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 commissioner's role is to administer the territory on behalf of the British government. This involves the passing of any necessary legislation for the territory, usually orders in council or statutory instruments. The commissioner is also responsible for liaising with the military of the United States in matters concerning the territory. An administrator for the British Indian Ocean Territory acts as the commissioner's assistant. The commissioner also appoints a representative on the territory, who is the senior British military officer at Diego Garcia.
List of commissioners
1965–1967: The Earl of Oxford and Asquith 1967–1969: Sir Hugh Selby Norman-Walker 1969–1973: Sir Bruce Greatbatch 1973–1976: Colin Hamilton Allan 1976: Norman Aspin 1976–1979: Philip Robert Aked Mansfield 1979–1982: John Adam Robson 1982–1985: William Nigel Wenban-Smith 1985–1988: William Marsden 1988–1991: Richard John Smale Edis 1991–1994: Thomas George Harris 1994–1996: David Ross MacLennan 1996–1998: Bruce Harry Dinwiddy 1998: Christopher Edward John Wilton 1998–2001: Charles John Branford White 2001–2004: Alan Edden Huckle 2004–2006: Anthony Campbell Crombie 2006–2008: Robert Leigh Turner 2008–2012: Colin Roberts 2012–2016: Peter Hayes 2016–2017: John Kittmer 2017–2021: Benjamin Robert Merrick 2021–2024: Paul Candler 2024–present: Nishi Dholakia
References