London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

'We are wasting alot of time'- Hon Vanterpool on VI recovery - says territory should take UK deal amidst efforts to re-negotiate loan guarantee stipulations

'We are wasting alot of time'- Hon Vanterpool on VI recovery - says territory should take UK deal amidst efforts to re-negotiate loan guarantee stipulations

Fourth District Representative Hon Mark H. Vanterpool says it is concerning that two years has elapsed since the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria, yet the territory is still short of executing its full recovery efforts.

At last night's September 11, 2019, third in a series of opposition-led community outreaches on the VI/UK relationship and other topics; this time at the Valarie O. Thomas Community Centre in Sea Cows Bay on Tortola, Hon Vanterpool said he remains concerned about what impediments are preventing the territory from proceeding with its recovery.

'Proceed with recovery' - Hon Vanterpool

"Whatever [it is] taking us to not proceed with the full recovery that we should proceed with, I have concerns about it... I am not going to object to the Premier [Hon Andrew A. Fahie] and his team going to London to negotiate, I am not going to object to whatever changes they are attempting to make," he said.

However, while Mr Vanterpool raised no objections to Premier Fahie seeking to re-negotiate the stipulations of the UK Loan Guarantee for recovery funds, in conflicting views, he called the exercise a waste of time.

"I personally think we are wasting a lot of time, we should be getting on with the country's recovery but that is their prerogative," he said in reference to the 7 month old Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government. 

Premier Fahie has since reported that he has had productive meetings with the UK while calling it 'positive' with regards to advancing the cause of the Virgin Islands.

“Our constructive engagement with the United Kingdom will continue as we work to get the best for our Territory and the people of the Virgin Islands,” the Premier said in a statement.

Assessing the situation

Meanwhile, Hon Vanterpool questioned the position of the territory with regards to how resilient it is, if faced with another hurricane. "I would be very worried,' he said, especially for residents of low-lying areas while recounting the situation in the Bahamas.

"Stop the fussing and fighting, stop the re-negotiating and get on with fixing the country," he admonished the administration.

Hon Fahie in his drive to re-negotiate the stipulations of the UK Loan Guarantee had said the ratios in the 2012 Protocols for Effective Financial Management were set in different times, “since then we have had two catastrophic storms, as opposed to being offered grants, the territory is being offered Loan Guarantees.”

“I cannot as the leader of this country in good conscience, just sign off because I’m being bullied to sign off, knowing that the language is vague and it’s not precise,” the Premier said.

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
×