The Appointment of New Minister for the BVI and Overseas Territories

The Office of the Governor announced the appointment of Mr Henry Bellingham, who followed Chris Bryant in the post of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), with ministerial responsibilities for the British Virgin Islands and other Overseas Territories. The minister's duties will also include Africa, United Nations, Global economic issues, climate change and conflict resolution.

The appointment of Mr Bellingham followed the recent elections in the United Kingdom and a coalition government formed between the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats. He is the Member of Parliament from the Conservatives, who first entered Parliament in 1983 as MP for North West Norfolk. Prior to being re-elected in 2001, he ran his own consultancy practice specialising in advising businesses on inward investment.