Jane Marriott (born 1976) is a British diplomat currently serving as the British High Commissioner to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, a position she assumed in 2023. She previously served as the British High Commissioner to

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

from 2019 to 2023. Marriott graduated from

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

in 1997 with a first-class degree in History and later earned an MPhil in International Relations from

Darwin College, Cambridge Darwin College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded on 28 July 1964, Darwin was Cambridge University's first graduate-only college, and also the first to admit both men and wo ...

Career

From 2013 to 2015, Marriott served as the British Ambassador to Yemen. She previously worked as an adviser to

Richard Holbrooke Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke (April 24, 1941 – December 13, 2010) was an American diplomat and author. He was the only person to have held the position of Assistant Secretary of State for two different regions of the world (Asia from 1977 ...

, the

United States Special Envoy Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the United States' diplomat, diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as Ambassador-at-la ...

for

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

. On 13 June 2019, Marriott was appointed British High Commissioner to Kenya, succeeding Nic Hailey, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She assumed office in the summer of 2019. In 2023, she was appointed as the British High Commissioner to Pakistan.

Honours

Marriott was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 2004 and was made a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in the

2023 Birthday Honours The 2023 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of King Charles III to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part ...

for services to British foreign policy.

Controversies

In 2024, during the Asma Jahangir Conference, Marriott raised concerns about Pakistan’s electoral process, stating that not all parties were allowed to contest freely and that legal measures were used to restrict certain political leaders and party symbols. Her remarks prompted a strong response from the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...

, which defended its actions, asserting that election laws requiring intra-party elections were not followed by a specific party, leading to the removal of its electoral symbol. The court also emphasized that general elections were conducted within the legally mandated timeframe. The Supreme Court’s registrar addressed Marriott’s comments in a formal letter, clarifying the legal proceedings and affirming that elections were held throughout Pakistan on 8 February 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marriott, Jane 1976 births Living people Members of HM Diplomatic Service Alumni of University College, Durham Alumni of Darwin College, Cambridge 21st-century British diplomats British women ambassadors Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of the British Empire Palatinate (newspaper) editors