Philip Barton

Barton was born on 18 August 1963. He studied economics and politics Warwick University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, and economics at the London School of Economics, graduating with a Master of Science (MSc) degree.[3]

Barton joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1986 and served at Caracas, New Delhi, at the FCO, and on secondment to the Cabinet Office and as a private secretary to the Prime Minister. He was deputy High Commissioner to Cyprus 2000–04; deputy Governor of Gibraltar 2005–08 (with a spell as acting Governor in 2006); Director, South Asia, at the FCO 2008–09; Director, Foreign Policy and Afghanistan, and Pakistan Co-ordinator at the Cabinet Office 2009–11; deputy head of mission at Washington, D.C. 2011–14; and was appointed High Commissioner to Pakistan from January 2014.[4][5][6] He left Islamabad at the end of his assignment on 11 February 2016 and took up a post as Director General Consular & Security at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, which he left in January 2020 to assume the role of High Commissioner to India, with the presentation of his credentials to the President of India on 08 July, 2020.[2][1][7]

Barton was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1997 Birthday Honours,[8] Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2007 Birthday Honours,[9] and Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to British foreign policy.[10]

Anti-tobacco movements in Pakistan and in the UK blamed Philip Barton for his participation in a delegation led by British American Tobacco in 2015 to complain about the Pakistani government's decision to increase the size of health warnings on cigarette packs. "Inside sources at the Health Ministry confirmed the participation of the British High Commissioner in the meeting as a member of the delegation."[11][12][13]

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