Premier Seeks Unity for UK Constitution Talks
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley says government and Opposition must present a single, united position as the British Virgin Islands prepares for constitutional negotiations with the United Kingdom. He confirmed the negotiating team will be bipartisan and that committee work in the House of Assembly will produce a report reflecting the entire House’s stance.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley is urging unity between government and Opposition as the British Virgin Islands moves toward constitutional talks with the United Kingdom, saying a single House of Assembly position will guide negotiations. Wheatley told reporters that lawmakers have already debated the Constitutional Review Commission’s recommendations and found areas of agreement. "The members of the House of Assembly debated those recommendations, and I believe that we formed some level of consensus," he said, noting that the committee stage now underway is intended to consolidate that consensus into a formal report. "At the end of that process, we have a report that states the positions of the entire House of Assembly, not the government, not the opposition.
It states a position for the entire House of Assembly," the Premier added, stressing the importance of presenting one message during talks with the UK. He confirmed the BVI’s negotiating team will follow long-standing tradition by including members from both sides of the House as well as resource persons. "Yes, we will have members of the opposition on our negotiating team.
So it will comprise members from the government, members from the opposition, and also we will have resource persons," Wheatley said. For residents, the outcome of the talks could shape the balance of powers between locally elected officials and the UK-appointed governor, areas long debated during the island’s constitutional review process.
The territory’s constitution was last updated in 2007; the review stalled for years amid natural disasters, the Commission of Inquiry (COI) and wider global challenges. Wheatley argued the timing is now right for constitutional advancement, pointing to recent governance reforms that culminated in the removal of the UK’s Order in Council earlier this year. "Our timing is good," he said, adding that the territory must sustain and build on recent progress before seeking further advancement.
The committee stage in the House of Assembly will be closely watched by residents and civil society groups, who have called for transparency and strong local representation in any negotiations. If the House can deliver a unified report, it will give the BVI a clearer and more authoritative position at the bargaining table in London, and could determine how much greater autonomy the territory secures under any new constitutional arrangements.
Primary source: BVI News