Charles Drace-Francis

Last updated

Charles David Stephen Drace-Francis, CMG (born 1943) is a retired British diplomat. [1]

He was educated at Oxford where he took a first-class degree in history in 1964. He shared rooms with Gareth Stedman-Jones and Roderick Floud. [2]

After posts in Teheran, Hong Kong and Brussels, Drace-Francis was appointed British Chargé d'Affaires to Afghanistan from 1984 to 1987, during the Soviet-Afghan War. He was appointed Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George for his work in the latter capacity. [3] [4] He was High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby from 1997 to 2000. [4] [5]

Telegrams of his reports on Conservative Party treasurer Michael Ashcroft in Belize and Turks and Caicos Islands, written in early 1997, were published in The Times in July 1999. [6] [7] Drace-Francis claimed that Ashcroft had "threatened over breakfast to stir up trouble for Britain in the Turks and Caicos Islands unless he was helped to break into the islands' banking business." [6]

As a result of this the Foreign Office's Permanent Under Secretary John Kerr initiated an inquiry with the aim of identifying the source of the leak. The inquiry proved controversial, and Drace-Francis later resigned. As such he won the sympathy of his erstwhile antagonist Lord Ashcroft, who recognised him to be the victim of Whitehall machinations rather than the true source of the leak. [8]

Related Research Articles

Turks and Caicos Islands British overseas territory in the Caribbean

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies. They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident population was 31,458 in 2012, of whom 23,769 lived on Providenciales in the Caicos Islands; July 2021 estimates put the population at 57,196. It is the third largest of the British overseas territories by population.

Michael Misick 1st Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Michael Eugene Misick is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician who was the 7th Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 15 August 2004 to 9 August 2006 and was the 1st Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 9 August 2006 to 23 March 2009. Misick is a member of the Progressive National Party (PNP), and became chief minister when his party, after eight years as the opposition party, gained two parliamentary seats in by-elections. In addition to being premier, he was also the minister for Civil Aviation, Commerce and Development, Planning, District Administration, Broadcasting Commission, Tourist Board, Turks and Caicos Investment Agency, and Tourism. Several other members of Misick's family have been politicians in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and important leaders in the PNP. Washington Misick, his brother, is the current Premier, former Chief Minister and former Minister of Finance.

History of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Before European colonization, the Turks and Caicos Islands were inhabited by Taino and Lucayan peoples. The first recorded European sighting of the islands now known as the Turks and Caicos occurred in 1512. In the subsequent centuries, the islands were claimed by several European powers with the British Empire eventually gaining control. For many years the islands were governed indirectly through Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the islands received their own governor, and have remained a separate autonomous British Overseas Territory since. In August 2009, the United Kingdom suspended the Turks and Caicos Islands' self-government following allegations of ministerial corruption. Home rule was restored in the islands after the November 2012 elections.

Politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby as of August 9, 2006 the Premier is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The islands are an internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom. The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes the Turks and Caicos Islands on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Legislative Council.

Michael Ashcroft British-Belizean businessman, pollster and politician

Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, is a British-Belizean businessman, pollster and politician. He is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972 and is the 132nd richest person in the UK, as ranked by the Sunday Times Rich List 2021, with an estimated fortune of £1.257 billion.

Providenciales Island and the largest city of Turks and Caicos Islands

Providenciales is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of 98 km2 (38 sq mi) and a 2012 Census population of 23,769. Providenciales is the largest island in population, the third largest in area, and is home to a large majority of the population of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Providenciales was ranked the best beach destination in the world by TripAdvisor in 2011.

Carlos W. Simons QC is a Turks and Caicos Islands lawyer and politician.

Robin Auld

Sir Robin Ernest Auld, is a former Lord Justice of Appeal in the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.

Turks and Caicos Islands national cricket team

The Turks and Caicos Islands cricket team is the team that represents the British overseas territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands in international cricket.

Belize Bank (BB) is the first, oldest continuing, and largest bank in Belize. As of 2018, it had over BZ$880 million in assets and BZ$147 million of capital reserves. Its network of 11 branches covers the entire country. The Belize Bank Limited has a 44% market share in loans and 38% market share in deposits. It maintains an international banking subsidiary in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Gordon Wetherell British diplomat

Gordon Geoffrey Wetherell, CMG is a British diplomat who was the former Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands. He was appointed on 5 August 2008, replacing Richard Tauwhare in the position. On 14 August 2009, he assumed direct political control when the British government imposed direct rule on the islands in response to a Foreign Office inquiry which found "information in abundance pointing to a high probability of systematic corruption or serious dishonesty" in the islands' administration under former Premier, Michael Misick.

Ric Todd

Damian Roderic Todd is a career British diplomat who has served as Ambassador to Slovakia, Ambassador to Poland, Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands and High Commissioner to Cyprus.

Fergus Cochrane-Dyet British diplomat

Fergus Cochrane-Dyet is a British diplomat who served as High Commissioner to Zambia from April 2016 until August 2019, being succeeded by Nicholas Woolley. In 2011, while serving as High Commissioner to Malawi, he was declared persona non grata and expelled from the country because of controversial comments he made in a leaked diplomatic cable.

2012 Turks and Caicos Islands general election

General elections were held in Turks and Caicos Islands on 9 November 2012. The PNP won the election, winning eight seats with the PDM winning seven. The PNP won most of its seats by narrow margins over the PDM, while the PDM won its seats by wide margins over the PNP, with the result that despite winning fewer seats and thereby losing the election, the PDM garnered more overall votes nationwide.

Constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands

The Constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands, in its present form, was passed in 2011.

Peter Beckingham British retired diplomat

Peter Beckingham is a British retired diplomat, who was Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands 2013–2016.

Nigel Dakin

Nigel John Dakin is a British diplomat currently serving as Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands. He assumed office on 15 July 2019 in a swearing-in ceremony before the territory's House of Assembly.

Proposed Canadian annexation of the Turks and Caicos Islands

The potential annexation of the Turks and Caicos Islands by Canada is a recurring proposal on the future political status of the island territory. The islands are currently a British Overseas Territory under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ "DRACE-FRANCIS, Charles David Stephen". Who's Who 2012. A & C Black. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  2. ↑ "Gareth Stedman Jones". Alanmacfarlane.com. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  3. ↑ Great Britain. Diplomatic Service Administration Office; Great Britain. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2001). The Diplomatic Service list. H.M.S.O. ISBN   978-0-11-591771-4 . Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  4. 1 2 "British Ambassadors and High Commissioners 1880-2010" (PDF). Gulabin.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Islanders fear UK is 'quitting the Pacific'". Pacificislandsuk.org. Summer 2005. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Living on his Wits". The Economist . 15 July 1999. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  7. ↑ "Relentless Ashcroft hunts down leakers". The Guardian . 28 January 2002. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Michael Ashcroft (2005). "Dirty Politics, Dirty Times" (PDF). London. p. 274. Retrieved 11 April 2022.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.