Premier hails ‘reset’ with Britain

Britain is seeking a “reset” of relations with the Virgin Islands and other overseas territories, Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said following discussions in London between United Kingdom ministers and OT heads.

The annual Joint Ministerial Council gathering also appeared to cede a win for Mr. Wheatley on his plan to limit access to a expanded company register despite some UK leaders’ view that it should be fully public.

During meetings with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy at the summit last week, Mr. Wheatley said he detected a “positive and constructive” attitude as the JMC discussed issues like the climate crisis and combating illicit finance.

“It was the first JMC to be organised by the new Labour government, which I believe made a genuine effort to reset the relationship,” Mr. Wheatley told a press conference on Tuesday.

Also during the meetings, the premier said, the OTs called for a review of the legal basis for the UK-OT relationship and a new White Paper setting out UK government policy toward the territories.

“In terms of tangible outcomes, the UK expressed its openness to the constitutional relationship evolving to be more democratic,” he added.

Sir Keir’s speech

The British prime minister, who took office in July after a landslide Labour victory ended 14 years of Conservative rule, told OT leaders about his plans to “reset” the UK-OT relationship.

“That’s part of a bigger piece of work that we’re doing resetting on the international stage — being clear about the role of the UK in an ever more volatile world — but that does include the reset with you,” he said at the end of the two-day gathering.

Sir Keir also suggested that the Labour government is open to ceding more autonomy for the OTs.

“I am able to promise you Britain’s unwavering support,” he said. “That is an ironclad commitment to democratic autonomy and your right to self-determination. And although there are a lot of miles between us, … we have a shared history, shared values and a shared commitment to democracy and the rule of law.”

Company registers

On Tuesday, Mr. Wheatley also provided an update on talks surrounding his government’s plan to launch a more transparent company register by mid-2025.

Despite recent criticism from Labour and Tory parliamentarians who have called for fully public registers in all OTs, Mr. Wheatley reiterated his position that only people with a “legitimate interest” will be permitted to access the VI’s expanded register.

“The UK recognised the OTs’ commitment to implementing accessible registers of beneficial ownership information on a legitimate-interest basis and the need for this to maintain the necessary safeguards to protect the right to privacy in line with our constitutions,” he said.

A joint communiqué issued by the UK and the OTs after the JMC elaborated further on the issue.

“We commit to improving our corporate transparency by completing plans to implement accessible registers of beneficial ownership, with some territories implementing registers with legitimate interest access and others implementing fully publicly accessible registers,” the document states. “We note the UK government’s ambition that Publicly Accessible Registers of Beneficial Ownership (PARBOs) become a global norm and its expectation that overseas territories and crown dependencies implement full PARBOs.”

Despite noting this UK goal, however, the communiqué also noted commitments by the VI, Anguilla, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands to implement “Legitimate Interest Access Registers of Beneficial Ownership” with maximum possible access and transparency while also protecting the right to privacy in line with their constitutions.

Order in council

Mr. Wheatley also expressed confidence that next year the UK will lift the controversial order in council that allows it to implement direct rule here if UK leaders decide the VI government hasn’t fully completed the reforms recommended by the 2022 Commission of Inquiry report.

“I welcome the steps outlined by the Overseas Territories Minister Stephen Doughty to bring the good governance reform programme to a close and lift the order in council pending on a final quarterly review by the governor and a UK ministerial assessment in the first half of 2025,” he said.

The premier added that he is “confident” that the VI government has done the necessary work to justify the removal of the order in council.

Mr. Wheatley said the UK also reaffirmed its commitment to security in the OTs with a focus on “critical areas” such as gun crime, gang violence and irregular migration.

In the joint communiqué, the OTs also welcomed the UK government’s commitment to five “principles” to guide its relationship with the OT governments:

• • “devolution and democratic autonomy” for the OTs;
• • listening to the territories under the framework of “nothing about you without you;”
• • partnership based on “mutual respect and inclusion” by “all UK government departments,” with the understanding that “rights come with responsibilities, including the responsibility to uphold our common values;”
• • good governance, democratic accountability and regulation; and
• • defending the OTs’ “security, autonomy and rights, including the right of self-determination.”

Climate change

Green issues were also highlighted in the communiqué.

“We acknowledge that the overseas territories are on the frontline of the climate crisis and are vulnerable to its impacts such as from extended hurricane seasons in the Caribbean,” the document states. “We recognise the unique contribution the overseas territories make to the UK’s ambitions on climate.”