David Manning
Sir David Manning is a former senior British diplomat, most famous for being the British Ambassador to the United States of America during the war in Iraq.
Manning served as Foreign Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister 2001-2003.[1]
Manning was appointed a non-executive director of BG Group in July 2008. He is also a non-executive director of Lockheed Martin UK Holdings Ltd, and is a trustee of Turner Contemporary.[2] He was a director of corporate intelligence firm Hakluyt's advisory board from 2008 until 2012.
Background
Educated at Ardingly College, David Manning went on to study at Oriel College, Oxford; and then at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University.
Beginning a 35 year career at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1972, Manning has served in embassies in Warsaw, New Delhi, Paris, Moscow, and Tel Aviv; and has represented Britain and its interests in Brussels.
Manning developed close ties with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a foreign policy advisor. This relationship suggests that he was a key figure in driving British foreign policy towards the America, particularly after the terrorist attack of 11 September 2001. During his time in this post he developed close ties in across the Atlantic and in 2003; he was appointed British Ambassador to the United States of America.[3]
As ambassador, he was responsible for writing the 2003 Iraq memo, or ‘Manning memo’ as it became to be known. This was the secret memo of a meeting between former American President George W. Bush, and Tony Blair. The memo was controversial due to its content, which suggested that the pair had agreed to carry out an invasion of Iraq regardless of whether or not weapons of mass destruction were found by United Nations weapons inspectors.
After leaving his ambassadorial role in 2007, Manning has taken up Non-Executive roles on the Board of Directors for Lloyds Banking Group plc; BG Group (formerly British Gas plc); and also Lockheed Martin UK Holdings Ltd, which is the international military arms manufacturer that has made millions supplying the military hardware for the war in Iraq. He is also on the advisory board of Hakluyt & Company, an intelligence company partly staffed by former MI6 officers.[4]
Manning's most recently appointed role came in 2009 when he was appointed by The Queen, to a part-time advisory role in the Household of HRH Prince William and HRH Prince Harry.
External Resources
- Iraq Inquiry, Oral Evidence, 30 November 2010.
- John Kampfner, NS Profile - David Manning, New Statesman, 23 September 2002.
Notes
- ↑ First witnesses named for public hearings, Iraq Inquiry, 16 November 2009.
- ↑ Sir David Manning GCMG CVO , BG Group, accessed 17 December 2010.
- ↑ "New Statesman", New Statesman Profile of David Manning, Accessed 19 October
- ↑ "Aboout BG", BG Group - About BG - Board of Directors, Accessed 19 October 2010
