Hugh Stephen Murray Elliott (born 1965)[3] is a British diplomat who served as the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Spain and non-resident Ambassador Extraordinary to Andorra from 2019 to 2024. Prior to this, he was Director for Communications at the Department for Exiting the European Union.[4]
Hugh Elliott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| British Ambassador to Spain | |
| In office August 2019 – 3 September 2024[1] | |
| Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson Liz Truss Rishi Sunak Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Simon Manley |
| Succeeded by | Alex Ellis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hugh Stephen Murray Elliott 1965 |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | María Antonia Martín (m. 1989) |
| Children | Two[2] |
| Education | Bedford School |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Early life
editElliott attended Bedford School from 1973 to 1983, where his father, Tim Elliott, taught Spanish.[5] He then went on to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read Modern and Medieval Languages.[6]
Diplomatic career
editElliott joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1989 as an Assistant Desk Officer for the East Africa Department.[7] In 1991, Elliott was posted to Madrid for five years. From 1996 to 1999 he held various positions in the FCO, including as the Head of the Amsterdam Treaty Unit. He was then posted to Buenos Aires for three years as Head of Economic, Political and Public Affairs. In 2002, he was in Paris as a Counsellor for Global Issues.[7][1]
From 2006 to 2013, Elliott was the Head of Government Relations at Anglo American, a mining company. In 2013, he returned to the FCO as the Director of Communication, a post which he kept until 2017, when he was made the Director for Europe. In 2017, Elliott was the Director of International Agreements at the FCO and in 2018 he moved to the Department for Exiting the European Union as Director of Communications and Stakeholders.[7]
Elliott took up the post of Ambassador to Spain and non-resident Ambassador Extraordinary to Andorra in August 2019.[8] He presented his letter of credence to King Felipe VI on 5 September 2019.[9]
Elliott has also served as a Trustee of the British Spanish Society and the Chairman of Canning House, an Anglo-Hispanic centre.[6]
In 2020 he was appointed as the Patron of The Royal British Legion in Spain and the British Benevolent Fund.[10]
In April 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab resigned after an inquiry into bullying found him to have acted in an "intimidating" and "aggressive" way towards officials.[11] The Telegraph wrote that Elliott was one of the civil servants involved and that the inquiry had upheld a complaint about an incident where Raab's behaviour was concluded to be "unreasonably and persistently aggressive" and "undermining and humiliating".[12][13] Raab referenced the incident in his resignation letter;[14] it was reported that Raab had recalled Elliot from Spain in November 2020 after it was suspected Elliott had exceeded Cabinet's mandate in negotiations with the Spanish government over the presence of Spanish officers in Gibraltar.[12] While remaining ambassador, Elliot was then replaced in negotiations by Simon Manley, his predecessor.[12]
In March 2024, it was announced that Alex Ellis would be the new ambassador to Spain from summer 2024, with Elliott being transferred to a new post.[15] Elliott left the post in September 2024,[16] with Ellis arriving to replace him the next week.[17]
Personal life
editIn 1989, Elliott married María Antonia Martín[18] and has two children, both of whom were born in Madrid.[2] He enjoys cricket and has played at the Cartama Oval in Málaga.[19]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "Hugh Elliott". GOV.UK. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Introducing the new British Ambassador to Spain". The Local. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 149
- ^ "EXECUTIVE MASTERS INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY AND DIPLOMACY" (PDF). London School of Economics. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ "Diplomatic Connection". Bedford School. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Hugh Elliott UK Ambassador-Designate to Spain and Andorra". Moving For Climate Now. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ a b c "Change of Her Majesty's Ambassador to Spain during summer 2019". GOV.UK. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "New British ambassador to Spain joins his office in Madrid". The Diplomat In Spain. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ "The King receives Credentials from Hugh Elliott, the new British 'Brexit' ambassador". The Diplomat In Spain. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ "Home". britishbenevolentfund.org.
- ^ Ione Wells; Joshua Nevett (22 April 2023). "Dominic Raab resigns as bullying inquiry finds 'aggressive conduct'". BBC News. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ a b c Ben Riley-Smith; Charles Hymas; Dominic Penna (21 April 2023). "Dominic Raab sunk by row over Spanish forces in Gibraltar". The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ Kit Heren (21 April 2023). "Dominic Raab 'sunk by row over Spanish troops in Gibraltar' as ambassador 'overstepped Cabinet mandate' in Brexit talks". LBC. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ "UK ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, breached Gibraltar Brexit negotiating mandate suggesting 'Spanish boots on the ground', reports Telegraph". GBC News. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ "Change of His Majesty's Ambassador to Spain: Alex Ellis". GOV.UK. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "British Ambassador Hugh Elliott bids farewell to Spain after five years". Catalan News. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "A new British Ambassador, Sir Alex Ellis, arrives in Spain". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Mónica Parga; Paloma Simón (9 June 2022). "La fiesta del embajador británico en España en honor a Isabel II: "Mi momento favorito del Jubileo fue el príncipe Louis tapándose los oídos"". Vanity Fair (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ Charlie Smith (29 October 2019). "Britain's new ambassador to Spain Hugh Elliott talks cricket, Brexit and his Costa Del Sol holidays in an exclusive interview". The Olive Press. Retrieved 19 October 2022.