London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 16, 2025

British Virgin Islands: UK minister dispatched for friendly invasion talks

British Virgin Islands: UK minister dispatched for friendly invasion talks

But the British overseas territory's acting leader says it opposes calls for the UK to impose colonialism again and to cancel constitution.

The UK government has sent a minister to the British Virgin Islands after an inquiry called for a return of UK rule.

In a turbulent week for the overseas territory, its leader Andrew Fahie was arrested in the US for alleged drug trafficking and money laundering.

After his arrest, a report led by a British judge was released recommending direct rule be imposed from London due to corruption concerns.

But the acting leader of the BVI has said he opposes the UK taking control.

The BVI is a British overseas territory home to more than 35,000 people and made up of more than 40 islands, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico.

It operates as a parliamentary democracy, with the premier acting as the head of the elected government alongside the governor, who is appointed by the UK government and represents the Queen.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Amanda Milling, the minister for overseas territories, was travelling to the territory for talks with BVI governor John Rankin and other senior figures on Saturday.

She said the UK government would outline the next steps for the island's governance following the discussions.

Mr Rankin, who it is recommended should take over the rule of the territory, has said his main concern would be the best interests of the BVI's population.

However, acting premier Natalio Wheatley has said the territory opposes efforts by London to impose direct rule.

"What this would mean in real terms is that there would be no more elected representatives who represent the people of the districts and the territory in the House of Assembly where laws are made for our society," he said.

"There also would be no government ministers to advance the public's priorities or a cabinet to approve policy. All of this authority would be vested in the governor."

He told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight the BVI could address governance problems without resorting to UK direct rule - and said he did not believe the BVI's people wanted to see the constitution suspended.

"Every country in the world has challenges with governance, including the UK," he said.

Mr Wheatley said he had had productive talks with Ms Milling and was expecting those to continue when she arrived in the territory on Saturday, although he said some conversations might be "uncomfortable".

Andrew Fahie was arrested in Miami by US authorities on drug and money laundering charges


The crisis facing the islands was brought to a head on Thursday when it emerged Mr Fahie had been arrested by the US Drug Enforcement Agency in Miami.

He was detained alongside the head of the BVI's ports Oleanvine Maynard, whose son was also arrested in connection with the case.

They have been charged with cocaine trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies after appearing by video link at a Florida court on Friday, US prosecutors confirmed. They will remain in custody until a bond hearing on Wednesday.

Mr Fahie is accused of agreeing a $700,000 (£560,000) payment to allow traffickers to use BVI ports with an undercover informant, charges filed in the US said.

Questions about governance in the territory pre-dated the arrests, with long-standing concerns over state corruption and misuse of taxpayers' money, but the news expedited the release of an inquiry about how best to address them.

The report, commissioned in 2021 and led by British judge Sir Gary Hickinbottom, described the state of governance in the BVI as "appallingly bad", but is not directly connected to the arrest of the premier.

It recommended the UK government suspend the overseas territory's constitution and implement home rule for at least two years, meaning the islands would effectively be returned to direct rule from London.


'Uncomfortable conversations'


After instructing Ms Milling to travel to the BVI, Ms Truss described the arrests as "extremely concerning" and argued they demonstrated the need for "urgent action".

She said the inquiry showed "clearly that substantial legislative and constitutional change is required to restore the standards of governance".

Ms Truss added that overseas territories formed a "core part of the UK family" and the government was "committed to the security and wellbeing of the people of the British Virgin Islands".

In a televised statement on Friday, governor Mr Rankin pledged that his overriding concern would be the best interests of the people of the BVI - "ensuring transparent, honest and open governance".

Leaks of documents known as the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers previously revealed the islands to be a popular tax haven.

British overseas territories are regions which have retained a constitutional and historical link to the UK - these include Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.

Most are largely self-autonomous with their own governments but the UK retains responsibility for their defence and foreign relations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
×