The day after John Marshall presented his credentials to HRH Grand Duke Henri at the royal palace in Luxembourg city, as the new British Ambassador to Luxembourg, he spoke with The Luxembourg Chronicle on his career and what he expects to be doing in Luxembourg; talking with him, he comes across as very personable and engaging, and willing to listen as well as putting across his own experience and opinion.
Ambassador John Marshall describes himself as a career diplomat having been working in the Foreign Office for 28 years during which time he acknowledges he has had a fairly diverse career, including postings to Japan, Malaysia and 8 years in sub-Saharan Africa, representing a range of countries from under-developed to developed.
He has done a lot of work on conflict and governance over the years, as well as political analysis and reporting. In between foreign postings, he has spent time in London, worked on specific parts of the world like India and multi-lateral diplomacy, as well as thematic issues such as migration and sustainable development. "It has been a geographically and, in content terms, a varied career" he summarised, "Luxembourg represents a new departure and a new challenge to which I'm looking forward".
On what he hopes to achieve while on his four-year posting to the Grand Duchy, Ambassador Marshall talked about, as well as the EU, the referendum in the UK and the UK's membership of the EU. In addition to UK foreign policies, he will be talking with the Luxembourg government on EU internal issues. He also referred to looking forward to the implementation of the agreement that British Prime Minister, David Cameron, agreed with the EU in mid-February on EU reform, with Britain acting as an active partner in the EU and enhancing the UK's competitiveness to enhance jobs and growth.
Another issue on which to focus over the next four years will be "doing what I can to support the UK economy from here, supporting inward UK investment and encouraging young people in Luxembourg to consider the UK as a place to study". Last week, for example, he hosted a higher education information evening with representatives from Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of Economics and Warwick University, including practical information on the timetable to apply, how to apply and what life is like in the UK. On the following evening he hosted a reception for the new alumni association in Luxembourg, for King's College London.
He also explained that he has an important role in helping British citizens in times of crisis and emergency, by providing excellent consular services.
In the short term, his objectives will be to "learn the business" (he said with a broad smile) and get an understanding of Luxembourg. He acknowledged that the UK referendum decision will impact beyond the borders of the UK. "People are asking questions. My role is to explain the government's policy". Another aspect of the UK referendum is to encourage those who are eligible to register to vote. With the EU referendum taking place in the UK on 23 June (coincidentally Luxembourg's national day), he is urging those entitled to vote, to register in time, with 16 May the deadline for overseas voters to register.
When asked if he had been in Luxembourg before, he recalled that he did go in the summer of 1996, when he crossed the Grand Duchy on a motorcycle and stopped off to eat in Echternach. Ambassador John Marshall speaks French and is already learning Luxembourgish. He enjoys walking, running and birdwatching and has always enjoyed discovering new places. He intends to get out and about as much as possible and has already explored parts of the Grand Duchy.
Photo by Geoff Thompson
