Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Anguilla confident of COVID aid from UK as BVI scrapes for similar favour

Anguilla confident of COVID aid from UK as BVI scrapes for similar favour

As the BVI continues to experience challenges in securing a hurricane recovery ‘loan guarantee’ that the UK offered nearly three years ago, another British Overseas Territory in the region, Anguilla, is being positioned to get more UK aid to bolster its economy amid shortfalls brought on by COVID-19.

Britain had given Anguilla 60 million pounds of UK aid to fund infrastructure development after Hurricane Irma, and its governor, Timothy Foy has said he is confident Britain will give additional funding to assist with the pandemic.

In a recent interview with The Anguillian Newspaper, Governor Foe said Anguilla will need more aid to top up the country’s 2021 budget and carry out further infrastructural projects in the territory.

Governor Foy expressed that he believes the UK will do its best to grant Anguilla these much-needed funds.

“I think there is a recognition in the United Kingdom that they have a responsibility to Anguilla and they will do their best to make sure it is delivered. Things are quite tight, and Britain itself is suffering, but we have responsibilities and have to deal with those,” Governor Foe said.

The Anguillan governor said he is already engaged in talks with the UK to receive additional aid. He revealed that Anguilla’s premier, Dr Ellis Webster is also engaged in talks to secure these funds before the end of 2020.

“I know Dr Webster is in contact all the time with the Foreign Office and he clearly has a good relationship with the Minister – and other people in the Overseas Territories Directorate – so I know a conversation is happening now. I expect that both parties will look to finalise any arrangements well before the end of the year because Anguilla needs to have the certainty and that is important,” Governor Foe explained.

UK doesn’t want Anuguilla to borrow


Governor Foe also confessed that he believes the UK would rather give Anguilla aid, than have the territory borrow funds from other sources. He said Anguilla is already heavily indebted and Britain doesn’t want to add to the financial burden.

“It is a very clear argument with the British government – and they accepted it readily – that borrowing is not really the thing Anguilla needs. I am sure they would look at borrowing if [the Anguilla government] wish to make that suggestion. But I think that, equally, they will just be as happy to provide a sufficient grant to remove the necessity to borrow if that was to come,” Governor Foe assured.

Similar hopes for BVI?


News of Anguilla’s confidence in receiving future aid from the UK raises questions about whether there are similar possibilities for the BVI.

Like Anguilla, the BVI faces similar struggles due to COVID-19. But recently, Premier Fahie said his administration has made multiple requests for COVID-19 help to the UK government - the majority of which were either declined or left unanswered.

“We were asking for funding to help with the social issues. In the early stages when we were asking … for assistance with test kits, in the early stages when putting military was not even a thought, that was the one offer on the table.”

Similarly, in 2017, the UK Government rejected a request to provide direct grants for reconstruction to the BVI. It said the territory is too rich to receive international aid despite the devastation of the September 2017 hurricanes.

A year later, the UK offered to stand as a loan guarantor for the BVI if it needed to borrow to rebuild. Negotiations to get that loan guarantee is still ongoing. In an update back in February 2020, Premier Fahie said he was optimistic about getting the guarantee. The offer is still yet to be confirmed.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
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
×