New minister role could be first for OTs

Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley’s bid to create a new “minister of state” role in his government could be an attempt to expand the Cabinet “through the back door,” according to an expert on the United Kingdom overseas territories.

“I don’t believe such a position exists in any of the other British OTs in the Caribbean, although it is certainly part of the political lexicon in several Commonwealth countries, including of course the UK,” said Peter Clegg, a professor at the University of the West of England who has studied the OTs for more than 20 years.

After announcing At-large Representative Lorna Smith’s return to government last week, Mr. Wheatley said he plans to ask Governor Daniel Pruce to appoint her as a “minister of state” with responsibility for financial services and economic development.

But no such position exists in the Virgin Islands, and Mr. Wheatley acknowledged in a subsequent interview with JTV that it would need to be established through a constitutional amendment that would require UK approval.

The existing Constitution provides for five government ministers who sit in Cabinet and two junior ministers who don’t.

Last week, 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 to become deputy speaker.

But the new “minister of state” role the premier hopes to create 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.

“Many of the suggested portfolio areas [Mr. Wheatley listed] for the minister of state are pretty fundamental and arguably should be overseen by one of the five Cabinet ministers,” Mr. Clegg told the Beacon. “Could the suggestion of a minister of state be seen as securing a sixth Cabinet minister through the back door? Making such a change is possible but would be unusual — arguably unprecedented.”

In the UK

The professor said the role of minister of state was first introduced into the British system in 1945 and sits just below a cabinet minister and above a parliamentary under-secretary of state and a parliamentary private secretary in the UK.

“A minister of state in the BVI government would not be an integrated part of that ministerial infrastructure seen in larger governments, such as the UK,” he said. “So arguably it would not be a comfortable fit in the BVI structure of government.”

Mr. Wheatley’s approach may be designed to curry favour with London for the change he wants, Mr. Clegg said.

“It is also noteworthy that the premier is aiming to retain the same number of ministers, even though he wants to change the power and responsibilities of one of them,” he said. “This might make it easier for the UK government to accept.”

Though the UK has permitted related reforms in OTs in the past, it has never signed off on a move precisely analogous to the one proposed by Mr. Wheatley, according to the professor.

“There have been constitutional changes in the OTs that have altered the number of government ministers. It is not a direct match to what is being suggested in the BVI, but it is not necessarily that far off either,” Mr. Clegg said.

“The governor could authorise the suggested change with the agreement of the FCDO.”

The academic, however, added that a decision on any such change is likely to take several months at least.

Skelton’s take

Opposition Leader Ronnie Skelton told the Beacon that the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office may block such a constitutional change due to lingering tensions over the implementation of Commission of Inquiry recommendations.

“With the COI stuff, I don’t know how receptive they would be,” he added.

For his part, Mr. Skelton said he has no hard feelings about Ms. Smith re-joining the government and increasing its majority to eight of the 13 HOA members.

“Lorna has been around for a long, long time,” he said. “She, like me, is getting up in age, and we want to make an impact. She will want to go wherever she thinks she can to make an impact in a short space of time. But I don’t think I am upset with her.”

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

Guv to respond soon

The FCDO directed Beacon enquiries on the “minister of state” plan to the Governor’s Office, which said yesterday that the governor “will reply to the premier concerning this matter shortly.”

Mr. Wheatley and Ms. Smith did not respond to requests for comment.