Hashtag: #UKOTInquiry18

UK Government: No Plans For Order Or Timetable

UK Government: No Plans For Order Or Timetable

The British Government said they “have no plans to introduce an Order-in-Council” as it relates to same sex marriage in Overseas Territories [OTs], and does not plan to “publish such a timetable” to allow UK citizens to vote in OTs. This follows after the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee conducted an inquiry... Read more of this article

MP Questions UK Citizens Being Elected In OTs

MP Questions UK Citizens Being Elected In OTs

A British MP questioned a British Government Minister on the UK Government’s policy on UK nationals running for office in the Overseas Territories, and in response the Minister said that OT governments set their own rules, and noted the recent UK FAC report which suggested all UK citizens be allowed to hold elected office in the OTs saying “we... Read more of this article

Govt House Comment On UK Committee Report

Govt House Comment On UK Committee Report

“The Governor is of course aware of views expressed in Bermuda on the subject,” Government House said, adding that the “UK Government is carefully considering the report from the Foreign Affairs Committee and will respond fully in due course.” The report in question was released by the British Parliament Committee, and it suggested... Read more of this article

Video: Voting & Belongers Panel Discussion

Video: Voting & Belongers Panel Discussion

[Updated with video] Bernews will be hosting a News & Views panel discussion at around noon on Wednesday [March 6] with Peter Sanderson, Craig Cannonier, and Cordell Riley set to discuss the suggestions from the British Foreign Affairs Committee which included extending voting rights to UK citizens that live in Bermuda, belongers, immigration and... Read more of this article

Column: ‘Clear Sign Of New Age Colonialism’

Column: ‘Clear Sign Of New Age Colonialism’

[Opinion column written by MP Chris Famous] “Every time I hear the crack of the whip my blood run cold.” - Bob Marley On Wednesday February 20th, 2019, the United Kingdom House of Commons released a report by their Foreign Affairs Committee. This report was entitled “Global Britain and the British Overseas Territories: Resetting the Relationship”. This... Read more of this article

Video: Premier Burt On UK Committee Report

Video: Premier Burt On UK Committee Report

[Updated] Premier David Burt is holding a press conference this afternoon [March 4] to address the suggestions from the British Parliament Committee, and we will have additional coverage later on and in the meantime the live video is below. Update 1.35pm: The Premier spoke about the Motion he gave notice of which calls for the House to reject the “unwarranted... Read more of this article

Cayman: ‘Akin To An Attempt To Take Over’

Cayman: ‘Akin To An Attempt To Take Over’

Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin denounced a suggestion from the UK Foreign Affairs Committee that British citizens to be able to vote and run for office in the Overseas Territories, with the Cayman Premier saying it is “akin to an attempt to take over the territory.” This is according to a report in the Cayman Compass, which said,... Read more of this article

‘Unwarranted, Unjustified Attempt At Intervention’

‘Unwarranted, Unjustified Attempt At Intervention’

“Be it resolved that this Honourable House rejects the unwarranted and unjustified attempt at intervention into Bermuda’s domestic affairs and calls on the UK Government to reject the Report and its retrograde recommendations.” This is from a notice of a Motion to given in the House of Assembly by Premier David Burt which follows after... Read more of this article

‘OBA Will Support Efforts To Resist Imposition’

‘OBA Will Support Efforts To Resist Imposition’

Following the suggestion from the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee that British residents should be allowed to vote in Bermuda, Opposition Leader Craig Cannonier said he agrees with the comments by Premier Burt and the “OBA will support efforts to resist this imposition” as “Bermuda’s future should be dictated by... Read more of this article

Premier Burt: ‘We Will Strenuously Resist”

Premier Burt: ‘We Will Strenuously Resist”

Following a British committee recommending the Overseas Territories “ensure that there is a pathway for all resident UK and British Overseas Territory citizens to be able to vote and hold elected office in territory,” the Premier said “we will strenuously resist” as “to suggest that non-Bermudians should have the right... Read more of this article

Cayman HRC Call For Same Sex Union Laws

Cayman HRC Call For Same Sex Union Laws

“Immediate steps should be taken to introduce legislation to recognise same-sex unions and to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the Cayman Islands as a matter of the greatest importance.” That was the view expressed by the Cayman Islands Human Rights Commission in their submission to the British Parliament’s... Read more of this article

Video: UK On SSM, Belongers, Public Registers

Video: UK On SSM, Belongers, Public Registers

The law passed by the UK aiming to have Overseas Territories make their beneficial ownership registers public, the Territories citizenship polices, same sex marriage, and Brexit were among the topics discussed at the most recent hearing of the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry. Over the past few weeks, the Committee has been... Read more of this article

‘Two Major Weaknesses Of The Legal System’

‘Two Major Weaknesses Of The Legal System’

“Bermuda has a robust court system that upholds and enforces fundamental rights” however “there are two major weaknesses of the legal system in Bermuda [and, presumably, other overseas territories]: access to justice and protection of fundamental rights, particularly for the most vulnerable.” This is according to local lawyers... Read more of this article

Oxfam GB Calls For ‘Global Minimum Tax Rate’

Oxfam GB Calls For ‘Global Minimum Tax Rate’

Oxfam — which describes itself as an international confederation working to fight poverty and injustice — has called for the United Kingdom Government to “work with” the Overseas Territories by “implementing a global minimum effective tax rate.” This came as Oxfam GB submitted written evidence for the British Parliament’s... Read more of this article

BVI: UK Govt Should Do Constitutional Review

BVI: UK Govt Should Do Constitutional Review

“Given the seriousness of recent decisions by the UK Parliament in relation to the OTs, the UK Government should undertake a constitutional review of the relationship between the OTs and the UK with a view to placing the relationship on a more modern and progressive constitutional footing,” the British Virgin Islands Government said. This... Read more of this article

UK Inquiry Into Territories To Continue On Nov 6

UK Inquiry Into Territories To Continue On Nov 6

The British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry into “how the Foreign Office manages its responsibility to ensure the security and stability” of the British Overseas Territories is set to continue with another oral evidence session on Tuesday, November 6th. The witnesses scheduled to appear include British Virgin Islands Government... Read more of this article