London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 22, 2026

CoI: UK unable to let go of colonial legacy as ‘rule setters’ - Daniel F. Davies

CoI: UK unable to let go of colonial legacy as ‘rule setters’ - Daniel F. Davies

Silk Legal Attorney-at-Law, Mr Daniel F. Davies has called out the double standards of the United Kingdom (UK) government to execute a Commission of Inquiry into governance in the Virgin Islands (VI), yet rejecting an inquiry into its own disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the same pandemic given as the reason.

Mr Davies, a Virgin Islander, appearing on the May 4, 2021, edition of the ‘Honestly Speaking’ radio show on ZBVI 780 AM, told show moderator Claude O. Skelton-Cline that if a CoI now is not the right time in the UK it cannot be right to execute one on the Virgin Islands that is facing the same pandemic.

Commissioner Gary R. Hickinbottom, left, and Press Secretary Mr Steven Chandler, right are the current faces of the VI CoI being executed on the Andrew A. Fahie Government.


‘I reject the way CoI is being conducted’ – Davies


“As a Virgin Islander, I also reject the way in which this Commission of Inquiry is being conducted, it should be a public inquiry. If this is a democratic institution, which it should be in line with our constitution, how is it the public does not generally know what is going on?” he questioned.

He said currently, the CoI appears to only be releasing information at the will of the commissioner.

"By allowing the commissioner to publicise certain things, it is allowing the United Kingdom to dictate the narrative,” he went on to say.

Further, Davies illustrated that the UK CoI is headquartered at 22 Whitehall, London in the UK; meaning, that the UK Government is in their house trying to sort out VI’s businesses from outside the territory.

The CoI was announced by controversial ex-governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert, who was accused of trying to bully the democratically elected government headed by Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1) and causing a strain in the relationship between government and the electorate.


UK unable to let go of colonial past – Davies


“One of the reasons why the United Kingdom has gone through the BREXIT process is because they are tired of being rule-takers… they want to be rule setters,” he said.

According to Mr Davies, the UK has no right to be setting rules, especially when they seem unable to run their own house in terms of their affairs in the UK.

“It's as if they are still very interested in their colonial past, it seems to be they want to a rule setter as a part of the colonial legacy that they are unable to let go of, despite the sun setting on the British Empire long ago,” Davies said.

The CoI was announced by controversial ex-governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert, who was accused of trying to bully the democratically elected government headed by Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1) and causing a strain in the relationship between government and the electorate. Mr Jaspert was also accused of trying to bully the legislature when he reportedly attempted to dictate to the Speaker to call a sitting of the House of Assembly (HoA).

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Petrol Bombs Set Luxury Cars Alight Outside Birmingham Wedding as Police Hunt Three Men
Bitcoin Surges Toward $80,000 as Short Squeeze and ETF Inflows Ignite Crypto Rally
Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million Toward Daily Mail Publisher’s Legal Costs
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Plan Return to Britain With Their Children
UK Court Ruling Threatens Deportation Plans for Potential Trafficking Victims to Albania
Kemi Badenoch Presses UK Government for Decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw Oil Fields
UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Calls for Ban on Goods from Occupied West Bank
Andy Burnham Government to Place Civil Servants Directly in English Mayoral Offices
Met Office Warns Major El Niño Could Bring Stormier, Wetter Autumn to UK
UK Economy Gains Unexpected Momentum Ahead of Andy Burnham Government’s First Budget
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
UK Retail Sentiment Improves as Summer Spending Boosts Consumer Confidence
UK Aid Cuts Draw Warnings From Charities Over Humanitarian Consequences
UK Financial Conduct Authority Issues Guidance for Motor Finance Redress Scheme
UK Met Office Launches Aviation Programme to Reduce Climate Impact of Persistent Contrails
Former UK Civil Service Chief Received Record 500,000 Pound Severance Payment
West Midlands to Bring Bus Network Under Public Franchising Model
UK Government Drops Plan to Relax Affordable Housing Requirements After Backlash
×