London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Deciding Belongership should stay with local gov’t, Premier tells UK

Deciding Belongership should stay with local gov’t, Premier tells UK

Premier Andrew Fahie has made it clear to the United Kingdom that issues such as Belongership should not be abolished or taken out of the hands of the local government.
Fahie said he shared that position at the recent Overseas Territories (OT) Joint Ministerial Council meeting with the UK government.

Fahie also noted at the two-day meeting that happened earlier this month that no immigration or electoral changes that will change the political landscape and upset the social balance of the Virgin Islands should be imposed on the territory.

The issue of Belongership has been a major topic in recent weeks and Fahie said it was a main talking point during the OTs meeting; not only with the Virgin Islands but among other British Overseas Territories.

“One of the questions that the OT ministers had across the board was the concern about Belongership status. It was hinged on concerns from a foreign affairs committee report a few years ago which stated that one of the recommendations is for British citizens to be able to have status in all OTs and be able to become a Belonger of that OT because they are British. They would be able to vote and even hold office,” the Premier stated.

Fahie said this concerned OT leaders because the UK’s population is approximately 66 million people and this might pose a threat to the individuality of the OTs.

“You don’t even need 66 million people. You just need one million to come and absorb all the OTs and then if that happens you wouldn’t have any more Anguilla, anymore Bermuda, anymore Virgin Islands. Wherever there is an OT, that ethnic background which makes up the indigenous people wouldn’t be there anymore,” Fahie added.

He said there were questions on whether the recommendations on Belongership in the report were an indication of Britain’s Global Strategy. However, the Premier said the UK government has since said they would clarify the information provided to alleviate the concerns of the various leaders.

He further said there was no clear indication that the recommendations in the report would be followed through.

“We just want them to know that is a concern we are having and people of Anguilla, Montserrat and the Virgin Islands are concerned about that. This was a holistic concern by the OTs. Another concern was how do we continue to keep our ethnicity as a people of these territories while still adhering to what we need to adhere to by the UK being that we are still an Overseas Territory for now,” the Premier said.

“That is what precipitated the discussion into how we look at our future relationship with the UK. We have had fruitful and positive discussions about that. However, I’m going to wait on the information to be provided to the Governor which they promised to me as the Premier. Then we are going to be able to come to the people and say this is definitely something off the table or what direction they are going to take. That is what the Belomgership discussion came to,” Fahie added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×