Politics of Saint Helena takes place in a framework of limited self-government as a dependent territory of the United Kingdom,whereby the governor is the head of government. Saint Helena,an island in the southern Atlantic Ocean,is a part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
Tristan da Cunha,colloquially Tristan,is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world,lying approximately 2,787 kilometres (1,732 mi) from Cape Town in South Africa,2,437 kilometres (1,514 mi) from Saint Helena,3,949 kilometres (2,454 mi) from Mar del Plata in Argentina,and 4,002 kilometres (2,487 mi) from the Falkland Islands.
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) are the 14 territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that,while not forming part of the United Kingdom itself,are part of its sovereign territory. The permanently inhabited territories are delegated varying degrees of internal self-governance,with the United Kingdom retaining responsibility for defence,foreign relations,and internal security,and ultimate responsibility for "good" governance. Three of the territories are chiefly or only inhabited by military or scientific personnel,the rest hosting significant civilian populations. All fourteen have the British monarch as head of state. These UK government responsibilities are assigned to various departments of the Foreign,Commonwealth and Development Office and are subject to change.
The flag of Saint Helena consists of a Blue Ensign defaced with the shield from the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1984 shortly after the island was granted a new coat of arms,it has been the flag since. Saint Helena's flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories,which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.
The Governor of Saint Helena is the representative of the monarch in Saint Helena,a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The current governor of Saint Helena has been Nigel Phillips since 13 August 2022.
The governor of Tristan de Cunha is the representative of the monarch in Tristan da Cunha,a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the de facto head of state.
The Governor of Ascension is the representative of the monarch in Ascension Island,a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. He is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government,his role is to act as the de facto head of state.
Andrew Murray Gurr is a British retired politician who served as the Governor of Saint Helena from 2007 to 2011 and the Governor of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha from 2009 to 2011. He took up office on 11 November 2007 in a ceremony in Jamestown at which he declared his commitment to Saint Helena and dependencies in his inaugural speech. He took over from Michael Clancy with Chief Secretary Martin Hallam serving as acting Governor in the interim.
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island,7°56′south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about 960 miles (1,540 km) from the coast of Africa and 1,400 miles (2,300 km) from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha,of which the main island,Saint Helena,is around 800 miles (1,300 km) to the southeast. The territory also includes the sparsely populated Tristan da Cunha archipelago,2,000 miles (3,200 km) to the south,about halfway to the Antarctic Circle.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha have gradually evolved over the years. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is banned in the entire territory through the Constitution Order 2009 and same-sex marriage has been legal on the islands since 2017.
Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena,Ascension Island,and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha. Its name was Saint Helena and Dependencies until 1 September 2009,when a new constitution came into force,giving the three islands equal status as three territories,with a grouping under the Crown.
The Apostolic Prefecture of Falkland Islands is a Latin Church missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction or apostolic prefecture of the Catholic Church covering the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,UK Southern Atlantic Ocean overseas possessions.
The United Kingdom possesses a number of islands in the South Atlantic Ocean and claims a section of the Antarctic continent. These territories are St. Helena with Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha,the Falkland Islands,South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,and the UK's claimed Antarctic territory,called the British Antarctic Territory. The official currency in these territories is either Pound sterling or a local currency that evolved from sterling and is at a fixed one-to-one parity with sterling.
The politics of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha operate under the jurisdiction of the government of the United Kingdom. The three parts of the territory—Saint Helena,Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha—effectively form an asymmetric federacy and collectively constitute one of United Kingdom's fourteen overseas territories.
The British Overseas Territories maintain their own entry requirements different from the visa policy of the United Kingdom. As a general rule,British citizens do not have automatic right of abode in these territories.
Lisa Kathleen Honan was the Governor of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha from 25 April 2016 until 4 May 2019,when she was replaced by Philip Rushbrook. She is the first,and currently only,female to have held the post. Honan was previously Head of Office in Kenya for the Department for International Development,and after holding the post in St Helena went on to be Head of the DFID Office in Nepal. She resigned from there in August 2021 ending a career lasting 46 years in international development.
Among the fourteen British Overseas Territories,eight –Akrotiri and Dhekelia,the British Antarctic Territory,the British Indian Ocean Territory,the Falkland Islands,Gibraltar,the Pitcairn Islands,Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha,and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands –recognise and perform same-sex marriages. In the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia,only British military and civilian personnel can enter into same-sex marriages and civil partnerships.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha since 2017. An ordinance to open marriage to same-sex couples in Saint Helena was passed by the Legislative Council in a 9–2 vote on 19 December 2017. It went into force the following day,and the first same-sex marriage was performed on 31 December 2018. Same-sex couples have also been able to marry in Ascension Island since 1 January 2017 and in Tristan da Cunha since 4 August 2017.
Francis Eustace Baker was a British businessman who was the Governor of Saint Helena,Ascension and Tristan da Cunha between 1984 and 1988. While he was Governor,he implemented a '3 day working scheme' to help tackle unemployment and announced the plans to build the 2nd RMS St Helena,which was,up until the construction of St Helena's airport,the main link between the territory and the rest of the world. He received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1979 and the CBE in 1984.
