The Governor in a February 14, 2023, statement said it would have been possible for a dissolution of the House of Assembly and a new election called; however, members of the House of Assembly chose to form a Government of National Unity and committed to the implementation of the COI recommendations.

Premier Wheatley; however, has called those statements completely false.

“The other statement had to do with the fact that the Unity Government had the option or myself as the Premier had the option of going straight to elections, and that is false, that's unequivocally false,” Dr Wheatley said on Tola Radio VI on February 20, 2023, after addressing issues relating to the controversial Police Bill.

The Premier said since receiving the report, the Government had been trying its best to have as good a relationship with the United Kingdom as possible.

No options of early elections - Hon Wheatley

He reiterated that the VI Government had wanted to maintain a good relationship in the best interest of the people of the Virgin Islands because he believes that collaboration is better than conflict.

According to the Premier, the statement from the Governor is therefore one that this trying to bamboozle the people of the VI.

“I'm not going allow the governor or anybody else to bamboozle the people of the Virgin Islands,” he said.

The Premier further releveled that he, nor the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration came up with the concept of a Unity Government, rather it was the Opposition in the person of Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3), to prevent the suspension of the constitution.

Dr Wheatley added that before he became Premier of the VI, he could not have called a new election as an Acting Premier and that the framework agreement between the VI and UK had specified there should be no early elections in the VI.