Hashtag: #UKOTInquiry18
‘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 — 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
“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
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
‘Perhaps A Review Of Relations Is Appropriate’
For years there was consensus between the major UK political parties about the Overseas Territories, but that has now changed and the OTs now face a “more hostile and less supportive UK political class,” Dr Peter Clegg said, adding that perhaps a review of relations is appropriate, one which would “offer the Territories more autonomy,... Read more of this article
FCO On Sovereignty, Economy, SSM & More
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office [FCO] submitted written evidence for the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry in to the ‘Future of the UK Overseas Territories’, addressing matters including security, the environment, same sex marriage, hurricane relief, economic stability, sovereignty and more. ‘By Definition OTs... Read more of this article
Cayman Govt’s Submission To UK Committee
Sufficient safeguards should be put in place to protect the Cayman Islands and the wider British Overseas Territory family from “future constitutional overreach by the Houses of Parliament,” the Cayman Islands Government said. “In view of the actions taken by the UK Parliament to amend the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018... Read more of this article
Video: Fergusson Speaks To British Committee
“Bermudians think of themselves as Bermudians” and “becoming more legislatively connected with Britain would cause unease” and “Bermuda meets OECD standards pretty comfortably” and “has a record it can be quite proud of in that respect.” These were some of the comments made by former Governor of Bermuda... Read more of this article
Bob Richards On UK & Bermuda Relationship
The British Parliament “passed legislation that clearly violates” the Bermuda Constitution, the FCO “continuously succumbs to the stereotyping of the Territories,” and Bermuda has been “early adopters of all the evolving global standards of tax and beneficial ownership information sharing.” These were some of the... Read more of this article
Former Governor To Speak To UK Committee
Former Governor of Bermuda George Fergusson is set to take part in the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry in the ‘Future of the UK Overseas Territories’ on Tuesday, October 16th. This is according to the official website, which states the ‘Oral Evidence Session’ witnesses will include George Fergusson,... Read more of this article
UK Committee Inquiry Into Overseas Territories
The British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee will be conducting an inquiry into “how the Foreign Office manages its responsibility to ensure the security and stability” of the British Overseas Territories. This is according to a statement on the UK Parliament’s official website which said, “How the Foreign Office... Read more of this article
