Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles,lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territory consists of the main island of Anguilla,approximately 16 miles long by 3 miles (5 km) wide at its widest point,together with a number of much smaller islands and cays with no permanent population. The territory's capital is The Valley. The total land area of the territory is 35 square miles (91 km2),with a population of approximately 15,753 (2021).
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 Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory,is the head of government of the British Antarctic Territory,a British Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. The commissioner is appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The law officers are the senior legal advisors to His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom and devolved governments of Northern Ireland,Scotland and Wales. They are variously referred to as the Attorney General,Solicitor General,Lord Advocate,or Advocate General depending on seniority and geography –though other terms are also in use,such as the Counsel General for Wales. Law officers in these roles are distinguished by being political appointees,while also being bound by the duties of independence,justice and confidentiality among the other typical professional commitments of lawyers. These roles do not have any direct oversight of prosecutions nor do they directly lead or influence criminal investigations. This is a distinguishing factor between law officers and the state attorneys general of the United States or US Attorney General.
Alan Edden Huckle is an English senior diplomat in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government. He was the commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and the British Antarctic Territory from 23 April 2001 until 12 January 2004,when he left to become the governor of Anguilla in the Caribbean. He was the Governor of Anguilla from 29 July 2004 to July 2006,having been appointed in July 2003.
The British Indian Ocean Territory is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is administered by a Commissioner,located at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. There is no Governor appointed to represent the King in the territory as there are no permanent inhabitants.
The Realm of New Zealand is the area over which the monarch of New Zealand is head of state. The realm is not a federation but is a collection of states and territories united under its monarch. New Zealand is an independent and sovereign state that has one territorial claim in Antarctica,one dependent territory (Tokelau),and two associated states. The Realm of New Zealand encompasses the three autonomous jurisdictions of New Zealand,the Cook Islands,and Niue.
The Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory is the head of government in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The Commissioner is appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Commissioner does not reside in the territory,as it has had no native population since the forced depopulation of the Chagossian people in the 1970s,and the only population is the military of the United States and the United Kingdom at the joint base at Diego Garcia.
The states and territories are the second level of government of Australia. The states are partially sovereign,administrative divisions that are self-governing polities,having ceded some sovereign rights to the federal government. They have their own constitutions,legislatures,executive governments,judiciaries and law enforcement agencies that administer and deliver public policies and programs. Territories can be autonomous and administer local policies and programs much like the states in practice,but are still legally subordinate to the federal government.
The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean,halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia. The territory comprises the seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 individual islands,many very small,amounting to a total land area of 60 square kilometres. The largest and most southerly island is Diego Garcia,27 square kilometres,the site of a Joint Military Facility of the United Kingdom and the United States. Official administration is remote from London,though the local capital is often regarded as being on Diego Garcia.
Colin Roberts is a British diplomat and the former Governor of the Falkland Islands and former Commissioner of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
John Kittmer is a British former diplomat. He was formerly the Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory jointly with the British Antarctic Territory.
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.
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 the British Antarctic Territory since 13 October 2016. A new marriage ordinance bringing territorial legislation in line with the law in force in England and Wales was proclaimed by Commissioner Peter Hayes on 13 October,legalising marriage by same-sex couples.
Benjamin Robert Merrick is a British civil servant who was Director of Overseas Territories at the Foreign,Commonwealth and Development Office from August 2017 until July 2021.
Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam is a British lawyer and civil servant who has served as Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands since 29 June 2023. She served as Governor of Anguilla between 2021 and 2023.
