Wrestle Power from UK, Skelton Says
Territorial-at-Large representative Ronnie Skelton has thrown his support behind the House of Assembly (Management) Bill 2025, calling it a crucial step toward legislative independence and internal self-government. He told the House that history shows power must be taken from colonial authorities, and urged institutional reform to protect residents from executive overreach and corruption.
Territorial-at-Large representative Ronnie Skelton has described the House of Assembly (Management) Bill 2025 as a major advance for the British Virgin Islands’ self-governance, saying the territory must "wrestle power away from the United Kingdom" rather than expect it to be handed over.
Speaking during debate in the House of Assembly, Skelton — a veteran legislator and former Minister of Finance — said the proposed legislation, which would establish an independent management body to run the operations of the House, is long overdue. The management body would handle staffing, budgeting and administration free from direct control by the Executive branch and the wider public service. "You can't want to live in the highest law-making body in the country and then you want to live with your parents," Skelton told colleagues, arguing that true separation of powers requires a legislature that can function without executive interference.
He added that his experience going back to 2003 has convinced him the British will not simply cede powers without pressure. Supporters, including Speaker Corine George-Massicote, say the bill is a necessary evolution toward a more independent legislature. The Speaker has emphasised that the change will not remove the legislature's accountability to the people, but will protect parliamentary functions from civil service or executive control.
Skelton framed the bill as part of a broader constitutional reform effort now underway in the BVI — work that has intensified since the 2022 Commission of Inquiry and the subsequent talks with the United Kingdom, during which the territory faced the possibility of direct rule under an Order in Council.
He described the management bill as a "stepping stone" toward internal self-government and institutional strengthening. For residents, advocates say the reforms could mean a clearer separation between lawmaking and day-to-day administration, reducing opportunities for politicisation of parliamentary staffing and budgets and improving institutional accountability.
Skelton argued such safeguards are essential "to protect the people from the powerful and the corrupt." The bill is intended to build the administrative foundations for a more autonomous legislature as constitutional negotiations continue. Skelton’s remarks reflect a growing view among some elected officials that the BVI must actively construct its own governance structures to ensure democratic integrity and resilience in the face of external oversight and historical colonial relationships. "The British have to understand that people need to grow," he said, urging colleagues to back measures that expand the territory's capacity to govern itself.
Primary source: BVI News