The Diplomat
Lieutenant General Sir Benjamin Bathurst has been appointed the new Governor of Gibraltar, replacing David Steel, and has received congratulations from the Gibraltarian authorities.
The Chief Minister of the British colony, Fabián Picardo, celebrated the appointment in a message and stated: “I am sure that all of Gibraltar will join the Government in giving the warmest of welcomes to Sir Ben and his family in June.”
Lieutenant General Ben Bathurst, who began his career in the British Army in 1987, as part of the Welsh Guard, held various positions in the Ministry of Defense and participated in three missions in Iraq and another in Afghanistan. Subsequently, he was Military Representative of the United Kingdom in NATO and the European Union.
The Lieutenant-General was currently serving as a volunteer Army Commissioner for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A year ago, the British Government published on the Foreign Office account on Linkedin the call for the position of Governor of Gibraltar, to replace Vice Admiral Sir David Steel. The notice indicated that this was a “full-time” job, recalled that the governor is the representative of His Majesty the King in Gibraltar, and indicated that his functions include the formal appointment of the chief minister and his Government, after the holding of elections. Likewise, it was highlighted that one of his tasks is “the supervision of Gibraltar’s military forces and good governance”, and that he has “exclusive responsibility for defense and security”.
This last role is relevant, especially at a time when the European Commission and the United Kingdom are trying to reach an agreement on the future of Gibraltar after Brexit. Although the issue of the British military base is not included in these negotiations, Spain wants to clarify with the United Kingdom some issues related to the activity carried out there and to have information on the flow of military personnel passing through there.
