Philip Barton appointed Britain's new High Commissioner to India

The United Kingdom on Thursday (February 6) appointed Philip Barton as its High Commissioner to India to succeed Dominic Asquith. Barton will take up his appointment during Spring 2020, a statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said.

Barton was the Director General, Consular and Security at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from April 2017 until January 2020. Barton joined the FCO in 1986 and is a career diplomat.

He has been posted overseas in Caracas, New Delhi, Gibraltar as Deputy Governor and Washington as Deputy Ambassador.

He was British High Commissioner to Pakistan from 2014 to 2016. Most recently, Philip has been Acting Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee.

Before that, he was on secondment to the International Institute for Strategic Studies as a Consulting Senior Fellow focusing on South Asian issues. Philip was Private Secretary to Prime Ministers John Major and Tony Blair.

Barton has also worked in the Cabinet Office as Director General for the PM’s Anti-Corruption Summit and Director Foreign Policy and Afghanistan/Pakistan Co-ordinator supporting the National Security Council. He has previously worked in the FCO in London on international economic relations, the EU and South Asia.

Barton was born in 1963. He studied economics and politics at Warwick University and has a Masters degree in economics from the London School of Economics.

(With inputs from agencies)