The governor of Gibraltar has announced that he intends to resign from his post.
Sir James Dutton has served as governor only since December 2013. His predecessor had been in post for four years.
The resignation, unprecedented in Gibraltar’s modern history, was made “for purely personal and professional reasons” although Sir James added that the role was “more representational and ceremonial than I had expected.”
But reports are also circulating that he was frustrated that the post involved just liaison between the Foreign Office and the Gibraltar government instead of a proactive role in defending Gibraltar and countering Spanish aggression.
In accepting the post, which reports say had been talked up by the Foreign Office, Sir James left a high-profile position with a construction and engineering firm, Bechtel Corporation. Prior to that, he spent 37 years in the Royal Marines becoming one of the UK’s top military officers working with Nato, the Ministry of Defence and the US military in leading positions.
When his appointment was announced, he said he was looking forward to putting his many years of military experience and three years of commercial experience to good use.
Sir James is to step down in September, leaving the Foreign Office with the need to find a qualified successor within a short time frame.
Spain’s attitude towards Gibraltar has hardened since the current centre-right party of Mariano Rajoy came into power in 2011. The last few years have seen a few tense standoffs, with Spain blocking the border and Spanish vessels staging numerous incursions into British territorial waters.
