Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Premier fails to get UK Minister to lift Order in Council

Premier fails to get UK Minister to lift Order in Council

Despite pushing the narrative of a ‘Modern Partnership’ between the United Kingdom and the Government of the Virgin Islands (VI), UK Minister for the Overseas Territories Lord Frank Zacharias Robin Goldsmith has indicated that the controversial Order in Council to suspend the VI’s constitution will not be lifted until the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) reforms are completed.

The Minister, in a statement released by Government Information Services (GIS) today, February 3, 2023, claimed that, coming out of meetings and discussions over the last few days in the VI, there is a desire for a stronger modern partnership between the Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom (UK) and that it includes safety and security of the territory.

Room for stronger partnership - Lord Goldsmith

“It also applies in other areas like health, education, energy reform, where there's room for much stronger and better partnership, sharing best practice, technical expertise, encouraging investment into this territory.”

He further announced that the UK has funded 4 new rigid inflatable boats for the police, which will provide a boost to the capability of the local marine police.

Lord Goldsmith said the second thing that stuck out for him was the strength of the commitment he heard from the Premier and his Cabinet to promoting good governance and carrying out the reforms in line with the Commission of Inquiry.

The Minister said; however, he was aware of the Premier’s feelings surrounding the Order in Council and that of the people.

"We too want to see these reforms seen through, such that the Order can be lifted."

Lord Goldsmith said he will continue to support the [British] Virgin Islands, both in the next few months and after the general election, in taking these reforms forward "so that we can realise the Premier's vision of the BVI as a beacon of democracy.”

Remove Order - Premier Wheatley

Premier Wheatley, as well as regional and international bodies, have called on the UK to remove the Order, but despite this, the UK Government has not budged on the request.

Dr Wheatley, who has been slammed for keeping Lord Goldsmith's arrival and itinerary in the VI a secret, had also said Lord Goldsmith was open to discussions about the Order in Council and it would be up for discussion during his VI visit.

The Order in Council in reserve has been likened by many to the UK holding a gun to VI’s head, which they argue is not representative of a modern partnership, but reeks of colonialism and even racism.

Premier Dr Wheatley has repeatedly called on the UK to remove the order, but despite this, the UK Government has not budged on the request.

Threat of direct rule can ‘weaken democratic governance’- E. Benito Wheatley

In a statement to Members of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly: Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonisation) in New York City on October 6, 2022, Special Envoy of the Premier Mr E. Benito Wheatley said the reserved Order in Council is a form of pressure that can weaken democratic governance and hinder a genuine working relationship between the VI and UK.

Mr Wheatley also told the UN there should also be sensitivity about the feelings of the Commonwealth Caribbean on this issue in terms of the colonial past.

Both CARICOM and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have also condemned the threat of direct rule by the United Kingdom on the Virgin Islands.

“A new modern partnership can be established if both sides act in good faith,” Mr Wheatley argued.

Other Order in Council

In the spirit of ‘modern partnership,’ the UK is also forcing the VI to implement a Public Register of Beneficial Owners b the end of 2023, even when it is not a global standard and even though the European Union (EU) Supreme Court recently rejected it.

The European Union Court of Justice on November 22, 2022, struck down the European Union (EU) mandate for public registers of beneficial ownership of all companies.

The Justices ruled that the provision whereby the information on the beneficial ownership of companies incorporated within the territory of member states is accessible in all cases to any member of the general public is invalid.

The court ruled that registers containing the personal details of the owners of a company and accessible to the general public are an infringement of fundamental rights of privacy and personal data protection.

The [British] Virgin Islands has said it has no issues with making beneficial ownership registers public once it becomes a global standard.
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?
×