The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories all with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are remnants of the British Empire and do not form part of the United Kingdom itself. Some of the permanently inhabited territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence and foreign relations. Ten of the territories are listed by the UN Special Committee on Decolonization as non-self-governing territories. Three are inhabited only by a transitory population of military or scientific personnel. They all have the British monarch as head of state.
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.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are divided into five administrative districts, and the Island of Grand Turk; four of these are headed by District Commissioners, and Providenciales District is run by the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Premier in Providenciales. The Island of Grand Turk is directly administered by the TCI Government.
Sir Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith 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.
Charles Graham Crawford is a British former diplomat, non-practising barrister, communications consultant, and writer.
Sir Roderic Michael John Lyne, is a former British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the Russian Federation from 2000 to 2004.
Nigel Marcus Baker is a British diplomat, who was formerly Ambassador to Bolivia and Ambassador to the Holy See. He was Head of the Latin America department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 2016 to 2019, and in August 2020 took up his appointment as British Ambassador to Slovakia.
Dame Karen Elizabeth Pierce, is a British diplomat who is currently British Ambassador to the United States at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and was previously the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations.
Nicholas Stewart Archer is a British diplomat, the British ambassador to the Czech Republic. Previously he served as ambassador to Denmark and High Commissioner to Malta.
Colin Roberts CVO is a British diplomat and the former Governor of the Falkland Islands and former Commissioner of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
Dame Alison Mariot Leslie,, known as Mariot Leslie, is a former British diplomat whose last post was Permanent Representative to NATO. When she was replaced at NATO it was announced that she would retire from the Diplomatic Service.
John Patrick George Freeman is a retired British diplomat who until July 2019 was Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Peter Beckingham is a British retired diplomat, who was Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands 2013–2016.
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.
David Tatham is an English former ambassador and governor of the Falkland Islands, and editor of The Dictionary of Falklands Biography.
Stephen Lillie is a British diplomat who is High Commissioner to Cyprus.
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.
