HOUSE OF LORDS DEMANDS BETTER UK RELATIONS WITH OVERSEAS TERRITORIES

The chairman of the British House of Lords Constitutional Committee (HoLCC) has given the UK Minister for the Overseas Territories until June 17th to respond to its request for clear reforms in the UK’s approach to the Overseas Territories (OTs).

This stems from the most recent inquiry into the territories and their relationship with the British government, which was carried out between December last year and March this year.

According to the HoLCC, “The historical attitude of the UK Government was to regard the Overseas Territories as a post-colonial problem to be managed. This mindset is out of date and must be left in the past, allowing the modern relationship to become one truly characterised by—in the words of the Minister for the Overseas Territories—“openness and mutual respect”.

In that spirit, it said, the UK Government and the Overseas Territories “must ensure that they work together to understand their respective positions and reach resolutions on policy and constitutional matters for mutual benefit.”

Calling for immediate action, the HoLCC urges a new UK Government ‘White Paper’ for the Overseas Territories, saying it is essential to replace the outdated 2012 White Paper and unify fragmented policies into a clear, single framework.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,” the HoLCC noted.

The main conclusion of a policy outline to the Minister for the Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, is based on the inquiry’s review of the 2023 UK–Overseas Territories Joint Declaration.

Committee chairman, Lord Strathclyde, said in a statement: “The Overseas Territories do not always feel appropriately respected or valued, and the 2012 White Paper is now badly out of date.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.”

Lord Stratchclyde also posited that 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,” he stated.

In the letter, the Committee stresses that the relationship between the UK and the Overseas Territories is of fundamental constitutional importance. It also notes that the OTs play a vital societal, cultural, environmental, economic and strategic role as part of the wider UK family. “The relationship has been strengthened and modernised in recent years, and positive progress has been made under recent ministers. However, openness and respect for the Overseas Territories is not yet consistently embedded across the UK Government’s engagement with the Territories,” it says.

The HoLCC said the UK Government should “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.”

Michael L. Jarvis London UK