In a video message to the British community in Portugal, he said: “You won’t be surprised to hear that Brexit is the number one issue for me”, adding that his top priority “is doing what I can to protect the interests of the British community in Portugal” and that “I will work with the Portuguese authorities to achieve the best possible outcome for you and your families”.
The married father-of-three’s CV includes recent postings as the FCO, European Correspondent and Head of Europe (South) Department, Europe Directorate; Deputy Head of Mission in Rome, and Political Counsellor in Islamabad.