Mark Anthony Graham Brantley (born 11 January 1969) is the

Premier of Nevis The Premier of Nevis heads the Nevis Island Administration The Nevis Island Administration is the devolved government of the island of Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leewar ...

, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and former

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...

for

St Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain o ...

. On May 10, 2022, Dr Timothy Harris, having lost the support of the elected majority to function as Prime Minister and facing a historic Motion of No Confidence in the National Parliament, decided to dissolve the Parliament and purported to revoke the appointment of more than 50% of his former Cabinet, including the Hon Mark Brantley. Honourable Brantley previously served as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis (2007 – 2015). He is married and has 2 daughters. Brantley read law at the University of the West Indies, obtained his Legal Education Certificate of Merit from Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica and also holds a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford, St. Catherine College. Prior to entering politics, Brantley worked as an attorney.

Career

Legal career

Brantley is a lawyer by profession and has acted in several notable cases involving international litigation. He attended secondary school at Charlestown Secondary School. He completed his higher education at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, Upper Second Class Honors. He then attended the

Norman Manley Law School The Norman Manley Law School is a law school in Jamaica. Building and location The Norman Manley Law School is located on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, yet it is a distinct and separate institution. Its building, design ...

where he received a Legal Education Certificate of Merit. He completed his studies at St Catherine's College, a college of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

in the United Kingdom (which he attended as a Commonwealth Scholar) where he completed a Bachelor of Civil Law. Brantley has been admitted to the bar in St Kitts and Nevis,

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territ ...

, Grenada,

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two ...

and Dominica.

Political career

Brantley serves as a member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

, representing the conservative,

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation ...

-based

Concerned Citizens' Movement The Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM) is a Nevis-based political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Led by Mark Brantley, it is currently the largest party in Nevis, holding all three seats Nevisian seats in the National Assembly and three ou ...

. He serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the St. Christopher and Nevis Federal Government. He was formerly the Deputy Premier of the Nevis Island Administration and held the portfolio of Minister of Tourism, Health, Culture, Youth, Sports, and Community Development in that government. From 2007-2015 he served as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. He hosts a weekly two hour political talk-show on VON Radio 860AM. On 29 October 2017, Nevis Premier and Leader of the CCM

Vance Amory Vance Winkworth Amory (22 May 1949 – 2 April 2022) was a Saint Kitts and Nevis politician and cricketer. He served two stints as Premier of Nevis, from 1992 to 2006 and from 2013 to 2017, and served as the Minister of Sports in the Nevis Is ...

stepped down, with Brantley winning the leadership roles at the CCM party convention. On 18 December 2017 his party won the election, allowing him to retain his role as the Premier of Nevis. He led his party to victory in the 2017 Nevis Island Assembly election, with the CCM winning 4 of the 5 seats. He currently serves as the Premier of Nevis with a number of ministry roles on the Nevis Island Administration. He was appointed as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly on 10 October 2022.

Personal life

Brantley is married with two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brantley, Mark Living people 1969 births Premiers of Nevis Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford Concerned Citizens' Movement politicians Government ministers of Saint Kitts and Nevis Members of the National Assembly (Saint Kitts and Nevis) University of the West Indies alumni People from Saint George Gingerland Parish Foreign Ministers of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Career

Legal career

Political career

Personal life

See also

References