Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Oct 08, 2025

OT Minister concludes visit to BVI! Plans now to update UK Foreign Sec

OT Minister concludes visit to BVI! Plans now to update UK Foreign Sec

United Kingdom (UK) Overseas Territories Minister Amanda Milling said her visit to the Virgin Islands has now concluded and she will return to the UK to update UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on the feedback about meetings and discuss the way forward for the BVI.
She added that she will also have more dialogue with Governor John Rankin and Acting Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley on how to tackle the issues holding back the development of the Virgin Islands.

“This must happen quickly. The people of the BVI deserve no less. You deserve a government which works in everyone’s interests, not just those of a few. A system which promotes and protects, not divides, and instils fear. A future which is bright, not overcast by the dark shadows of crime and corruption. I am committed to delivering this in the interests of the people of the BVI,” Milling said.

She noted the recent events in the territory, with the arrests of Premier Andrew Fahie, have been shocking and concerning for everybody. She also highlighted that the Commission of Inquiry Report raised very serious concerns about the failures of governance and dishonesty by local elected officials.

“I have spent the last few days listening to how you feel about the events. We discussed the recommendations from the Report. And I heard what you think is needed — which is putting the best interests of the people of the BVI at the heart of any future decisions,” she said in an address to the BVI public

“Let’s be clear – the Report highlighted significant concerns around corruption, transparency, and accountability. There is no getting away from this. Like many people have told me, this isn’t a question of whether something should be done. It is a question of what is done. Action is needed now to: strengthen the foundations of the territory; deliver a better public service; maintain a strong and resilient economy; and create better opportunities for the people of the BVI. This is what I heard you want during my visit,” Milling continued.

The Overseas Territories Minister said that in the last few days, she met with a range of people across the territory including Dr Wheatley, the party leaders and members of the House of Assembly, business, and tourism leaders; some of the most experienced political and public service figures; representatives from the financial sector, church leaders and representatives of community groups.

“My meetings have helped me gain greater insight and understanding of the significant challenges facing BVI. Discussions with elected officials have been cordial but frank. They acknowledged the scale of the issue, and that the road ahead will be challenging. But we all agreed that it is a necessary journey,” Milling said.

“During my discussions with community and religious leaders, I heard about the impact corruption has had on the community here. I sought their views on what would be best for the people of the BVI. Everyone I have met has agreed that there need to be significant changes in the BVI to improve governance,” she added.

The OT Minister said it is urgent that systems, processes, laws, and norms are fixed to ensure that money spent by the government – the people’s money – is better spent on roads, education, hospitals, and better public services and not misused as the COI found out.

“We now have the opportunity to do this. To build a government that delivers for its people in a fair, transparent, and accountable way,” Milling said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
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
×