Dominic Asquith

Asquith is the younger son of the 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith by his wife the late Anne Palairet (d. 1998), and a great-grandson of H.H. Asquith, a former British Prime Minister. Asquith's elder brother Raymond, father Lord Oxford, and maternal grandfather Sir Michael Palairet, all served as British diplomats. Like his father and brother, he was educated at Ampleforth College.

Asquith joined HM Diplomatic Service in 1983 and served at Damascus, Muscat, Washington, D.C., Buenos Aires and Riyadh before being appointed Deputy Head of Mission in Iraq in 2004, Director of the Iraq Directorate at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2004–06 and Ambassador to Iraq 2006–07. He was Ambassador to Egypt 2007–11 and Ambassador to Libya 2011–12.

On 4 December 2009, Asquith gave evidence before Parliament to The Iraq Inquiry.

Asquith survived an assassination attempt in June 2012 when a British convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade 300 yards from the Benghazi Consulate office. In September 2012 Asquith had to extend a routine break from Libya for medical treatment and in January 2013 he was officially replaced by Michael Aron.

Asquith was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2004, and knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2012 New Year Honours.

Asquith retired from Crown service in March 2013.

In May 2013 Asquith took an unpaid position leading a trade delegation to Libya organised by the Libyan British Business Council.

In June 2013 Sir Dominic took a paid position as senior consultant with Tatweer Research, a Libyan research and development company, specialising in technology and engineering.

After spending a few years in the private sector, Sir Dominic returned to Diplomatic life, taking charge as the British High Commissioner, to India.

• 1983–1984 Diplomat, Soviet Dept
• 1984–1985 Diplomat, Southern Europe Dept
• 1986–1987 Second Secretary, Damascus, Syria
• 1987–1989 First Secretary (Chancery), Muscat
• 1989–1990 Diplomat, EC Dept (Internal) Dept
• 1990–1992 Private Secretary to Minister of State FCO
• 1992–1996 First Secretary, Washington DC, USA
• 1996 Drugs and International Crime Dept FCO
• 1997–2001 Minister and Dep Head of Mission, Buenos Aires
• 2001–2004 Deputy Head of Mission and Consul-General, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• 2004 Deputy Special Representative for Iraq, and Deputy Head of Mission, Baghdad, Iraq
• 2004–2006 Director Iraq, FCO
• 2006–2007 HM Ambassador to Iraq
• 2007–2011 HM Ambassador to Egypt
• 2011–2012 UK Special Representative, then Ambassador, to Libya
• 2013–2015 Senior Advisor, Dentons LLP
• 2016 British High Commissioner to India

Asquith was married in 1988 to Louise Cotton, who had worked as a secretary in the British Foreign Office and resigned upon her marriage. Sir Dominic and Lady Asquith have four children:

• Gabriela Elizabeth Louise Asquith (born 1989)
• Helena Lucy Anne Asquith (born 1990)
• Thomas Anthony Gerard Asquith (born 1992)
• William Raphael Augustine Asquith (born 1994)