Ed Butler (British Army officer)
Brigadier Edward Adam Butler is a former British Army officer who commanded Task Force Helmand, and serves as Prime Warden Goldsmith for 2025/26.
Early life
The younger son of the Rt Hon. Sir Adam Butler and Felicity Molesworth-St Aubyn, his grandfather was the prominent Conservative politician "Rab" Butler (later Lord Butler of Saffron Walden KG).Butler was educated at Eton College before going up to read Politics and International Relations at the University of Exeter. He later pursued postgraduate studies at Cranfield University.
Military career
In August 1984, Butler was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets. He was mentioned in dispatches while on active service in Northern Ireland in November 1991 and twice received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service; first for his service in the former Republic of Yugoslavia in the autumn of 1997 and again for his service in Sierra Leone in summer 2000.He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his actions in Afghanistan as the Commanding Officer of 22 Special Air Service during 2001 and 2002. He became Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade in 2004, in which role he was deployed as Commander of Task Force Helmand in April 2006. He went on to be Chief, Joint Force Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters in December 2006 before retiring in December 2008, citing family reasons.
After leaving the British Army Butler became Chief Executive of Corporates for Crisis, a business providing advice for companies operating in difficult places, and then Chairman of and latterly Senior Advisor to S-RM, an intelligence and risk consulting business. In July 2019 he was interviewed for a BBC Radio 4 Analysis programme, as Head of Risk Analysis at Pool Re, working there until 2022. Since 2016 Butler has served as a Senior Independent Advisor to EDF Energy Nuclear Generation, and as a Senior Advisor to reinsurance brokers Northcourt Ltd and Gallos Technologies since 2022.
Personal life
Butler and his wife, Sophie, have two children:- Robin, born 1994;
- Octavia, born 1996.