The former head of the abortive probe into suspected bribery linked to a BAE Systems arms deal with Saudi Arabia is to lead an anti-corruption team in a Caribbean tax haven that has been shocked by Britain’s imposition of direct rule.

Helen Garlick has begun work in the Turks and Caicos Islands this week as part of a wider British clampdown on governance, which is being watched closely in other overseas territory offshore centres dealing with graft allegations, such as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.