Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

'UK standing in the way of your stimulus package'- Skelton-Cline

Crown accused of using coercive powers to control BVI & stymie recovery

"The United Kingdom is standing in the way of your stimulus package," were the worrying words of government consultant and ZBVI radio show moderator, Mr Claude O. Skelton-Cline to the people of the Virgin Islands on Monday, April 27, 2020.
"Here's what I know as a private citizen sitting on the outside looking in; we have money in our reserves, we have money in Social Security, we have money in the Consolidated Fund, we have money in the Contingency Fund... [but] we don't have access to that money," he said on his Honestly Speaking show.


Money available - Skelton-Cline

Mr Skelton-Cline continued, "The United kingdom, as to this date, [has not] given the green light in black and white, in writing, as to the conditions that fall within the Protocols for Effective Financial Management, concerning the borrowing guidelines, concerning the threshold that we would have to meet, if we fall below what's in the reserve, concerning we need their approval if we use our Social Security money."

He said Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) is now unable to deliver a viable economic stimulus package since there is no access to the money to fund it.

"We need them to get out the way...we are not asking for a nickel of their taxpayer's money, we are in a position in this partnership... where we can't even use our own taxpayers' money to fund our recovery to provide you with an economic [stimulus] package because the United Kingdom here to date, as I sit here, is standing in the way of your economic stimulus package," Mr Skelton-Cline remarked.

Guest Shaina M. Smith of the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association (BVICCHA), calling the scenario a stalemate, said the Premier needs to address the people of the Territory about the issues.


Formal agreement needed

Premier Fahie recently disclosed that details of the economic stimulus plan will be shared with the public in short order.

"Please note that Cabinet has already approved the template of the economic stimulus plan. The details in this matter will be made public very soon," Premier Fahie said on Friday, April 24, 2020.

But according to Skelton Cline, "It doesn't matter how nice a package you have in theory and on paper, if there is no funding for that package I can't come forward."

He said the VI cannot spend its own money without UK approval; however, the UK has not formalised any requests made by the Government to relax its financial stipulations.

"We got to get this resolved," he urged, pointing to the UK as an empire that built its wealth on the backs of the working poor and on slave labour and is now depending on coercive powers to control the VI in a systematic way.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
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
×