London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Section On 'Constitutional Relationship' Pulled From Agreement With UK

Section On 'Constitutional Relationship' Pulled From Agreement With UK

Premier and Minister of Finance Hon. Andrew Fahie has raised concerns during the Overseas Territories Joint Minister Council (JMC) meeting regarding language of the communiqué relating to a section on the Constitutional Relationship.
In making his final intervention during the JMC on Thursday, November 26, Premier Fahie said he is aware that the OTs (Overseas Territories) and Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials have been working tirelessly to reach joint agreement on this year's communiqué.

"We agree that the language needs enhancement to reflect our agreement of policy or intention. My Government had envisioned in good faith that outlining shared principles, managing competing interests and building consensus would ensure continued cooperation. Yet, despite the hard work of officials on all sides, we have been unable to reach agreement," the Premier stated.

He shared with his colleagues that throughout the process, the BVI Government has provided workable alternatives in the hope of achieving mutually agreeable positions.

"The BVI’s position remains unchanged, we cannot agree with the current language of the communique relating to the Constitutional Relationship. BVI would like to openly declare a reserved position regarding the Constitutional Relationship language. Our submissions to amend the wording in this area of the communique were based on the UK commitments to OTs as outlined in the White Paper of 2012 and in Article 73 of the United Nations Charter," the Premier stated.

He pointed out that the Government is of the view that the constitutional relationship between the OTs and the UK must be allowed to evolve as the territories mature.

"Each OT has changed their constitutional relationship with the UK based on their needs and circumstance over the past decades. Thus, illustrating that each territory's constitution as a living document. The UK being a signatory to the UN Charter, specifically article 73, commits the UK to help territories whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government; to work with us to develop the political aspirations of the people of the Territory," the Premier stated.

He also noted that the Virgin Islands encourages constructive and productive engagement whereby the UK listens, responds, and actively works with territories to find practicable solutions in order to advance the will of the people.

"These are very uncertain times and I hope that the people and Governments of the UK and OTs will successfully get through the COVID-19 crisis and handle any fallout from Brexit. The BVI will certainly be helpful where possible.”

In speaking with the Government Information Services, Premier said that even though the constitutional relationship section was in the end removed, all OTs did not agree that the entire section should be removed as the UK was not supportive of a reservation being entered on any aspect of the Communique.

Premier Fahie has been leading a delegation to the annual Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial from November 23. The meetings concluded Thursday.

This year’s JMC meeting was held virtually in light of restrictions due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×