Lords: New UK Paper On OTs is ‘Urgently Needed’
The House of Lords Constitution Committee “finds that a new UK Government White Paper on the UK Overseas Territories is urgently needed” as the “2012 White Paper is now badly out of date.”
A statement said, “The House of Lords Constitution Committee finds that a new UK Government White Paper on the UK Overseas Territories is urgently needed to bring together the confusing patchwork of documents and principles – which have proliferated since the publication of the badly outdated 2012 White Paper – into a single policy framework. This will also provide a valuable opportunity for the UK Government, together with the Overseas Territories, to think more strategically about their constitutional relationship and its future. This is the key conclusion of the Committee’s policy letter to the Minister for the Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty MP, on its inquiry reviewing the 2023 UK–Overseas Territories Joint Declaration.”
Lord Strathclyde, Chair of the Constitution Committee said, “The relationship between the UK Government and the Overseas Territories is of fundamental constitutional importance. It has matured and modernised significantly in recent decades and is in many respects positive and constructive.
“The Overseas Territories do not always feel appropriately respected or valued, and the 2012 White Paper is now badly out of date. A cross-Whitehall culture that respects and values the Overseas Territories is central to effective engagement. The UK Government must ensure that the Overseas Territories are not reliant solely on personal relationships with motivated ministers and officials to ensure they are informed, consulted, and engaged in decision-making.
“The Overseas Territories play a vital societal, cultural, environmental, economic and strategic role as an integral part of the wider UK family. The UK Government must commit to structurally embedding the features of positive engagement with the Overseas Territories, to support a respectful, reciprocal and constructive relationship for the long-term. This should begin with the publication of a new White Paper in the next parliamentary session.”
The full Letter from the Chair to the Minister for the Overseas Territories follows below [PDF here]:
