London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Is the governor answerable to BVI residents? Rankin says yes

Is the governor answerable to BVI residents? Rankin says yes

Governor John Rankin has denied that he is not accountable in any way to residents of the BVI.

During a recent hearing of the Commission of Inquiry (COI), Sir Geoffrey Cox — who represents the Attorney General and ministers of government — said decisions taken by Governor Rankin are not subject to any kind of democratic pressure from the BVI. Sir Geoffrey further suggested that this can create some level of friction.

“If part of the executive authority, part of the government in effect, is not subject to democratic pressure and scrutiny, it’s not therefore driven or has to be driven by — inevitably to an extent — those pressures,” Sir Geoffrey said.

But Governor Rankin refuted this, noting that although he’s subject to directions from the Secretary of State in the United Kingdom, this doesn’t mean that he’s not subject to some degree of accountability in the Virgin Islands.

“I am bound by the constitution and constrained by the constitution. I am subject to British Virgin Islands law like any other person in this territory,” the governor said.

Governor Rankin explained that he can be sued, judicially reviewed, be questioned in Cabinet about positions he has taken and even receive questions and challenges from members of the House of Assembly, among other things.

“While I am not democratically accountable like a minister is to the House of Assembly, all of those are ways in which I feel I can be held accountable and indeed am held accountable by people here in the BVI,” Governor Rankin reasoned.

Powers


Speaking to the issue of constitutional powers, Governor Rankin said most of these are devolved to the elected government.

He further noted that although he can advise, caution and make recommendations at the Cabinet level, if a decision is made in Cabinet which he believes to be a poor or wrong decision, he can say so but has no power of veto.

“Cabinet can override my advice in any matter which is outside my special responsibilities and those are Cabinet decisions over which I as governor, however bad I think the decisions may be, I cannot override. They are solely the responsibility of the elected government,” Governor Rankin said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×