BVI, UK Expected to Reach Agreement as
The British Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom are moving into formal constitutional negotiations after the House of Assembly report was formally sent to London, CRC member Maya Barry said. Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley announced the government has retained UK lawyer Sir Jeffrey Jowell, KC, and set an initial schedule with talks expected in July and a possible conclusion by December.
The British Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom are preparing to enter formal constitutional negotiations after the territory’s House of Assembly report was formally submitted to London, a member of the 2022 Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) confirmed during recent public consultations.
Attorney Maya Barry, a CRC member who took part in the Virgin Gorda public engagement sessions, said the submission of the House of Assembly report to the UK “represents the official negotiating position.” Barry said a BVI negotiating team will now engage directly with UK officials and that the first round of talks is expected to take place in the Virgin Islands, with unresolved matters likely to be taken to subsequent meetings in the United Kingdom before a final text is agreed (BVI News).
Building on that framework, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley announced during a Virgin Gorda engagement meeting that the BVI government has retained the services of prominent UK lawyer Sir Jeffrey Jowell, KC, and legal chambers Blackstone to support the territory’s negotiating team (BVI News).
Sir Jeffrey has previously advised on constitutional modernisation in the Cayman Islands and more recently assisted the Turks and Caicos Islands in talks with the UK. According to the Premier, an initial round of negotiations is expected to begin in July when a delegation led by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials travels to the BVI.
Those local discussions will focus on a range of constitutional issues before a second round of talks is held in the United Kingdom, likely in September (BVI News). Dr Wheatley said the government engaged external counsel so there would be dedicated legal expertise focused solely on the negotiations and instructed by the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Premier’s office.
He expressed confidence the BVI would secure many of the reforms it is seeking and said, “We expect to get a lot of what we ask for” (BVI News). CRC member Barry and the Premier both stressed optimism that consensus can be reached on many points, but they warned that detailed negotiations will be required on sensitive areas, including longstanding BVI priorities to reduce certain powers held by the Governor and to strengthen locally elected control over internal affairs.
Once negotiators agree on a constitutional text, Barry explained the document will return to the House of Assembly for formal approval. The next legal step would be the drafting of an Order in Council containing the new Constitution to be submitted to the Privy Council for advice to the King, followed by royal assent and the setting of a commencement date.
The government has said it hopes to make substantial progress during the upcoming rounds and aims to conclude negotiations by December, an ambitious schedule acknowledged by the Premier. Residents are encouraged to follow public engagement sessions and to press for clarity on specific provisions affecting governance, accountability and local autonomy.
Officials stress that while broad consensus is likely on many issues, BVI residents will be watching closely as rounds of talks proceed locally and overseas and as any proposed constitutional changes are returned to the House of Assembly for approval.
Primary source: BVI News