London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Virgin Islands braces for Brexit after Tory sweep in UK

British voters sent a strong message at the polls last Thursday in a historic election, giving the Conservative Party a green light to carry out its promise to “get Brexit done” right away.

Though the landslide victory means uncertainty for the Virgin Islands and other overseas territories in some areas, one thing is clear: Local leaders can now operate on the assumption that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union soon.

“Once Brexit is complete, the UK and EU will begin negotiations on a new relationship that centres on free trade,” said Benito Wheatley, a special envoy of Premier Andrew Fahie and a policy fellow for the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge. “The new UK-EU relationship will also include the overseas territories.”

In preparation for Brexit, VI Governor Augustus Jaspert said Tuesday that the territory will need to vocally represent its interests.

This advocacy, he said, likely will include pushing Britain to agree to pick up on EU-funded projects and ensuring the Schengen visas that facilitate EU travel continue to be available to the VI citizens.

“What’s this mean for the BVI? How to position itself ? What relationship does it want to have with the UK as well?” Mr. Jaspert said. “As the UK goes through its change in relationship with the EU, the OTs are a key part of the British family.”


Celebrating

Speaking from Downing Street the day after the election, Prime Minister Boris Johnson celebrated the win, which handed his Tories an un- expected 80-seat majority in the House of Commons.

“Thank you for the trust you have placed in us and in me,” Mr. Johnson told voters. “We will work round the clock to repay your trust and to deliver on your priorities with a parliament that works for you.”

One of the challenges facing Mr. Johnson now is uniting a country bitterly divided by Brexit.

He urged, “As we work together with the EU as friends and sovereign equals in tackling climate change and terrorism, in building academic and scientific cooperation, in redoubling our trading relationship, I frankly urge everyone on either side … to find closure and to let the healing begin.”

Dr. Peter Clegg, a professor of politics and international relations at the University of the West of England, told the Beacon that the Conservatives’ large majority will both give them a boost in pushing forward policy and put more responsibility on their shoulders.

“I think it gives [Conservatives] great confidence to do what they want to do,” Dr. Clegg said. “They have a clear mandate, at least according to the electoral system we have, that they can govern alone.”

Mr. Johnson is now charged with forming a new government to lead parliament. Unlike after the 2017 election, the Conservatives do not have to work with a smaller party to form a coalition.

Today, the Queen will formally reopen parliament by out- lining the government’s legislative agenda. Brexit is al-ready at the top of the Conservative Party’s list of goals.

During his speech, Mr. Johnson highlighted the party’s self-imposed deadline of Jan. 31 to formally exit the EU, and members of parliament could vote on a proposed Brexit bill as soon as tomorrow.

Dr. Clegg said any agreements with the EU will likely have to conclude before the end of 2020 per the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.

He added that EU leadership has generally been surprised at the short deadline for such negotiations.

“Normally negotiations that involve the EU regarding trade can take years and years,” Dr. Clegg said. “It suggests that any deal with the European Union concluded by then will be quite limited in terms of its objectives.”

The OTs probably will not be able to independently negotiate with the EU, according to the professor, who studies the territories.

“Where the UK leads, the overseas territories must follow,” he explained.


In the OTs

The Friends of the British Overseas Territories, an apolitical charity, said it anticipates the election results will be good for the OTs.

“A Conservative governmentwhich is committed to deliver- ing Brexit will help to provide certainty for businesses in the OTs and EU who trade with one another,” said Will Radford, FOTBOT charity secretary. “The Spanish government has already taken steps to protect the rights of British citizens in Spain, which should extend to Gibraltarians.”

Mr. Radford said the organisation believes that a continuing relationship between overseas territories and the European Overseas Countries and Territories Group is “both possible and likely as the UK and the EU forge a new future as sovereign equals and friends.”

Dr. Clegg added that negotiating terms of aid will likely come before any trade agreements.

“Hopefully the Tories will be more amenable to supporting the territories in relation to aid,” he said.

Mr. Wheatley, the premier’s envoy, agreed that the Conservative victory should return stability and discipline to parliament. Besides Brexit, he said, this stability is also important for the VI’s financial services industry.

“The BVI and other overseas territories can have greater confidence that the policies of the UK government will be firm, and not railroaded by the UK parliament that had forced former Prime Minister Thresa May’s government to impose public registers of beneficial ownership on the overseas territories, which was not their initial policy,” Mr. Wheatley said.

He added that now is an especially important time for the territories to connect with new MPs and ensure their interests are addressed.


UK election

More than 47.5 million voters turned out for the UK election, a slight decrease from 2017.
Of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, the Conservative Party won 365, far surpassing the 326-seat threshold to win control.

Conservatives drew nearly all their new seats from previously Labour-held areas. Labour lost 59 seats compared to 2017, making it the party’s worst outcome since 1935.


Labour Party leader Jeremy

Corbyn, who said he will not lead the party in future general elections, pledged to reflect on the outcome and decide how to better carry forward the party’s core policies.

“This is obviously a very disappointing night for the Labour Party with the result that we’ve got,” Mr. Corbyn said Friday during a post-election speech. “But … in the election campaign we put forward a manifesto of hope, a manifesto of unity, and a manifesto that would help to right the wrongs and the injustices and the inequalities that exist in this country.”

Mr. Corbyn reiterated the party’s commitment to address- ing the need for affordable housing, effective health care services, and adequate school funding.

He said although his party’s policies have “huge popular support all across this country,” the issue of Brexit proved to be polarising and a key factor in how people voted.

“It has overridden so much of our normal political debate,” Mr. Corbyn said.


Potential effects in VI

With a majority-led parliament supporting Brexit, the VI and other overseas territories can more conclusively plan for the future. But question marks remain.

For OTs, the Brexit fallout could mean the loss of travel privileges in the EU, loss of financial aid for sustainability projects, and loss of a voice on bodies such as the European Commission.

Prior to the election, Dr. Clegg also pointed to the euro’s fluctuating value as a long-term issue to monitor after the elections.

“With the uncertainty about the UK’s position in relation to the EU, the pound has weakened,” he said. “It therefore makes it more ex- pensive for British tourists to go over to the Caribbean. There is some evidence that tourist numbers have declined a little bit coming from the UK because of the uncertainty.”

As for what OT residents can take away from this election now that it’s over, Mr. Wheatley
said the VI should not be impeded by the UK in striking new economic agreements and partnerships.

“Rather, the UK should support and facilitate the BVI in doing so,” he said.

He particularly hopes to see support as territories independently negotiate trade agreements, he said, adding that the VI should consider becoming an associate member of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation.

“Assisting the BVI and other OTs in this way would demonstrate the new UK government’s desire to be a good post-Brexit partner,” Mr. Wheatley said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
×