London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Premier questions if blatant UK corruption is benchmark for VI’s good governance

Premier questions if blatant UK corruption is benchmark for VI’s good governance

Virgin Islands (VI) Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) has called out the blatant corruption in the United Kingdom’s management of its COVID-19 pandemic and asked whether that is the benchmark the Virgin Islands (VI) should follow for good governance.

Premier Fahie’s statement and questions came as he appeared before the UK-funded Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Hearing Day 47 on October 12, 2021.

VI being unfairly judged on a different standard- Premier Fahie


According to the Premier, his comparison was necessary given that governments of the BVI are being judged based on how the UK Government handles certain issues.

Hon Fahie said when it comes to assessment COVID-19 handling, the VI should be on equal footing with that of the UK, given both countries have experienced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet a CoI has been imposed on the VI, when the UK Government has indicated that it is not ready for one.

He said around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the healthcare system and economies of global economies and still continues to do so, and that it forced the VI, like other governments, to adopt extraordinary measures and procedures.

Hon Fahie, therefore, called for 'Parity and Equity to be afforded to the VI, given it is faced with a pandemic just like the UK Government.

Premier Fahie’s statement and questions came as he appeared before the UK-funded VI Commission of Inquiry (CoI), while in discussion with Commissioner, Sir Gary R. Hickinbottom during hearing Day 47, today, October 12, 2021.


VI seeking 'parity' with UK on COVID-19 handling


"Even though, when you look t the track record of the UK government who called this Commission of Inquiry, how it has handled its economic stimulus and social programmes, how it has failed to have accountability, transparency and value for money, and other governance issues surrounding COVID-19, I think you will find that the BVI with our imperfections do not fail or fall into that same barrel as the UK," he said.

Hon Fahie admitted that while the VI and the UK have made a few mistakes regarding its handling of the pandemic, he said there remains no evidence of the high level of blatant corruption in his government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as is the case with the UK under the leadership of the Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson administration.

Hon Fahie in his presentation used an example that pointed to the blatant nepotism to access UK government funding in the billions under Johnson's Government and said that in the VI, the Fahie administration has never been involved in any such practice.

Who is the benchmark for good governance? - Premier asks


The Premier asked rhetorically, "I am appealing to you commissioner in the context of whom is the BVI suppose to pattern and set our good governance benchmarks and standards and against who's standards and benchmarks in the BVI's governance is going to be measured?"

"If it is the UK's, then I can tell you that we have no VIP lane for party supporters in our governance system as an official policy, so therefore if its the UK standard, then the BVI would have exceeded those standards by several thousand percentage points," Hon Fahie said.

More details on the Premier's presentation before the CoI to come.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×