Sir Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith KCMG (born 7 February 1957) is a British career diplomat and former Ambassador to Iraq, Egypt, and Libya. He was First Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington DC. He was most recently the British High Commissioner to the Republic of India. [1]
Asquith is the younger son of The 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith and Anne (born Palairet). He is a great-grandson of H. H. Asquith, the former British Prime Minister. Asquith's elder brother Raymond, father Lord Oxford, and maternal grandfather Sir Michael Palairet, all served as British diplomats. Like his father and brother, he was educated at Ampleforth College.
In 1975 he was involved in the Musa Alami project in the West Bank, Palestine, and worked as a researcher at the Institute of Palestine Studies in Beirut.
In 1981 he worked as a freelance journalist in Amman, Jordan and then as the Executive Secretary to the Parliamentary Association for Euro-Arab Co-operation in London, until 1983.
Asquith joined HM Diplomatic Service in 1983 as part of the Soviet department and served at Damascus, Muscat, Washington, D.C., Buenos Aires and Riyadh before being appointed Deputy Head of Mission in Iraq in 2004, Director of the Iraq Directorate at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2004–06 and Ambassador to Iraq 2006–07. He was Ambassador to Egypt 2007–11 and Ambassador to Libya 2011–12.
On 4 December 2009, Asquith gave evidence before Parliament to The Iraq Inquiry. [2]
Asquith survived an assassination attempt in June 2012 when a British convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. [3] In September 2012 Asquith had to extend a routine break from Libya for medical treatment [4] and in January 2013 he was officially replaced by Michael Aron. [5]
Asquith was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2004, [6] and knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2012 New Year Honours. [7] [8]
After spending a few years in the private sector, Asquith returned to diplomatic life, taking charge as High Commissioner to India in April 2016. [9] He concluded his four-year stint in India [10] in January 2020. [9]
In May 2013 Asquith took an unpaid position leading a trade delegation to Libya organised by the Libyan British Business Council. [11]
In June 2013 Sir Dominic took a paid position as senior consultant with Tatweer Research, a Libyan research and development company, specialising in technology and engineering. [12]
Asquith was married in 1988 to Louise Cotton, who had worked as a secretary in the British Foreign Office and resigned upon her marriage. Sir Dominic and Lady Asquith have four children: [13] [14]
Sir David Geoffrey Manning, is a former British diplomat, who was the British Ambassador to the United States from 2003 to 2007. He authored the so-called "Manning Memo", that summarized the details of a meeting between American president George W. Bush and British prime minister Tony Blair during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Until 2019, he was appointed to the Household of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Julian Edward George Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, was a British colonial administrator and hereditary peer.
Sir Edward Clay KCMG is a retired British diplomat, formerly a High Commissioner and ambassador.
Sir Laurence Stanley Charles Bristow is a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to Afghanistan between June and November 2021, notably during the fall of Kabul. He served as British Ambassador to Azerbaijan from 2004 to 2007 and British Ambassador to Russia from 2016 to 2020. He is now President of Hughes Hall, Cambridge.
Raymond Benedict Bartholomew Michael Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith,, is a British former diplomat and hereditary peer. Styled Viscount Asquith until he succeeded to his father's peerage titles on 16 January 2011, the earldom of Oxford and Asquith was created for his paternal great-grandfather, H. H. Asquith, a former prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Peter Salmon Collecott,, is a British former diplomat. He was the British Ambassador to Brazil from 2004 to 2008.
Sir David Norman Reddaway is a retired British diplomat who was High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Ireland and Turkey.
Richard Oliver Miles CMG was a British Ambassador and former chairman of the international business development company MEC International.
Christopher Norman Russell Prentice is a retired British diplomat. His last diplomatic post was Ambassador to Italy. He is currently Chairman of the Governors of the British Institute of Florence.
Sir Hilary Nicholas Hugh Synnott KCMG was a British diplomat who was Regional Coordinator of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Southern Iraq from 2003 to 2004, before retiring in 2005. He published a book about his time there called 'Bad Days In Basra'.
Alice Louise Walpole,, is a British diplomat who was Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq. She had previously served as British Ambassador to Luxembourg and to Mali.
Simon Gerard McDonald, Baron McDonald of Salford, is a British former diplomat who was the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service until September 2020. He was the last professional head of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the creation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has been the Master of Christ's College, Cambridge since September 2022.
Sir Philip Robert Barton is a British diplomat, currently the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He was previously British High Commissioner to India; he was High Commissioner to Pakistan from 2014 to 2016.
Michael Douglas Aron is a British diplomat who has been Ambassador to Kuwait, Iraq, Libya and Sudan, and Yemen.
Francis Raymond Baker is a British diplomat and civil servant who was Ambassador to Libya from February 2018 to April 2019. He was Ambassador to Kuwait from 2010 to 2014, and Ambassador to Iraq from 2014 to 2017.
Dominic Sebastian Schroeder is a British diplomat currently serving as Principal of the International Academy of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Anne Mary Celestine Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith was a British code breaker who became the Countess of Oxford and Asquith upon her marriage in 1947 to Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith.
Jan Thompson is a British diplomat, who since April 2023 has served as the British Ambassador to Norway. She served previously as British Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2017, and as British Deputy High Commissioner to India from 2018 to 2023.
Matthew James Lodge is a British diplomat. Since September 2021, he has been Ambassador to Greece. Previously, he served as UK Ambassador to Finland (2010–2013) and UK Ambassador to Kuwait (2014–2017).
Adrian John Sindall is a diplomat and formerly the British High Commissioner to Brunei and Syria.
