Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jan 19, 2026

Breached ‘hope & trust’ were reasons for leaving NDP- Skelton-Cline - said he had a role in VIP General Elections victory

Breached ‘hope & trust’ were reasons for leaving NDP- Skelton-Cline - said he had a role in VIP General Elections victory

“I was affiliated with the National Democratic Party then back in 2010/2011… clearly [I] was hopeful about what they can do as the majority of the country was and it was reflected in the polls… unfortunately, there was a breach of that hope, a breach of that trust and hence persons like myself had to make a different kind [of] decision,” he said.

Skelton-Cline was at the time answering questions on why the shift of support from the then Dr D. Orlando Smith-led ruling NDP, to the VIP Opposition led by now Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Fahie and his role in the new government.

The man of the cloth continued, “Of course therein lies my shift to the Virgin Islands Party and Andrew Fahie in particular… and supporting what I believe that he would have been able to bring… with a team in helping to rekindle the hope and the dreams and the aspirations of the people of the Virgin Islands and it's to that end in which I was committed to ensuring that they would be on the winning end of the stick,” he said.

Mr Skelton-Cline was a vocal NDP supporter but the relationship turned sour back in 2016 when his contract as Managing Director of the BVI Airports Authority (BVIPA) was renewed despite being promised by the then Minister for Communications and Works, Hon Mark H. Vanterpool.

Mr Skelton-Cline sued the government; however, the case was dismissed in the High Court in May 2019.

When questioned about whether he believes he played a key role in the VIP elections victory, Skelton-Cline replied in the affirmative. “I certainly had a role."

Mr Skelton-Cline; however, said it was more of a team effort on the road to victory at the February 25, 2019 Elections Day in the Virgin Islands (VI).

“It’s the team that makes the difference… the teamwork makes the dream work and the leader and the personality of Andrew Fahie is what helps to mobilise and make that happen.”



VIP Gov't has done superbly - Skelton-Cline


Further, he said the first six months of the new government has been excellent “for a twenty-year veteran surrounded by a new team.”

He underscored that unlike the NDP, the VIP team is receptive to listening and learning to work in the interest of the territory, rather than from a self-interest perspective.

Praising the VIP’s legislative agenda to take on issues such as cybercrime, consumer protection, financial services and residency regularisations, he noted that the party has done a 'superb job' in just a short period of time.

“It’s a journey that we are on, its not a one-time event. The people have voted for this Virgin Islands Party again in rekindling their hopes... for the government as we all should,” he noted.



Skelton-Cline made the utterances on the September 27, 2019, edition of ‘The Big Story’ on Japhix Television (JTV) with host Cathy O. Richards.



Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
The Claim That Maduro’s Capture and Trial Violate International Law Is Either Legally Illiterate—or Deliberately Deceptive
UK Data Watchdog Probes Elon Musk’s X Over AI-Generated Grok Images Amid Surge in Non-Consensual Outputs
Prince Harry to Return to UK for Court Hearing Without Plans to Meet King Charles III
UK Confirms Support for US Seizure of Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker in North Atlantic
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
UK and France Pledge Military Hubs Across Ukraine in Post-Ceasefire Security Plan
Prince Harry Poised to Regain UK Security Cover, Clearing Way for Family Visits
UK Junk Food Advertising Ban Faces Major Loophole Allowing Brand-Only Promotions
×