Premier Wheatley Leads BVI at JMC in
Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley travelled to London on 22 November 2025 to co-chair the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) and represent the Virgin Islands as President of the UK Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA), the Government says. During a week of plenary sessions, technical workshops and bilateral meetings — which concluded on 27 November with a reception hosted by UK Minister Stephen Doughty — leaders discussed a UK–OT 'reset', proposed bilateral Compacts and a Charter on Engagement, climate finance, security and financial controls; the Government and media reporting say the Territory now awaits the official JMC Communiqué.
The Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) meetings in London this month provided a key forum for Overseas Territories to address shared challenges and strengthen intergovernmental collaboration, Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley said in statements and in a Government press release.
Premier Wheatley held a press conference on 21 November 2025 before departing the Territory the next day; according to the Government of the Virgin Islands, he left on Saturday 22 November to attend a series of meetings in the United Kingdom and, as President, to co-chair the JMC at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London.
The JMC this year was hosted by the Minister for the Overseas Territories, the Honourable Stephen Doughty, MP (Government of the Virgin Islands). At his press conference Premier Wheatley framed the 2025 JMC as part of a broader 'reset' in the relationship between the UK and the Overseas Territories.
He said central to that reset is the development of bilateral Compacts — tailored frameworks intended to clarify shared priorities, strengthen commitments and improve long-term planning — and that the UK Government will also propose a Charter on Engagement to establish principles for transparency, communication and collaboration (Government of the Virgin Islands).
Throughout the week, OT leaders participated in plenary sessions, technical workshops, bilateral meetings and political engagements on a wide range of issues that directly affect the BVI. The agenda included artificial intelligence in healthcare and cybersecurity, outcomes from COP30, the launch of a new Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy and efforts to improve access to climate finance.
Security discussions involved the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Justice, covering internal security, irregular migration, border management and criminal justice. Financial and governance topics included illicit finance, beneficial ownership transparency, FATF preparedness, Overseas Development Assistance and planning for the 2026 Commonwealth Games (Government of the Virgin Islands).
Wheatley led the Virgin Islands delegation and co-chaired sessions as President of the Political Council alongside Minister Doughty, as previously reported by Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) and stated in the Government release. The Premier delivered keynote presentations on climate change resilience, enhanced financial controls and sustainable development priorities — themes with immediate relevance for hurricane preparedness, sea-level rise planning, economic credibility and long-term investment in housing, tourism and infrastructure (VINO; Government of the Virgin Islands).
The Government listed the BVI delegation as Honourable Kye Rymer, Honourable Lorna Smith, Financial Secretary Mr. Kamaal Lettsome (Government of the Virgin Islands). While Premier Wheatley was away, Deputy Premier Honourable Julian Fraser was authorised to act as Premier from 21–28 November 2025 in accordance with Section 55(1) of the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007 (Government of the Virgin Islands).
The week concluded on Thursday 27 November with a reception hosted by Minister Doughty. Officials say the Government returned from London having placed the BVI's priorities at the heart of discussions and reinforced calls for continued cooperation and stronger financial and climate resilience measures.
The Government now awaits the official JMC Communiqué, which will set out agreed strategies and next steps; it has pledged to share the full communiqué with the public when received (VINO; Government of the Virgin Islands).
Primary source: VINO