Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Don’t pre-judge meetings with OT Minister, Premier says

Don’t pre-judge meetings with OT Minister, Premier says

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has cautioned residents not to make premature conclusions ahead of talks with United Kingdom (UK) Overseas Territories Minister, Lord Zac Goldsmith which are expected to be held in the BVI next week.
Among other things, Premier Wheatley is expected to resume dialogue with Lord Goldsmith on the issue of removing the Order in Council for the BVI held in reserve in the UK parliament.

Since previous discussions on the removal of the Order in Council with former Overseas Territories Minister Amanda Milling last year, Dr Wheatley said his government has shown much dedication to achieving governance reforms as set out in the framework agreement signed with the UK.

That agreement stemmed from a damning Commission of Inquiry (COI) report on the state of the territory’s governance and helped to stave of direct rule by the UK, as recommended in the report.

“I think since then we’ve shown a great commitment to the reforms,” Premier Wheatley told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

He continued: ”It may have been premature to engage on that (requesting to remove the order) before making such a strong commitment to the reforms [and letting] them know that we’re serious about the question of reform. And really, having a Order and Council is not the right way to encourage and to engage further engagement.”

Dr Wheatley dismissed assertions that he was not persuasive enough in his arguments with the UK to have the order in council removed and also argued that he was taking the views of residents into consideration during his discussions.

“I would say don’t prejudge the outcome of the meetings. As I said, the meetings are ongoing. Let’s at least see how the meetings go before we judge whether I’m effective or persuasive or not,” the Premier said.

According to Dr Wheatley, his challenge was not simply one of being persuasive, but rather about showing a real dedication to the BVI’s partnership with the UK.

“It’s a matter of showing a real commitment to the partnership – a real commitment to transparency, accountability, adherence to the rule of law – all of those things make a difference in terms of us making a case. And of course, the voice of the people of the Virgin Islands is of paramount importance in terms of this particular issue,” the Premier added.

Dr Wheatley declined to indicate that he was confident that the Order in Council would be removed, arguing that it was ultimately the decision of the UK Foreign Secretary.

According to the Premier, his government has been engaging positively throughout talks with the UK and will give them every reason to have the Order in Council removed.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×