Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

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11th November 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Remembrance Day 2014

I’ve blogged before about Remembrance Day: the day when we in the UK remember those who have died defending our country and our values.  Every year at this time we honour and remember them and their sacrifice. But this year our commemoration has been particularly poignant since 2014 is the centenary of the start of […]

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7th November 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

"BUREUCRATIA" in Budapest – the Labyrinth of EU Regulation

Guest Blog by Katalin Szilágyi, Senior Economic Policy Officer at the British Embassy.   Budapest, 10 November 2014   One year has passed since the Prime Minister’s Business Taskforce presented its findings on Cutting EU Red Tape. Since then, the UK Government has been working hard, with partners in European capitals and in Brussels, to […]

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29th October 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

With love, Jane: a documentary about Jane Haining (Scottish Holocaust martyr)

Guest blog by Lídia Bánóczi, producer of IKON Stúdió Egyesület. The film, recently finished with the support of the British Embassy in Budapest, pays tribute to Jane Haining (1897 Dunscore, Scotland  – 1944 Auschwitz), the martyr matron of the Girls’ Home of the Scottish Mission in Budapest. The documentary was filmed in Budapest and Scotland, […]

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27th October 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Canalettos and Brueghels, EU climate and energy policy and fantastic people  

Guest blog by Kriszti Kocsis, Senior Policy Officer (Energy, Climate and Environment) at the British Embassy.  I spent two days in the beautiful Prague Castle on 22-23 October. As part of the GREAT Energy Summit in Prague, among Brueghel and Canaletto paintings in the lovely Lobkowitz Palace, energy industry leaders from the UK and Central Europe met […]

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10th October 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

British Bobbies on the beat at Sziget Festival

Guest blog by Police Sergeant Natalie RANAHAN and Police Constable Steve WARDLE, British Bobbies visiting the Sziget Festival, organised by the Hungarian Police and the British Embassy. As police officers, both of us have a number of years experience within the Operations Department and in particular Support Group. This involves a variety of duties including the policing […]

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24th September 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

GB United – Ferencváros Back Office Team Friendly Football Match

Guest blog by Gábor Imeli, Trade Adviser UK Trade & Investment at the British Embassy in Budapest.   The signs were not good. On a dark and rainy Saturday the players of the Embassy’s amateur football team, GB United, were about to face the toughest opponents they’ve met so far, the back office team of […]

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18th September 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Going South

Every 2 or 3 months I try to visit one of Hungary’s regions.  It’s important to get out of Budapest, get to know the whole country and make and keep good contacts in the other big cities.  This week I went South and visited Pécs with the head of the British Business Centre, Oliver Strommer. […]

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18th August 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Adventures on Sziget – Day 3 (and 4 and 5)

Guest blog by Ben Luckock, Head of Policy Team at the British Embassy in Budapest.   Having read Theresa’s account of her two days at Sziget (Day1 and Day2), it was with great enthusiasm that I headed down to the Island of Freedom on Friday afternoon. Much of the mud had dried up and the […]

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15th August 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Adventures on Sziget – Day 2

Guest blog by Theresa Bubbear, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Budapest. On Thursday the team and I headed back to Sziget for day 2 of our Embassy engagement. Budapest thoughtfully provided some British festival weather for us – it poured almost all day, and the mud came up as the rain came […]

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14th August 2014 Budapest, Hungary

by Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Sziget Adventures – Day 1

Guest blog by Theresa Bubbear, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Budapest.   In 2012 I blogged about my first experience of Sziget.  Yesterday I went back to see what was happening and what had changed. This year’s festival is bigger and better than ever, with 400,000 visitors expected and some top […]

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About Jonathan Knott

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take up his post. He left this post on April…

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to
Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take
up his post. He left this post on April 2015.
He has previously held a variety of diplomatic posts at home and
abroad, several with a particular focus on commercial and corporate
finance issues. Jonathan has served in a number of positions in the
British Diplomatic Service since joining in 1988:
Before his appointment was Deputy Head of Mission and Director for Trade and Investment in South Korea from 2008 to 2011.Between 2005 and 2008 he held the post of Deputy Finance Director in the FCO.From 2000 to 2005 he served as First Secretary (Trade, Corporate Affairs and Finance Negotiator) in UKDel OECD Paris.From 1996 to 2000 he was First Secretary (Head of Political/Economic/Aid Section) in Mexico.From 1995 to 1996 he worked in the FCO as Deputy European Correspondent at the EU Directorate.Between 1991 and 1995 he served as Third later Second Secretary (Political / Press and Public Affairs) in Havana.From 1990 to 1991 he was Desk Officer in the FCO’s First Gulf War Emergency Unit.Between 1988 and 1990 he worked as Desk Officer in the FCO in the Anti Drugs Cooperation Department.
Jonathan holds an MA in law from Oxford University, and he is a
member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He speaks
English, French, Spanish and Hungarian. He is married to Angela Susan
Knott and has one daughter and two sons.

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