A former Downing Street special adviser and director of government relations has been appointed as the Isle of Man Government’s new executive director of Crown and External Relations.

Christopher Brannigan was a senior SpAd in the No10 policy unit under then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and before that was director of government relations during Theresa May’s Premiership

He served in the UK Armed Forces for over 20 years with extensive experience on combat operations across the globe including Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the early stages of the Iraq War in 2003, he commanded a Challenger tank squadron to liberate the city of Basra - Britain’s largest tank engagement since the Second World War.

Mr Brannigan’s new role is primarily to provide advice and support to the Chief Minister, the Council of Ministers, the Lieutenant Governor and other government departments on external relationships to uphold the national interests of the Isle of Man.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Brannigan said: 'The opportunity to work for the Isle of Man Government offers great potential to develop the good work already being done here.

‘Any role in the public sector instils a professional responsibility to work for the good of the nation and to deliver value for money and focused outcomes.

‘This island is a great place to work and live with a strong culture and enviable history and I’m looking forward to being part of its future success, supporting the Chief Minister and the government in developing our external relations.’

Chief executive officer Andy Ralphs said: 'Following a comprehensive recruitment process, we have been delighted to appoint Chris, who brings outstanding experience and expertise to the senior leadership team of the Cabinet Office.

‘We look forward to his input in developing and leading the Crown and External Relations directorate. The Isle of Man has a proactive and positive approach to its relationships with other governments, in improving our standing internationally and in achieving the best outcomes in the interests of our island.’

Mr Brannigan is a regular commentator on UK and international media, a contributor to a number of leading UK think tanks and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Ahead of Rishi Sunak’s crushing general election defeat, when it was looking like the polls were narrowing, he had suggested former PM Boris Johnson could have made a difference, telling Talk TV: ‘If I was sitting in the Number 10 strategy team I’d be deploying project Boris.

‘Johnson is electoral catnip to voters. Out electioneering with Boris is like watching the Second Coming.’

In a report for the Policy Exchange think tank in 2020, he said the civil service in Whitehall should learn from the Armed Forces to cut down on the ‘excessive’ number of meetings, deal with the ‘absence of common terminology’ and address the ‘powerlessness of departments to deliver on policies that so often depend on outside agencies for their execution’.