New Delhi: Lindy Cameron, the United Kingdom’s High Commissioner to India, has been appointed as the new Permanent Undersecretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)—the most senior civil servant in-charge of day-to-day activities of the UK’s foreign ministry.
“I am delighted that Lindy Cameron has been appointed as Permanent Under Secretary of the FCDO. Lindy brings enormous experience across the fields of diplomacy, development and national security, and a reputation for dynamic leadership in postings across the world, most recently as High Commissioner in India,” Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, said in a statement published Thursday by the FCDO.
Miliband added: “Lindy will lead an FCDO committed to promoting British values and interests by deploying the full talents of our amazing, dedicated and renowned staff, who it has been my privilege to get to know over the past couple of months.”
Cameron will be the first female Permanent Under Secretary at the FCDO. The equivalent role within the Indian system is that of the Foreign Secretary.
Cameron assumed her role as High Commissioner to India in April 2024, and as the top British diplomat in the country oversaw the visit of then Prime Minister Keir Starmer to India in October 2025.
During her tenure, India and the United Kingdom announced the conclusion of the negotiations for a free trade agreement in May 2025, which was operationalised in July 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also travelled to the United Kingdom in July 2025, signifying the intensification of high-level visits between both countries in recent years.
On her appointment to the role as Permanent Under Secretary, Cameron said, “I’ve seen first hand what a difference we can make to every corner of the UK – delivering growth, security and opportunity, as we have done in partnership with India during my time here as High Commissioner. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in India and I will be sad to leave, but I can’t wait to get started on this new challenge.”
Cameron will remain in her current post till 19 October, following which she will return to London to assume her new role. Before being appointed as High Commissioner to India, Cameron was CEO of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre for four years between 2020 and 2024. She had served in the Northern Ireland office as Director General between 2019 and 2020. Her civil service career also included stints in Kabul and Baghdad.
Cameron’s tenure will be for at least five years, according to the statement published by the FCDO. She comes into the role after her predecessor, Olly Robbins, was fired earlier this year over the scandal that emerged on the appointment of Peter Mandelson to the post of UK’s Ambassador to the US last year. Mandelson, seen as a close associate of convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was given security clearance by the UK Foreign Office last year, despite warnings from security officials who vetted the appointment.
The former British Ambassador to the US is said to have concealed the extent of his ties with Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019.
The friendship between Mandelson and Epstein continued long after the American financier was first convicted in 2008, as was made evident last year after Epstein’s emails were made public. Mandelson was accused of sharing with Epstein official correspondence including a tip-off of the potential EUR 500 billion bailout in the works by the European Union to save the ailing Euro in May 2010. The bailout was announced the following day.
Then Prime Minister Starmer defended his role in the Mandelson’s appointment, deflecting the blame to Robbins, the senior-most civil service officer in the foreign office. Starmer was accused of misleading the British Parliament, when he had defended the appointment process, and repeatedly said he was left in the dark over the results of the vetting.
Robbins was fired in April this year and launched legal proceedings against his dismissal in July. Nick Dyer has been the interim Permanent Under Secretary for the last few months, while the FCDO was vetting candidates for Robbins’ replacement.
The UK also witnessed the replacement of another Prime Minister in the middle of their term, with Starmer making way for incumbent Prime Minister Andy Burnham in July after the Mandelson affair damaged Starmer’s credibility.
(Edired by Amrtansh Arora)
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