MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Baroness Anelay new Foreign Office minister for Overseas Territories

Baroness Anelay was appointed Minister of State at the FCO in August 2014. In July she was given additional responsibility for International Development.

Baroness Joyce Anne Anelay is the new Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for the British Overseas Territories. On 19 July the UK Government announced Baroness Anelay’s appointment in the Theresa May-led administration. She replaces James Duddridge.

 
Her responsibilities, according to the announcement, includes all FCO business in the Lords; the Commonwealth (as an institution); British Overseas Territories (excluding Falklands, Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) and Gibraltar); the Caribbean; human rights; the United Nations, international organizations, peacekeeping and the International Criminal Court; climate change; and international energy security policy.

On Monday (17 July) initial news the Sir Alan Duncan, the UK’s first openly gay Conservative MP, was Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Prime Minister Theresa May’s new Government caused some uncomfortable ripples in some Caribbean islands when it was thought that he would replace Overseas Territories Minister James Duddridge.

However, on Tuesday the UK government announced Baroness Joyce Anelay of St. Johns DBE as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Overseas Territories. Sir Alan will serve under Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and takes on responsibility for Britain’s relationship with Europe and the Americas.

Baroness Anelay was appointed Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in August 2014. In July 2016 she was given additional responsibility for the Department for International Development. She was educated at Enfield County School and Bristol, London and Brunel Universities and has been married to Richard Anelay QC since 1970.

Baroness Anelay was raised to the peerage in 1996 and served as an Opposition Spokesperson for various departments until being appointed Opposition Chief Whip in 2007. She was appointed the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict in June 2015. Prior to this she was Chief Whip in the House of Lords and Captain of the Honorable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms. She was made a Privy Counselor in 2009.

Baroness Anelay was a history teacher between 1969 and 1974 and served as a magistrate between 1985 and 1997. She was also associated with the Citizens Advice Bureau in Working from 1976 to 2010, including periods as a voluntary adviser, Chairman of the Management Committee and President of the CAB.