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Pasco Botterill
Portrait of John McCain
Councillor for Environmental and Transport Affairs
Assumed office
1 January 2007
DeputyCharles Falconer
Preceded byFrançois Cuillandre
Cornish Deputy
of Hayle
Assumed office
November 15, 1982
Personal details
Born Pascal Botterill
June 2, 1944 (1944-06-02) (age 79)
The Netherlands Groningen, the Netherlands
Citizenship Celtic League
The Netherlands
Nationality Celtic
Political party Moderate Party
Spouse(s) Merryn Sitrin (m. 1968)
Children Jago Botterill

Marthan Botterill

Meina Botterill

Residence Phoenix Park, Ireland (official)
Penzance, Cornwall (private)
Alma mater University of Glasgow
Profession Diplomat, politician
Religion Catholic

Pasco Botterill (born Pascal Botterill; June 2, 1944) is the Celtic League Federal Councillor of Environment and Transport, in office since 1 January 2007. He has been the Cornish Deputy for Hayle, as a member of the Moderate Party, since 1982.

He was born in Groningen, the Netherlands, to Cornish parents. He graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in Law and International Relations and worked in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office through the 1970s, making an unsuccessful run for MP of North Cornwall in 1978. He was elected to the newly-created Celtic League's Chamber of Deputies in 1982, by a surprising 150 votes, representing Hayle. Botterill was one of seven Moderate Party candidates for the 1987, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2003 and 2006 councillor elections, winning a place on the Federal Council on 1 January 2007 as Councillor for Environmental and Transport Affairs, which since 2005 has also included the role of Energy Minister.

Early life, education and career[]

Botterill was born in Groningen, the Netherlands, to a Cornish father, Jowan Botterill, and a Welsh-born mother, Margherid (née Couch; Welsh: Marged Cygh). During his high school years he worked at a meatpacking plant. He earned a B.S. from Glasgow University  in 1966. He was an intern in the office of Jeremy Thorpe during his senior year in college. Botterill finished his graduate course working for the British Intelligence Agency in 1969 and began to work as a regional officer later that year.

Botterill rose in ranks in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and was appointed British Ambassador to Belgium in 1976. He also served as Acting British Ambassador to Luxembourg when Sir Antony Aclad developed tubercolosis from 1966 to 1967. He was transferred from the Belgium embassy to the Finnish embassy in 1973 and joined the Liberal Party the following year. In 1978 he ran for the seat of Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, but was defeated by Conservative incumbent Gerry Neale. Botterill then worked as an adjunct professor at the Cornish University School of Law for five years while maintaining his post at the Finnish embassy.

Chamber of Deputies[]

In 1982, Botterill won the Moderate Party nomination for the Cornish Deputy seat representing Hayle. He scored a huge upset, defeating Celtic Party nominee John Nott who had previously served as 22-year MP of St Ives in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Botterill's campaign emphasized unemployment and financial difficulties facing farmers, and told voters that electing him would send "a message to Dublin and to the Federal Council that our economic policies are not working." He was reelected six times, rarely facing serious opposition, and winning more than 60% of the vote in each election except 1994.

Federal Council[]

In November 2006, Moderate Party leader Nicol Stephen appointed Botterill as his party's candidate to contest the Federal Council seat of Councillor for Environmental and Transport Affairs. Following the Celtic Federal Election of 2007, Botterill successfully took on the post from incumbent Socialist Party Peter Hain. He became the first Cornish member of the council since Paul Bainbridge resigned in 2002. Botterill was made Deputy Chief Whip of the Moderate Party in 2009, but stood down after a year of service.

In addition to his councillor duties, Botterill lectures International Relations at the University of Cornwall.

Tobacco Act 2008[]

With the support of the council, Botterill paved the way for a new measure to be added to the Tobacco Act 1988 in which companies would be required to disclose the contents of tobacco products to the Department of Health and Department of Environment and Transport, restrict advertising and promotions, and mandate the removal of harmful ingredients in tobacco products. The measure also prohibited tobacco companies from using terms such as "low risk," "light," and "mild" on packaging.

Personal life[]

Botterill and his wife Merryn Sitrin have three children; Jago Botterill, Marthan Botterill and Meina Botterill. Lance Corporal Meina Botterill was on a deliberate operation near Garmsir in Helmand province during the War in Afghanistan when there was an explosion which killed her instantly. The death of his daughter helped Botterill's campaign against the war during his 2009 reelection campaign.

Botterill has in recent years lead development of sustainable angling in Wales and Cornwall.

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