Editing William Hague (section)

==Public life==
===Early political career===
Hague contested [[Wentworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Wentworth]] unsuccessfully in [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987]], before being elected to Parliament at a [[1989 Richmond (Yorks) by-election|by-election in 1989]] as Member for the safe Conservative seat<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stoddard|first=Katy|date=7 April 2010|title=General Election 2010: Safe and marginal seats|url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/apr/07/election-safe-seats-electoral-reform|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=7 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007181355/http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/apr/07/election-safe-seats-electoral-reform|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Majority Sorted Seats|url=https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/orderedseats.html|access-date=31 October 2021|website=electoralcalculus.co.uk|archive-date=9 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409214546/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/orderedseats.html|url-status=live}}</ref> of [[Richmond, North Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Richmond, North Yorkshire]], where he succeeded former [[Home Secretary]] [[Leon Brittan]]. Following his election he became the then-youngest Conservative MP and despite having only recently become an MP, Hague was invited to join the Government in 1990, serving as [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]], [[Norman Lamont]].<ref name="profile">{{cite web|url=http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=people.person.page&personID=4680|title=Rt Hon William Hague MP&nbsp;– profile|access-date=1 July 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080506100701/http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=people.person.page&personID=4680 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 6 May 2008}}</ref> After Lamont was sacked in 1993, Hague moved to the [[Department of Social Security]] (DSS) where he was [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]]. The following year he was promoted as [[Minister of State]] in the DSS with responsibility for Social Security and Disabled People.<ref name="profile"/> His fast rise up through Government ranks was attributed to his intelligence and debating skills.<ref name="BBC profile">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2163208.stm|title=William Hague|work=BBC News|date=16 October 2002|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-date=11 October 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031011162120/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2163208.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hague was appointed a Cabinet Minister in 1995 as [[Secretary of State for Wales]];<ref name="profile"/> succeeding [[John Redwood]], who had been castigated for being seen on TV apparently miming the [[Welsh national anthem]] at a conference; thus, Hague sought a [[Welsh Office]] civil servant, [[Ffion Jenkins]], to teach him the [[Welsh language|words]]; they later married.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1308157.stm|title='Spin doctor' grooms Ffion's election look|work=BBC News|date=2 May 2001|access-date=1 July 2008|archive-date=8 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108113124/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/1308157.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> He continued serving in Cabinet until the Conservatives were defeated after 18 years in government, by [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]].

===Leadership of the Conservative Party===
{{see also|Shadow Cabinet of William Hague}}
{{see also|1997 Conservative Party leadership election}}
[[File:William Hague MP (3156637603) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Hague in 2008]]
Following the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]] defeat, Hague was [[1997 Conservative Party leadership election|elected Leader]] of the Conservative Party in succession to John Major, defeating more experienced figures such as [[Kenneth Clarke]] and [[Michael Howard]]. At the age of 36, Hague was tasked with rebuilding the Conservative Party (fresh from their worst general election result of the 20th century)<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/673348.stm | work=BBC News | title=John Major: A life in politics | date=28 September 2002 | access-date=1 July 2011 | archive-date=4 April 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404085402/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/673348.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> by attempting to build a more modern image. £250,000 was spent on the "Listening to Britain" campaign to try to put the Conservatives back in touch with the public after losing power; he welcomed ideas about "[[compassionate conservatism]]" including from the then-[[Governor of Texas]], later President [[George W. Bush]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/317507.stm |title=The all new William Hague |work=BBC News |date=13 April 1999 |access-date=1 July 2008 |archive-date=2 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302161828/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/317507.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Hague led the Conservatives to a successful result at the [[1999 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|European parliamentary elections]] in June 1999, where the Conservatives gained 18 [[MEPs]] compared to [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]'s loss of 33 MEPs.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/euros_99/news/368508.stm | work=BBC News | title=Tories celebrate Euro poll success | date=14 June 1999 | access-date=22 April 2011 | archive-date=13 July 2004 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040713060629/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/euros_99/news/368508.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>

Hague's authority was challenged by the appointment of [[Michael Portillo]] as [[Shadow Chancellor]] in 2000. Portillo had been widely tipped to be the next Conservative Party Leader before [[Portillo moment|dramatically losing his seat]] at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]; he was elected as MP for Kensington and Chelsea at a [[1999 Kensington and Chelsea by-election|by-election]] two years later.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1383605.stm | work=BBC News | title=Portillo, the Thatcherite who turned | date=13 June 2001 | access-date=22 April 2011 | archive-date=22 January 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122011636/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1383605.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> Soon after Portillo's return to Parliament, Conservative policy on two of Labour's flagship policies was reversed: the [[minimum wage]] and independence of the [[Bank of England]]. From then and until the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]] Hague's supporters waged an increasingly bitter battle with Portillo's faction; such internecine infighting significantly contributed to the Conservatives' two subsequent election defeats.

Hague was widely ridiculed for claiming he used to drink "14&nbsp;pints of beer a day" as a teenager.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/871543.stm |work=BBC News |title=Hague: I drank 14&nbsp;pints a day |date=8 August 2000 |access-date=27 March 2010 |archive-date=2 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902220346/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/871543.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Telegraph_1351951">{{Cite news | title = Hague's 14 pints a day boast falls flat in his home town | last = Sparrow | first = Andrew | work = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | date = 9 August 2000 | access-date = 26 March 2015 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1351951/Hagues-14-pints-a-day-boast-falls-flat-in-his-home-town.html | archive-date = 17 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201217105554/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1351951/Hagues-14-pints-a-day-boast-falls-flat-in-his-home-town.html | url-status = live }}</ref> His reputation suffered further damage when a 2001 poll for ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' found that 66% of voters considered him to be "a bit of a [[wikt:wally|wally]]", and 70% of voters believed he would "say almost anything to win votes".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/talking_politics/1162569.stm |title=Poll monitor: Labour looks hard to beat |work=BBC News |date=9 February 2001 |access-date=29 September 2007 |archive-date=12 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312082816/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/talking_politics/1162569.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===="Foreign Land" speech====
At a [[Party conference season|Party Conference]] speech in March 2001, Hague said:

{{blockquote|We have a Government that has contempt for the views of the people it governs.

There is nothing that the British people can talk about that this Labour Government doesn't deride.

Talk about Europe and they call you extreme. Talk about tax and they call you greedy. Talk about crime and they call you reactionary. Talk about immigration and they call you racist; talk about your nation and they call you Little Englanders.... This Government thinks Britain would be all right if we had a different people. I think Britain would be all right, if only we had a different government.

A Conservative government that speaks with the voice of the British people.

A Conservative government never embarrassed or ashamed of the British people.

A Conservative government that trusts the people [....] This country must always offer sanctuary to those fleeing from injustice. Conservative Governments always have, and always will. But it's precisely those genuine refugees who are finding themselves elbowed aside.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/mar/04/conservatives.speeches |title=Hague's 'foreign land' speech |work=The Guardian |date=4 March 2001 |access-date=13 July 2008 |location=London |archive-date=16 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216151850/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/mar/04/conservatives.speeches |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Former Conservative Deputy Prime Minister [[Michael Heseltine]], a prominent [[One-nation conservatism|One-nation Conservative]], was critical of Hague's [[Euroscepticism|Eurosceptic view]] that Britain was becoming a "foreign land", betraying in newspaper interviews that he was uncertain as to whether he could support a Hague-led Conservative Party.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1201755.stm |work=BBC News |title=Hague plays 'patriot' card |date=4 March 2001 |access-date=27 March 2010 |archive-date=20 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220102500/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1201755.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Skill in debate====
Hague's critics assiduously monitored his performance at [[Prime Minister's Questions]] each Wednesday in Parliament, having difficulty to find fault.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1908959.ece | title=Back in the Tory fold, while they're a winning team | work=[[The Times]] | location=London | date=10 June 2007 | access-date=27 March 2010 | first=Martin | last=Ivens | archive-date=29 April 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429085429/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1908959.ece | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/jun/24/politics.houseofcommons | work=The Guardian | title=Wit, oratory&nbsp;– and evasion. A master debater at work | location=London | first=Alastair | last=Campbell | date=24 June 2007 | access-date=27 March 2010 | archive-date=31 August 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831115413/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/jun/24/politics.houseofcommons | url-status=live }}</ref> During one particular exchange, while responding to the [[Queen's Speech]] of 2000, Hague attacked [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]]'s record:

{{blockquote|In more than 20 years in politics, he has betrayed every cause he believed in, contradicted every statement he has made, broken every promise he has given and breached every agreement that he has entered into.... There is a lifetime of U-turns, errors and sell-outs. All those Honourable Members who sit behind the Prime Minister and wonder whether they stand for anything any longer, or whether they defend any point of principle, know who has led them to that sorry state.<ref name=Queen>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200001/cmhansrd/vo001206/debtext/01206-06.htm#01206-06_spnew3 |title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 6&nbsp;Dec 2000 (pt 6) |work=Hansard |access-date=13 July 2008 |archive-date=27 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627115305/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200001/cmhansrd/vo001206/debtext/01206-06.htm#01206-06_spnew3 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Blair responded by criticising what he saw as Hague's "[[bandwagon effect|bandwagon politics]]":

{{blockquote|... he started the [[fuel protest]] bandwagon, then the floods bandwagon; on defence it became armour-plated, then on [[NATS Holdings|air traffic control]] it became airborne.... Yes, the Right Honourable gentleman made a very witty, funny speech, but it summed up his leadership: good jokes, lousy judgment. I am afraid that in the end, if the Right Honourable gentleman really aspires to stand at this [[despatch box]], he will have to get his policies sorted out and his party sorted out, and offer a vision for the country's future, not a vision that would take us backwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200001/cmhansrd/vo001206/debtext/01206-08.htm#01206-08_spmin2|title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 6&nbsp;Dec 2000 (pt 8)|work=Hansard|access-date=18 September 2017|archive-date=18 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018062230/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200001/cmhansrd/vo001206/debtext/01206-08.htm#01206-08_spmin2|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

====Resignation====
On the morning of Labour's second consecutive landslide victory at the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]], Hague stated: "we have not been able to persuade a majority, or anything approaching a majority, that we are yet the alternative government that they need."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/question_time/7375909.stm |title=This week's panel |publisher=BBC |access-date=13 July 2008 |date=30 April 2008 |archive-date=6 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506020012/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/question_time/7375909.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> At that election the Conservative Party gained just one parliamentary seat more than at the 1997 general election; following this defeat, Hague resigned as party leader.  Hague thus became the second twentieth century Conservative party leader not to become Prime Minister (after [[Austen Chamberlain]]) and the first ever to spend his entire tenure in Opposition.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/jun/08/election2001.comment7|title = Austen Chamberlain - history's first Hague|website = [[The Guardian]]|date = 8 June 2001|access-date = 22 May 2021|archive-date = 22 May 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210522084305/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/jun/08/election2001.comment7|url-status = live}}</ref>

===Backbenches===
On the [[backbench]]es he occasionally spoke in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] on issues of the day. Between 1997 and 2002, he was the Chairman of the [[International Democrat Union]]. Hague's profile and personal popularity rose thereafter among both Conservative Party members and the wider public following his spell as Party Leader. He has written a biography of 18th-century Prime Minister [[Pitt the Younger]] (published in 2004), taught himself how to play the piano, and hosted the 25th anniversary programme for [[BBC Radio 4|Radio&nbsp;4]] on the political television satire ''[[Yes Minister]]'' in 2005. In June 2007 he published his second book, a biography of the anti-slave trade campaigner [[William Wilberforce]], shortlisted for the 2008 [[Orwell Prize]] for political writing.<ref>[http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/the-award/short-books.aspx "Shortlist 2008"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314133305/http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/the-award/short-books.aspx |date=14 March 2008 }}, The Orwell Prize</ref>

Hague's annual income was the highest in Parliament, with earnings of about £400,000 a year from directorships, consultancy, speeches and his parliamentary salary. His income was previously estimated at £1&nbsp;million annually, but he dropped several commitments and in effect took a salary cut of some £600,000 on becoming [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite news | title=Hague pays dearly for his promotion to the Shadow Cabinet | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17129-2446698,00.html | publisher=The Times (London) | date=10 November 2006 | access-date=8 December 2006 | location=London | first1=Anthony | last1=Browne | first2=Sam | last2=Coates | archive-date=8 November 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108113058/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=House of Commons |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/080205/memi12.htm |title=Full list of his registered interests |publisher=Parliament of the United Kingdom |access-date=17 April 2010 |archive-date=24 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424182628/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/080205/memi12.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Together with former Prime Minister [[John Major]], former Chancellor [[Kenneth Clarke]], and Hague's successor [[Iain Duncan Smith]], Hague served for a time on the Conservative Leadership Council, which was set up by [[Michael Howard]] upon his [[2003 Conservative Party leadership election|election unopposed]] as Leader of the Conservative Party in 2003.

At the [[2005 Conservative leadership election]] he supported the eventual winner [[David Cameron]].
He is a member of [[Conservative Friends of Israel]], a group which he joined when he was 15.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/national/?content_id=13722| title=William Hague's Schmooze with the Jewish News| date=25 March 2010| publisher=Totally Jewish| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406054043/http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/national/?content_id=13722| archive-date=6 April 2010| df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Return to the Shadow Cabinet===
Following the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]], the Conservative Party Leader [[Michael Howard]] apparently offered Hague the post of [[Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer]], which he turned down citing that his business commitments would make it difficult for him to take on such a high-profile job.<ref>{{cite news | title = Hague rejects post of Shadow Chancellor | work = The Guardian | date = 12 May 2005 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/may/12/conservatives.whitehal | access-date =4 May 2008 | location=London | first=Nicholas | last=Watt}}</ref>

On 6 December 2005, [[David Cameron]] was elected Leader of the Conservative Party. Hague was offered and accepted the role of [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]] and Senior Member of the [[Shadow cabinet]], effectively serving as Cameron's deputy (though not formally, unlike previous Deputy Conservative Leaders [[Willie Whitelaw]], [[Peter Lilley]] and [[Michael Ancram]]). He had been widely tipped to return to the [[frontbench]] under either Cameron or leadership contest runner-up [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]].

On 30 January 2006, by Cameron's instructions, Hague travelled to [[Brussels]] for talks to pull Conservative Party [[MEPs]] out of the [[European People's Party–European Democrats]] Group (EPP-ED) in the [[European Parliament]]. (''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', 30 January 2006). Further, on 15 February 2006, Hague deputed, during David Cameron's [[paternity leave]], at [[Prime Minister's Questions]] (PMQs). This appearance gave rise to jokes at the expense of Blair, that all three parties that day were being led by 'stand-ins', with the Liberal Democrats represented by Acting Leader [[Sir Menzies Campbell]], the Labour Party by the departing Blair, and the Conservatives by Hague. Hague again deputised for Cameron for several [[Legislative session|sessions]] in 2006.

===Foreign Secretary===
[[File:Hague Clinton May 14 2010 Crop.jpeg|thumb|right|Hague met [[United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] [[Hillary Clinton]] after his appointment as Foreign Secretary.]]
[[File:Foreign Secretary with Martti Ahtisaari and Mary Robinson (4702823340).jpg|thumb|right|Hague stands with members of [[The Elders (organization)|The Elders]] organisation: [[Martti Ahtisaari]], former [[President of Finland]] and [[Nobel Peace Laureate]], and [[Mary Robinson]], former [[President of Ireland]] and former [[UN High Commissioner for Human Rights]] in [[London]], 2010.]]
[[File:Secretary Kerry Shakes Hands with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague.jpg|thumb|right|Hague met Clinton's successor, Secretary of State [[John Kerry]], in 2013.]]
Prime Minister Cameron's first appointment was Hague as [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Foreign Secretary]]. He was also accorded the [[Title of honor|honorary title]] of [[First Secretary of State]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Her Majesty's Government|url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/topstorynews/2010/05/her-majestys-government-49840|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515034600/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/topstorynews/2010/05/her-majestys-government-49840|archive-date=15 May 2010|access-date=22 May 2010|publisher=10 Downing Street}}</ref> In his first overseas visit as British Foreign Secretary, Hague met US Secretary of State, [[Hillary Clinton]], at [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]].<ref>{{cite news|date=14 May 2010|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8681865.stm|title=Hague discusses Afghan mission with Clinton in US|work=BBC News|access-date=15 May 2010|archive-date=8 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108113058/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8681865.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In August 2010, Hague set out a values-based [[foreign policy]], stating that: "We cannot have a foreign policy without a conscience. Foreign policy is domestic policy written large. The values we live by at home do not stop at our shores. Human rights are not the only issue that informs the making of foreign policy, but they are indivisible from it, not least because the consequences of foreign policy failure are human".<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/7972463/Human-rights-are-key-to-our-foreign-policy.html Human rights are key to our foreign policy] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127200000/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/7972463/Human-rights-are-key-to-our-foreign-policy.html |date=27 January 2011 }}. ''The Daily Telegraph''. (31 August 2010).</ref>

Hague further said that: "There will be no downgrading of human rights under this Government and no resiling from our commitments to aid and development". He continued by saying: "Indeed I intend to improve and strengthen our human rights work. It is not in our character as a nation to have a foreign policy without a conscience, and neither is it in our interests".<ref>{{Cite news|date=15 September 2010|title=Human rights to be at heart of diplomacy, insists Hague|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-11307722|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031160741/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-11307722|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in March 2011, Hague was criticised by [[Cardinal Keith O'Brien]] for increasing financial aid to [[Pakistan]] despite persecution of its [[Christianity in Pakistan|Christian minority]]: "To increase aid to the Pakistan Government when religious freedom is not upheld and those who speak up for religious freedom are gunned down is tantamount to an anti-Christian foreign policy".<ref name=christianpers>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/8382903/William-Hague-accused-of-anti-Christian-foreign-policy.html|title=William Hague accused of 'anti-Christian' foreign policy|last=Johnson|first=Simon|date=15 March 2011|work=The Telegraph|access-date=16 March 2011|location=London|archive-date=18 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318054917/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/8382903/William-Hague-accused-of-anti-Christian-foreign-policy.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2011, Hague told [[BBC Radio&nbsp;4]]'s ''[[File on 4]]'' investigation ''Cyber Spies'' into the legality of domestic cyber surveillance and the export of this technology from the UK to countries with questionable human rights records that the UK had a strong export licence system. The programme also obtained confirmation from the UK's [[Department for Business Innovation and Skills]] that cyber surveillance products that break, as opposed to create, encryption do not require export licences.<ref name=cybersurv>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14981672|title=UK firm denies 'cyber-spy' deal with Egypt|last=Grey|first=Stephen|date=20 September 2011|publisher=BBC|access-date=25 September 2011|location=London|archive-date=23 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923191529/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14981672|url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2012, he continued to stand in for [[David Cameron]] at PMQs when both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister [[Nick Clegg]] were out of the country.

In January 2013, Hague visited [[New Zealand]] in his capacity as Foreign Secretary, holding talks with [[Ministers in the New Zealand Government|New Zealand government ministers]], [[Murray McCully]] and [[David Shearer]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.3news.co.nz/UKs-Hague-to-meet-McCully-Shearer/tabid/1607/articleID/283041/Default.aspx|work=3 News NZ|title=UK's Hague to meet McCully, Shearer|date=15 January 2013|access-date=14 January 2013|archive-date=30 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130144424/http://www.3news.co.nz/UKs-Hague-to-meet-McCully-Shearer/tabid/1607/articleID/283041/Default.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2013, Hague established the [[International Leaders Programme]], designed to identify and develop partnerships among future global leaders.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/two-thai-officials-attend-fcos-international-leaders-programme-in-uk|title=Two Thai officials attend FCO's International Leaders Programme in UK|date=11 March 2015|website=GOV.UK|language=en|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=4 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904161910/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/two-thai-officials-attend-fcos-international-leaders-programme-in-uk|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Media reaction to FCO appointment ====
In early September 2010, newspapers including ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', ''[[The Independent]]'' and the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' released stories about allegations surrounding Hague's friendship with 25-year-old Christopher Myers,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gabbatt|first=Adam|date=1 September 2010|title=Christopher Myers: the man in the spotlight|url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/sep/01/christopher-myers-profile-william-hague|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=4 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104134207/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/sep/01/christopher-myers-profile-william-hague|url-status=live}}</ref> a history graduate from [[Durham University]], whom he employed as a parliamentary [[Special adviser (UK)|special adviser]]. A spokesperson stated that "Any suggestion that the Foreign Secretary's relationship with Chris Myers is anything other than a purely professional one is wholly inaccurate and unfounded."<ref>Martin Beckford [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/william-hague/7974122/William-Hague-denies-inappropriate-relationship-with-special-adviser.html "William Hague denies inappropriate relationship with Special Advisor"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904035747/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/william-hague/7974122/William-Hague-denies-inappropriate-relationship-with-special-adviser.html |date=4 September 2010 }}, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 1 September 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.</ref>
[[File:Foreign Secretary with Quartet Representative, Tony Blair (4754276987).jpg|left|thumb|Hague with Quartet Representative and former prime minister [[Tony Blair]] in 2010]]
On 1 September 2010, Myers resigned from his appointment in light of that press speculation,<ref>{{Cite news|date=1 September 2010|title=William Hague's adviser Christopher Myers resigns|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-11156963|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031160749/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-11156963|url-status=live}}</ref> which prompted Hague to issue a public statement, wherein he confirmed that he had "occasionally" shared a hotel room with Myers [for reasons of frugality by upbringing], but refuting the "utterly false" suggestions that he had ever been involved in a relationship with {{em|any}} man.<ref>{{Cite web|date=23 October 2011|title=Hague denies rumour he is gay &ndash; but special adviser steps down|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hague-denies-rumour-he-gay-ndash-special-adviser-steps-down-2068151.html|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031160744/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hague-denies-rumour-he-gay-ndash-special-adviser-steps-down-2068151.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A spokesperson for Prime Minister David Cameron reported that he gave his "full support" over the media rumours.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2 September 2010|title=William Hague 'has Cameron's full support' over rumours|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-11163229|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031160744/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-11163229|url-status=live}}</ref> Figures from both within and without the Conservative Party criticised Hague for his personal response to the stories, with former [[1997 Conservative Party  leadership election|Conservative leadership candidate]], [[John Redwood]], commenting that Hague had shown "poor judgement",<ref>{{Cite web|date=2 September 2010|title=John Redwood reignites old feud as he criticises William Hague's 'poor judgment' |first= Nicholas |last=Watt|url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/wintour-and-watt/2010/sep/02/william-hague-john-redwood|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=4 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104154954/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/wintour-and-watt/2010/sep/02/william-hague-john-redwood|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|the Speaker's wife]], Labour-supporting [[Sally Bercow]], speculating that Hague had been given "duff PR advice",<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/william-hague/7979217/Speakers-wife-criticises-William-Hague-for-revealing-wifes-miscarriages.html "Speaker's wife criticises William Hague for revealing wife's miscarriages"], ''The Daily Telegraph''. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203024042/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/william-hague/7979217/Speakers-wife-criticises-William-Hague-for-revealing-wifes-miscarriages.html |date=3 February 2011 }}.</ref> whilst a parliamentary and ministerial colleague, the Conservative MP, [[Alan Duncan]], described the media coverage as "contemptible".<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/william-hague/7981529/Coverage-of-William-Hagues-personal-life-is-contemptible-says-Alan-Duncan.html "Coverage of William Hague's personal life is "contemptible" says Alan Duncan".] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124024141/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/william-hague/7981529/Coverage-of-William-Hagues-personal-life-is-contemptible-says-Alan-Duncan.html |date=24 January 2011 }} ''The Daily Telegraph''. 4 September 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.</ref>

====Israel–Palestinian conflict====
Hague was criticised by Israeli leaders after meeting with [[Palestinians]] who demonstrated against [[Israeli West Bank barrier|Israel's barrier]] in the West Bank. He expressed solidarity with the idea of non-violence and listened to the accounts of left-wing and Palestinian activists. [[State of Israel|Israeli]] [[Leader of the Opposition (Israel)|Opposition Leader]] [[Tzipi Livni]] condemned the statements and said:

<blockquote>The security barrier has saved lives, and its construction was necessary. The barrier has separated Israel from Palestinian cities and completely changed the reality in Israel, where citizens were exposed to terror every day.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hague: I support activism against the security barrier|url=https://www.jpost.com/international/hague-i-support-activism-against-the-security-barrier|first= Tovah |last=Lazaroff|access-date=2021-10-31|website=The Jerusalem Post &#124; JPost.com|date=3 November 2010 |language=en-US|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031160742/https://www.jpost.com/international/hague-i-support-activism-against-the-security-barrier|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

====2011 Middle East protests====
[[File:His Royal Highness Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz (7044872289).jpg|thumb|Hague meeting Saudi Defence Minister [[Salman of Saudi Arabia]] in London, 4 April 2012]]
In February 2011 security forces in the [[Bahrain]] dispersed thousands of anti-government [[2011 Bahraini uprising|protesters]] at [[Pearl Square]] in the centre of the capital, [[Manama]]. Hague informed the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] that he had stressed the need for peaceful action in dealing with the protesters: "At least three people died in the operation, with hundreds more injured. We are greatly concerned about the deaths that have occurred. I have this morning spoken to the [[Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa|Foreign Minister of Bahrain]] and [[List of ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Bahrain|HM Ambassador]] spoke last night to the Bahraini Minister of the Interior. In both cases we stressed the need for peaceful action to address the concerns of protesters, the importance of respect for the right to peaceful protest and for freedom of expression".<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 February 2011|title=Bahrain violence: UK voices concern|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12495113|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031160747/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12495113|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hague told ''[[Sky News]]'' that the use of force by the Libyan authorities during the [[2011 Libyan Civil War]] was "dreadful and horrifying" and called on the leader to respect people's human rights. A vicious crackdown led by special forces, foreign mercenaries and [[Muammar Gaddafi]] loyalists was launched in the country's second city [[Benghazi]], which has been the focus of anti-regime protests. Hague stated to [[Dermot Murnaghan]] on ''Sky'': "I think we have to increase the international pressure and condemnation. The United Kingdom condemns what the Libyan Government has been doing and how they have responded to these protests, and we look to other countries to do the same".<ref>[http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libyan-Violence-Against-Protesters-Foreign-Secretary-William-Hague-Slams-Authorities-Use-Of-Force/Article/201102315937304?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header_1&lid=ARTICLE_15937304_Libyan_Violence_Against_Protesters%3A_Foreign_Secretary_William_Hague_Slams_Authorities_Use_Of_Force "Hague Condemns 'Horrifying' Libyan Violence".] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427122911/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libyan-Violence-Against-Protesters-Foreign-Secretary-William-Hague-Slams-Authorities-Use-Of-Force/Article/201102315937304?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header_1&lid=ARTICLE_15937304_Libyan_Violence_Against_Protesters%3A_Foreign_Secretary_William_Hague_Slams_Authorities_Use_Of_Force |date=27 April 2011 }} BSkyB.</ref>

[[File:Tunisian Foreign Minister (7023649639).jpg|thumb|left|Foreign Secretary William Hague meeting [[Tunisia]]n [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Tunisia)|Foreign Affairs Minister]] [[Rafik Abdessalem]], 2012.]]
Following delays in extracting British citizens from Libya, a disastrous helicopter attempt to contact the protesters ending with eight [[British diplomat]]s/[[Special Air Service|SAS]] arrested and no [[aircraft carriers]] or [[Harrier jump jet|Harriers]] to enforce a [[no-fly zone]] he was accused, by the Labour Opposition, of "losing his [[:wikt:mojo|mojo]]" in March 2011.<ref>{{Cite news|date=13 March 2011|title=Foreign Secretary William Hague rejects quit claims|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12725025|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031160741/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12725025|url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2011, Hague said in a speech to business leaders that the examples being set in North Africa and the Middle East will ultimately transform the relationship between governments and their populations in the region. However following the row over whether Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was being targeted by coalition forces, the Foreign Secretary stated that the Libyan people must be free to determine their own future. Hague said: "It is not for us to choose the government of Libya—that is for the Libyan people themselves. But they have a far greater chance of making that choice now than they did on Saturday, when the opposition forces were on the verge of defeat."<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8398838/William-Hague-It-is-not-for-us-to-choose-the-Libyan-government.html William Hague: 'It is not for us to choose the Libyan government'] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920122916/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8398838/William-Hague-It-is-not-for-us-to-choose-the-Libyan-government.html |date=20 September 2016 }}. ''The Daily Telegraph''. (22 March 2011).</ref>

Hague has warned that autocratic leaders including [[Robert Mugabe]], [[President of Zimbabwe]], could be shaken and even toppled by a wave of popular uprisings rippling out from North Africa. He said that recent revolts against authoritarian leaders in countries including Libya and Egypt will have a greater historic significance than the [[9/11 attacks]] on the US or the recent financial crisis. He stopped short of threatening military intervention against other dictators, but warned that they will inevitably face "judgement" for oppressing their people and suppressing democracy. Repressive African regimes will also face challenges from their populations and from the international community, Hague said: "Demands for freedom will spread, and that undemocratic governments elsewhere should take heed." He added: "Governments that use violence to stop democratic development will not earn themselves respite forever. They will pay an increasingly high price for actions which they can no longer hide from the world with ease, and will find themselves on the wrong side of history."<ref>{{Cite news|title=William Hague: 'Arab spring' could topple Robert Mugabe|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8398938/William-Hague-Arab-spring-could-topple-Robert-Mugabe.html|access-date=31 October 2021|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=James|last=Kirkup|date=22 March 2011 |archive-date=7 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807130158/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8398938/William-Hague-Arab-spring-could-topple-Robert-Mugabe.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:NATO Secretary General (5570935879).jpg|thumb|Hague and [[David Cameron]] speaking to [[NATO]] Secretary General [[Anders Fogh Rasmussen]] at the [[London Conference on Libya]], 29 March 2011]]

Hague, on his way to Qatar Summit in April 2011, called for intensified sanctions on the Libyan regime and for a clear statement that Gaddafi must go: "we have sent more ground strike aircraft in order to protect civilians. We do look to other countries to do the same, if necessary, over time". "We would like a continued increase in our (NATO's) capability to protect civilians in Libya", he added. Whether [[NATO]] ratcheted up operations depended on what happened on the ground, Hague said. "These air strikes are a response to movements of, or attacks from, regime forces so what happens will be dependent on that", he said. Whether the Americans could again be asked to step up their role would also "depend on the circumstances", he added.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Libya: William Hague calls on more powerful strike force|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8447618/Libya-William-Hague-calls-on-more-powerful-strike-force.html|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Daily Telegraph|date=12 April 2011 |archive-date=31 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831184714/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8447618/Libya-William-Hague-calls-on-more-powerful-strike-force.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hague, speaking on the [[Syrian civil war|protests in Syria]], said: "Political reforms should be brought forward and implemented without delay." It is thought as many as 60 people were killed by security forces in the country on 22 April 2011, making it the worst day for deaths since protests against President [[Bashar al-Assad]] began over a month prior, reported BBC News.<ref>[http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Latest-News/William-Hague-extremely-concerned-at-Syria-violence-800510404.html William Hague 'extremely concerned at Syria violence'] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813042834/http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Latest-News/William-Hague-extremely-concerned-at-Syria-violence-800510404.html |date=13 August 2013 }}. Uknetguide.co.uk (22 April 2011).</ref>

====Syria====
{{Over-quotation|section|date=May 2024}}
Speaking on the [[Syrian civil war]], in August 2011, Hague said of military intervention: "It's not a remote possibility. Even if we were in favour [of UN-backed military action], which we are not because there's no call from the Arab League for intervention as in the case of Libya, there is no prospect of a legal, morally sanctioned military intervention. Hague added that it was a "frustrating situation" and that the "levers" at the international community's disposal were severely limited but said countries had to concentrate on other ways of influencing the Assad government. "We want to see stronger international pressure all round. Of course, to be effective that just can't be pressure from Western nations, that includes from Arab nations... and it includes from Turkey who has been very active in trying to persuade President Assad to reform instead of embarking on these appalling actions", he said. "I would also like to see a [[United Nations Security Council resolution]] to condemn this violence, to call for the release of political prisoners, to call for legitimate grievances to be responded to", he added.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Syria: William Hague says no possiblity &#91;sic&#93; of military intervention|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8674396/Syria-William-Hague-says-no-possiblity-of-military-intervention.html|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Daily Telegraph|date=August 2011 |archive-date=19 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019011813/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8674396/Syria-William-Hague-says-no-possiblity-of-military-intervention.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

During 2012, the UK started training Syrian opposition activists in [[Istanbul]] on media, civil society and local government matters, and supplying non-lethal equipment such as satellite communications and computers.<ref name=telegraph-20120826>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9500503/Britain-and-US-plan-a-Syrian-revolution-from-an-innocuous-office-block-in-Istanbul.html |title=Britain and US plan a Syrian revolution from an innocuous office block in Istanbul |last=McElroy |first=Damien |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=26 August 2012 |access-date=23 February 2018 |archive-date=24 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224053221/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9500503/Britain-and-US-plan-a-Syrian-revolution-from-an-innocuous-office-block-in-Istanbul.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=foreignpolicy-20121010>{{cite news |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/10/10/holding-civil-society-workshops-while-syria-burns/ |title=Holding Civil Society Workshops While Syria Burns |last=Vela |first=Justin |newspaper=Foreign Policy |date=10 October 2012 |access-date=23 February 2018 |archive-date=24 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224112840/http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/10/10/holding-civil-society-workshops-while-syria-burns/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 24 February 2012, Hague recognised the [[Syrian National Council]] as a "legitimate representative" of the country. Hague also said [[Bashar al-Assad]]'s government had "forfeited the right to lead" by "miring itself in the blood of innocent people". Hague said: "Today we must show that we will not abandon the Syrian people in their darkest hour". He added that "Those responsible for the murder of entire families, the shelling of homes, the execution of detainees, the cleansing of political opponents and the torture and rape of women and children must be held to account", he said.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17157497|publisher=BBC|title=UK boosts Syria opposition ties, William Hague reveals|date=24 February 2012|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=2 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202192337/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17157497|url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2012, Hague ordered the evacuation of all British diplomats from [[Syria]] and closed the UK embassy in Damascus because of mounting security threats. Hague told Parliament: "We have maintained an embassy in [[Damascus]] despite the violence to help us communicate with all parties in Syria and to provide insight into the situation on the ground". He added: "We now judge that the deterioration of the security situation in Damascus puts our embassy staff and premises at risk." Hague said that his decision "in no way reduces the UK's commitment to active diplomacy to maintain pressure on the Assad regime to end the violence". He went on to say that: "We will continue to work closely with other nations to co-ordinate diplomatic and economic pressure on the Syrian regime."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9117522/William-Hague-orders-evacuation-of-all-British-diplomats-from-Syria.html |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=David |last=Blair |title=William Hague orders evacuation of all British diplomats from Syria |date=2 March 2012 |access-date=2 April 2018 |archive-date=19 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019011833/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9117522/William-Hague-orders-evacuation-of-all-British-diplomats-from-Syria.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Foreign Secretary William Hague with Sheikh Ahmad al-Assi al-Jarba, President, Syrian National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces in London.jpg|thumb|Hague meeting [[Ahmad Jarba]], President of the [[National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces]], on 5 September 2013]]
On 1 April 2012, Hague met 74 other nations at a [[Friends of Syria Group]] conference in Istanbul, Turkey. Hague said the issue could return to the United Nations Security Council if current efforts to resolve the crisis fail. The government of President Assad has said it accepts a peace plan by the UN-Arab League envoy [[Kofi Annan]], but there has been little evidence that it is prepared to end its crackdown on the opposition. Hague accused Assad of "stalling for time" and warned that if the issue does return to the Security Council, he may no longer be able to rely on the backing of Russia and China, who blocked a previous resolution calling for him to stand down. "There isn't an unlimited period of time for this, for the Kofi Annan process to work before many of the nations here want us to go back to the UN Security Council—some of them will call for arming the opposition if there isn't progress made," Hague told the BBC. He added that "What is now being put to them is a plan from Kofi Annan supported by the whole United Nations Security Council, and this is an important point, it's supported by Russia and by China as well as by the more obvious countries—the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Arab League and so on".<ref>[https://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5je0GXux6yEJNwOin-3xbUi_9E7iw?docId=N0050531333278291923A Hague warning for Syrian president] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402210300/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5je0GXux6yEJNwOin-3xbUi_9E7iw?docId=N0050531333278291923A |date=2 April 2012 }}</ref>

On 20 November 2012, Hague recognised the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the "sole legitimate representative" of the Syrian people, and a credible alternative to the current Syrian Government.<ref name=bbc-20121120>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20406562 |title=Syria conflict: UK recognises opposition, says William Hague |publisher=BBC |date=20 November 2012 |access-date=1 January 2014 |archive-date=25 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125152254/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20406562 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 29 August 2013, the [[British Parliament]] refused to ratify the [[British Government]]'s plan to participate in military strikes against the Syrian Government in the wake of a [[Ghouta chemical attack|chemical-weapons attack at Ghouta]].<ref name=telegraph-20130829>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10275158/Syria-crisis-No-to-war-blow-to-Cameron.html |title=Syria crisis: No to war, blow to Cameron |author=Robert Winnett |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=29 August 2013 |access-date=1 January 2014 |archive-date=25 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225134952/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10275158/Syria-crisis-No-to-war-blow-to-Cameron.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Hague denied suggestions that he had threatened to resign over Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to go straight to a parliamentary vote.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 September 2013|title=William Hague denies he was set to quit over Syria vote|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/william-hague-denies-he-was-set-to-quit-over-syria-vote-8793661.html|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031160742/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/william-hague-denies-he-was-set-to-quit-over-syria-vote-8793661.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After the vote, Hague continued to urge other governments to take action against the Syrian Government, saying "If it is decided in the various parliaments of the world that no-one will stand up to the use of chemical weapons and take any action about that, that would be a very alarming moment in the affairs of the world".<ref name=telegraph-20130908>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10294637/Syria-Hague-says-lack-of-military-action-would-be-alarming.html |title=Syria: Hague says lack of military action would be 'alarming' |author=David Blair |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=8 September 2013 |access-date=1 January 2014 |archive-date=25 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225100235/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10294637/Syria-Hague-says-lack-of-military-action-would-be-alarming.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Ultimately a negotiated agreement was reached to [[Destruction of Syria's chemical weapons|eliminate Syria's chemical weapons]].

====Proposal of elected EU presidency====
[[File:Meeting with Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova (8489868406).jpg|thumb|Hague, [[Carl Bildt]] and [[Radosław Sikorski]] meeting [[Vlad Filat]], [[Prime Minister of Moldova]], February 2013]]
In June 2011, Hague dismissed [[Tony Blair]]'s vision for an elected-head of the [[European Union]] by insisting that member states have more pressing priorities than further "constitutional tinkering". Hague made clear his view after Blair argued that a directly elected President of Europe, representing almost 400m people from 27 countries, would give the EU clear leadership and enormous authority. In an interview with ''[[The Times]]'', Blair set out the agenda that he thought a directly elected [[EU President]] should pursue, although he conceded, there was "no chance" of such a post being created "at the present time". Asked about the former Prime Minister's call for further European integration and the creation of an elected-President, Hague suggested that Blair may have been thinking of the role for himself. "I can't think who he had in mind", Hague joked, further adding on a serious note: "Elected presidents are for countries. The EU is not a country and it's not going to become a country, in my view, now or ever in the future. It is a group of countries working together".<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 June 2011|title=William Hague dismisses Tony Blair's vision of European Union presidency|url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/jun/09/william-hague-dismisses-tony-blair-european-union-presidency|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=4 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104141748/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/jun/09/william-hague-dismisses-tony-blair-european-union-presidency|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Taliban talks====
In June 2011, Hague said that Britain helped initiate "distasteful" peace talks with the [[Taliban]] in Afghanistan. Hague made the comments while on a three-day tour of the country to meet President [[Hamid Karzai]] and visited [[British troops]]. He told ''The Sun'' newspaper that Britain had led the way in persuading US [[Presidency of Barack Obama|President Barack Obama's administration]] that negotiation was the best potential solution to the conflict. Hague admitted that any deal might mean accepting "distasteful things" and could anger military veterans and relatives of the 374 British troops killed in Afghanistan. However, he said he believed that Britain as a whole was "realistic and practical" enough to accept that ending fighting and starting talks was the best way to safeguard national security. He told the newspaper: "An eventual settlement of these issues is the ultimate and most desirable way of safeguarding that national security." He added, "but reconciliation with people who have been in a military conflict can be very distasteful. In all these types of situations, you do have to face up to some distasteful things." The previous night US President [[Barack Obama]] told Americans that "the tide of war is receding" as he announced plans to withdraw 33,000 US troops from Afghanistan by September 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|title=William Hague: Talks with Taliban 'distasteful'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/8593481/William-Hague-Talks-with-Taliban-distasteful.html|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Daily Telegraph|date=23 June 2011 |archive-date=23 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723094139/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/8593481/William-Hague-Talks-with-Taliban-distasteful.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Comments on the Euro====
In September 2011, Hague said that the [[Euro]] is "a burning building with no exits" for some of the countries which adopted the currency. Hague first used the expression when he was Conservative Leader in 1998—and said in an interview with ''The Spectator'' he had been proved right: "It was folly to create this system. It will be written about for centuries as a kind of historical monument to collective folly. But it's there and we have to deal with it," he said. "I described the Euro as a burning building with no exits and so it has proved for some of the countries in it," he further said, adding "I might take the analogy too far but the Euro wasn't built with exits so it is very difficult to leave it".<ref>{{Cite news|date=28 September 2011|title=William Hague: Euro is a burning building|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-15098567|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031160741/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-15098567|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Iran====
In February 2012, Hague warned in a BBC interview about [[Iran]]'s "increasing willingness to contemplate" terrorism around the world. He cited the [[2011 Iran assassination plot]], an attempt to assassinate [[Adel al-Jubeir]], the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, as well as alleged involvement in recent attacks in New Delhi, Georgia, and [[Bangkok]]. He said it showed "the danger Iran is currently presenting to the peace of the world".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-politics-17089081|work=BBC News|title=Hague warns on Iran 'terrorism'|date=19 February 2012|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=5 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205091454/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-politics-17089081|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hague spoke the Commons on 20 February about the [[nuclear program of Iran]] and said that if the Tehran regime managed to construct a viable weapon, its neighbours would be forced to build their own nuclear warheads too. He accused Iranian President [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] of pursuing "confrontational policies" and described the country's enrichment of uranium in defiance of [[United Nations Security Council]] resolutions as "a crisis coming steadily down the track". "Our policy is that whilst we remain unswervingly committed to diplomacy, it is important to emphasise to Iran that all options are on the table," Hague told MPs.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9698000/9698142.stm |work=BBC News |title=Iran debate part one |date=20 February 2012 |access-date=3 March 2012 |archive-date=3 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303135908/http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9698000/9698142.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March he condemned the way [[2012 Iranian legislative election|parliamentary elections]] were staged, claiming they were not "free and fair". He said the poll had been held against a backdrop of fear that meant the result would not reflect the will of the people. Hague said: "It has been clear for some time that these elections would not be free and fair. "The regime has presented the vote as a test of loyalty, rather than an opportunity for people freely to choose their own representatives. The climate of fear, created by the regime's crushing of opposition voices since 2009, persists."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/world-news/hague-condemns-elections-in-iran-3038319.html |work=Irish Independent |title=Hague condemns elections in Iran |date=2 March 2012 |access-date=3 March 2012 |archive-date=3 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303120307/http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/world-news/hague-condemns-elections-in-iran-3038319.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Falkland Islands====
The 30th anniversary of the beginning of the [[Falklands War|1982 Falklands War]] was on 2 April 2012. On 29 March, before the [[Lord Mayor of London]]'s banquet guests, namely the entire foreign diplomatic corps of more than 100 ambassadors, including [[Alicia Castro]] ([[Foreign relations of Argentina|Argentinian Ambassador]]), Hague said the UK was keen to deepen its relationship with Latin America—and reiterated Britain's commitment to the Falklands. He said: "We are reversing Britain's decline in Latin America, where we are opening a new Embassy in [[El Salvador]]. This determination to deepen our relations with Latin America is coupled with our steadfast commitment to the right of self-determination of the people of the [[Falkland Islands]]".

Tensions over the Falklands had risen in the weeks prior to the anniversary. In February, Hague said deployments of a British warship, [[HMS Dauntless (D33)|HMS ''Dauntless'']] and the [[William, Prince of Wales|Duke of Cambridge]] to the Falklands were "entirely routine". Hague said that Britain affirmed the Falklanders' [[self-determination]] and would seek to prevent [[Argentina]] from "raising the diplomatic temperature" over the issue. He further said: "(the events) are not so much celebrations as commemorations. I think Argentina will also be holding commemorations of those who died in the conflict. Since both countries will be doing that I don't think there is anything provocative about that."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/southamerica/argentina/9174278/William-Hague-tells-Argentina-we-will-steadfastly-defend-Falklands.html |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Christopher |last=Hope |title=William Hague tells Argentina 'we will steadfastly defend Falklands' |date=29 March 2012 |access-date=2 April 2018 |archive-date=12 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812163845/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/southamerica/argentina/9174278/William-Hague-tells-Argentina-we-will-steadfastly-defend-Falklands.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Turks and Caicos Islands====
Hague set out [[Her Majesty's Government]]'s plans, on 12 June 2012, for the [[2012 Turks and Caicos Islands general election|reintroduction of self-government]] in the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], where direct rule of the [[Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands|Governor]] had been in place since the islands had been subject to corruption and maladministration under the previous autonomous administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-announces-elections-in-the-turks-and-caicos-islands|title=Announcement: Foreign Secretary statement announces elections in the Turks and Caicos Islands|website=gov.uk|date=12 June 2012|access-date=3 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220035950/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-announces-elections-in-the-turks-and-caicos-islands|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Julian Assange and right of asylum====
In August 2012, Hague declared that [[Julian Assange]], the [[WikiLeaks|WikiLeaks organisation]] founder, would not be granted [[political asylum]] by the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |title=Julian Assange asylum: Britain will not give safe passage, says William Hague&nbsp;– video |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/video/2012/aug/17/julian-assange-asylum-william-hague-video |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=17 August 2012 |access-date=19 August 2012 |archive-date=31 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231203412/http://www.theguardian.com/media/video/2012/aug/17/julian-assange-asylum-william-hague-video |url-status=live }}</ref> Hague declared the UK's willingness to extradite Assange to the Swedish authorities who had requested his extradition; thus [[Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority|Swedish prosecutors]], unwilling to break [[diplomatic protocol]], have deferred from interrogating Assange at the [[Embassy of Ecuador, London|Embassy of Ecuador]], London.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 March 2015|title=Julian Assange to be questioned by Swedish prosecutors in London|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/13/julian-assange-wikileaks-swedish-prosecutors-london-interview|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=6 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906150407/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/13/julian-assange-wikileaks-swedish-prosecutors-london-interview|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hague confirmed the [[British Government]]'s position – that it is lawfully obliged to extradite Julian Assange. "We're disappointed by the statement by [[Ricardo Patiño|Ecuador's Foreign Minister]] today that [[Politics of Ecuador|Ecuador]] has offered political asylum to [[Julian Assange]]. Under our [[English law|Laws]], with Mr. Assange having exhausted all options of appeal, the British authorities are under a binding obligation to extradite him to [[Sweden]]. We must carry out that obligation and of course we fully intend to do so," Hague confirmed.

Following ''The Guardian'' newspaper outcry over a [[Foreign Office]] note sanctioned by Hague sent to the [[Diplomatic mission|Ecuadorian Embassy]]—in which it raised the possibility of the revocation of their diplomatic status under the [[Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987]]—the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the UK remained "committed to a diplomatic solution" and played down any suggestion of a police raid of the Ecuadorian Embassy, stating "there is no threat here to storm an embassy".<ref>{{cite news |title=Hague ignored lawyers to send Assange 'threat' note |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hague-ignored-lawyers-to-send-assange-threat-note-8060061.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=19 August 2012 |access-date=18 September 2017 |archive-date=18 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018062735/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hague-ignored-lawyers-to-send-assange-threat-note-8060061.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=William Hague says there is 'no threat' to storm Ecuadorian embassy |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9481405/William-Hague-says-there-is-no-threat-to-storm-Ecuadorian-embassy.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818025053/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9481405/William-Hague-says-there-is-no-threat-to-storm-Ecuadorian-embassy.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 August 2012 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=16 August 2012 |access-date=19 August 2012}}</ref>

The former ambassador to Uzbekistan, [[Craig Murray]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenberg|first=Andy|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/08/16/as-ecuadorean-grants-assange-asylum-former-uk-ambassador-says-embassy-raid-is-coming/|title=As Ecuador Grants Assange Asylum, Former UK Ambassador Says Embassy Raid Is Coming|work=Forbes|date=16 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414060734/http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/08/16/as-ecuadorean-grants-assange-asylum-former-uk-ambassador-says-embassy-raid-is-coming/|archive-date=14 April 2016}}</ref> warned that using the 1987 Act to raid the Ecuadorian Embassy would be in "breach of the Vienna Convention of 1961". [[Vladimir Putin|Russia]] warned Britain against violating fundamental diplomatic principles ([[Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations]], and in particular the [[Vienna Convention on Consular Relations|Article 22]] spelling out the inviolability of diplomatic premises),<ref>[http://www.france24.com/en/20120817-russia-issues-warning-britain-over-assange "Russia issues warning to Britain over Assange"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020203029/http://www.france24.com/en/20120817-russia-issues-warning-britain-over-assange |date=20 October 2012 }}</ref> which the [[Government of Ecuador]] invoked.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.mmrree.gob.ec/2012/com042.asp "Declaración del Gobierno de la República del Ecuador sobre la solicitud de asilo de Julian Assange"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817230534/http://www.mmrree.gob.ec/2012/com042.asp |date=20120816130553 }}</ref>

Hague is the subject of a portrait in [[oil painting|oil]] commissioned by [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]].<ref name="Murphy">{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/exclusive-mps-splash-out-250000-of-public-money-on-vanity-portraits-9056130.html|title=Exclusive: MPs splash out £250,000 of public money on vanity portraits|last=Murphy|first=Joe|date=13 January 2014|work=[[Evening Standard]]|access-date=13 January 2014|archive-date=8 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108113041/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/mps-spend-ps250-000-of-public-money-on-vanity-portraits-9056130.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Leader of the House of Commons and retirement===
Once Hague had formally declared his intention not to seek re-election as MP for Richmond at the forthcoming [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], he told [[David Cameron]] he would be standing down as Foreign Secretary. Cameron instigated a [[Cabinet reshuffle]] whereby Hague became [[Leader of the House of Commons]]. Hague remained as Cameron's "''de facto'' political deputy", retained his membership of the [[National Security Council (United Kingdom)|National Security Council]] and played a lead role in reaching out to voters in the [[North of England]] in the run up to the general election.<ref>{{cite news|title=William Hague quits as Foreign Secretary in Cabinet reshuffle|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28291281|access-date=15 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729184936/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28291281|archive-date=29 July 2016}}</ref>

In a surprise motion on his last day in the House of Commons, Hague moved to make the election for [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker]] in the next parliament a secret ballot, in what was seen as an effort to oust the incumbent [[John Bercow]] for lacking the neutrality expected of a Speaker of the House. [[Charles Walker (British politician)|Charles Walker]], [[Broxbourne (UK Parliament constituency)|Conservative MP for Broxbourne]], Chairman of the [[Procedure Committee]] and responsible for [[Parliamentary procedure|Speaker elections]], stated that he had written a report about such an idea "years ago" and despite speaking with Hague and [[Michael Gove]] earlier that week, neither had told him of any such move. A visibly emotional Walker told the House, "I have been played as a fool. When I go home tonight, I will look in the mirror and see an honourable fool looking back at me. I would much rather be an honourable fool, in this and any other matter, than a clever man." Walker received a standing ovation, mainly from the Labour benches, while the Government lost its parliamentary motion by 228 to 202 votes.<ref name=pat>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/26/tory-backbench-rebellion-defeats-hagues-attempt-to-unseat-speaker-john-bercow|title=Tory backbench rebellion defeats Hague's attempt to unseat Speaker|work=Guardian newspapers|author=Patrick Wintour|date=27 March 2015|access-date=27 March 2015|archive-date=19 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019072445/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/26/tory-backbench-rebellion-defeats-hagues-attempt-to-unseat-speaker-john-bercow|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ann>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/an-honourable-fool-brings-the-house-down-trmblmswnjd|title=An honourable fool brings the House down|work=Times newspapers|author=Ann Treneman|date=27 March 2015|access-date=27 March 2015|archive-date=27 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327075610/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/sketch/article4394293.ece|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2015-03-26/debates/15032630000002/ProcedureOfTheHouse|title=Procedure of the House|work=Hansard|date=26 March 2015|volume=594|access-date=1 August 2019|archive-date=1 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801002858/https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2015-03-26/debates/15032630000002/ProcedureOfTheHouse|url-status=live}}</ref> During the debate, Labour MP [[Gerald Kaufman]] denounced Hague, saying: "Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this grubby decision is what he personally will be remembered for? After a distinguished career in the House of Commons, both as a leader of a party and as a senior Cabinet Minister, he has now descended to squalor in the final days of the Parliament."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Today's Business of the House - Thursday 26 March 2015 - Hansard - UK Parliament|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2015-03-26/debates/15032623000002/Today%E2%80%99SBusinessOfTheHouse|access-date=31 October 2021|website=Hansard|language=en|archive-date=29 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029012945/https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2015-03-26/debates/15032623000002/Today%E2%80%99SBusinessOfTheHouse|url-status=live}}</ref>

He was succeeded as MP for Richmond (Yorks) by future Chancellor of the Exchequer, future Prime Minister, and future Leader of the Opposition [[Rishi Sunak]].