18 when he turned himself over to UAE authorities to start a one-year-sentence behind bars on December 30.

Boris Johnson was in church as the pomp of the handover swung into full gear, with the new president being sworn in this evening.

Labour have been doing their best to downplay reports about the difficulties that like ahead of Sir Keir Starmer - but it's clearly going to be an uphill battle for the PM to forge a productive relationship with the incoming US president.

Guests include Chinese vice president, leaders of Italy, Argentina, Ecuador and heads of European far-right parties

David Lammy used to be an arch-critic of Donald Trump. Can he deal with the new Administration and reset the U.K.’s relationship with the E.U. at the same time?

The Foreign Secretary made the remarks as he updated MPs about the new 100-year partnership deal between the UK and Ukraine.

Sir Keir Starmer has congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration and said that the so-called special relationship “will continue to flourish for years to come”. The president-elect will be sworn in to his second term in the White House on Monday,