Lorna Smith crosses aisle again

After less than five months on the opposition, At-Large Representative Lorna Smith has once again crossed the floor in a surprise move that strengthens Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley’s government by doubling its one-person majority in the House of Assembly.

During a Tuesday Facebook broadcast alongside Ms. Smith, the premier said he will ask Governor Daniel Pruce to appoint her as a “minister of state” with responsibility for financial services and economic development.

“This is a senior role within the government, necessary to both reflect her experience and reinforce her position when dealing with external stakeholders,” Mr. Wheatley said.

The “minister of state” position, however, doesn’t exist in the Virgin Islands, and Mr. Wheatley later acknowledged in an interview with JTV that he hopes to establish it through a constitutional amendment that will require the United Kingdom’s stamp of approval.

Currently, the Constitution provides for five government ministers who sit in Cabinet and two junior ministers who don’t.

On Tuesday, the premier signalled that he had freed up one of the junior minister roles: First District Representative Karl Dawson, he said, had stepped down from his role as junior minister of agriculture and fisheries.

But the “minister of state” role the premier described for Ms. Smith includes powers not typically granted to junior ministers, including invitations to participate in “critical Cabinet meetings” and relevant gatherings of the National Security Council.

New duties

New duties Mr. Wheatley did not explain the technicalities of Ms. Smith’s position pending the proposed constitutional changes, but he said she will have direct oversight of the Financial Services Commission, the International Tax Authority, BVI Finance and the Virgin Islands Trade Commission.

“In her role, [Ms.] Smith will be responsible for financial services, including domestic banking, economic diversification and investment promotion, and trade and investment, including shared responsibility for climate finance,” he said.

“The expansion of the Virgin Islands’ small and medium-sized enterprises sector will also be within her remit.”

The ministry, he added, will also be responsible for business regulation, economic planning and consumer affairs.

Reconciliation

The announcement signals a reconciliation between the premier and Ms. Smith, who last October was unceremoniously sacked from her previous government role of deputy premier and minister of financial services, labour and trade.

Ms. Smith angrily criticised the move at the time, but Mr. Wheatley told the Beacon in January that he had dismissed her in part because he was not sure she would back him in a confidence vote the opposition had been trying to call against his government since last September.

This week, Mr. Wheatley told the Beacon that he expects Ms. Smith — whose move increases his government’s majority to eight of the HOA’s 13 seats — to back him in any future attempt to oust him.

“I have confidence that she would vote against a vote of no confidence,” he said. Ms. Smith — who previously sparked controversy when she left her National Democratic Party colleagues behind to help Mr. Wheatley form a government in the wake of the 2023 election — said she is putting aside personal interests for the greater good.

“We face turbulent times,” she said during the Tuesday broadcast with the premier.

“We must therefore rise above political differences and stand together for the good of our people. These days demand unity, responsibility and unwavering commitment to service.”

The premier also called for unity in the face of international pressure.

“We are … currently assessing the potential impact of tariffs by major countries on our local economy and how we can mitigate their effects on families and businesses,” he said.

“These are strange and uncertain times, and we need all hands on deck to manage the global economic headwinds ahead of us.”

Mr. Wheatley also thanked Mr. Dawson and Ms. Smith for “putting country first.”

Though Mr. Dawson lost his junior minister position, he will replace opposition member Stacy Mather as deputy speaker of the House, the premier said.

Though a member of government typically holds the deputy speaker role, it was given to Mr. Mather after the 2023 election because all seven members of government at the time were ministers or junior ministers — who are blocked from holding the deputy speaker role under the Constitution.

Ms. Smith’s addition to the government bench this week frees up one member from holding a ministerial role, thereby allowing Mr. Dawson to take on the deputy speaker role.

Ms. Smith and Opposition Leader Ronnie Skelton did not immediately respond to requests for comment.