British Virgin Islands invite Commons speaker to mark 75 years since restoration of legislature

Sir Lindsay Hoyle used a visit to the british virgin islands to pledge he will be a voice for the territory in London and to stress the islanders should have the final say in any constitutional talks.

Commons speaker pledges to be voice for the Virgin Islands

In the first address to the House of Assembly by a speaker of the British House of Commons, Sir Lindsay told a special sitting on Tuesday he will always champion the cause of self-determination and be an ally of the overseas territories. “From my point of view, the overseas territories, especially the BVI, are just so important, ” he said, adding he would “pass on comments” but that it was for the people of the Virgin Islands to decide their own destiny.

British Virgin Islands visit and the 75th anniversary

Sir Lindsay’s visit marked last year’s 75th anniversary of the restoration of the Virgin Islands legislature; he apologised for missing the anniversary celebrations and referenced the territory’s road to progress from the Great March of 1949 to today’s democracy. He said he had fond memories of travelling to the territory before becoming Commons speaker and signalled he could play a background role in conversations between the VI and the United Kingdom, adding “Some I will pass on very strongly. ”

Met apologises after Mandelson tip-off tied to the visit

The Metropolitan Police has apologised to the Commons Speaker for inadvertently revealing he was the source of information that led to Lord Mandelson’s arrest on Monday. Sir Lindsay confirmed he had passed “relevant” information to the force and told MPs he had done so “in good faith”, calling it his “duty and responsibility” and saying: “It is regrettable this rapidly ended in the media. ”

The information Sir Lindsay passed on was received in the british virgin islands during a visit last week and suggested Lord Mandelson was planning to travel there, the speaker said. Mandelson’s lawyers complained that he had agreed to an interview next month and that the decision to detain him was prompted by what they described as a “baseless” suggestion he planned to “take up permanent residence abroad. ”

Confusion over the source and follow-up meetings

Mandelson’s lawyers say they were twice told by police that Lord Forsyth, the Speaker of the House of Lords, had passed on the information; Lord Forsyth denied involvement after being initially named, calling the suggestion “entirely false and without foundation. ” Senior officers from the Met met Sir Lindsay on Wednesday to explain the situation, which the force regards as a serious breach of protocol. A Met spokesperson said: "The Met has apologised to the Speaker of the House of Commons this afternoon for inadvertently revealing information during an investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office. "

The Speaker of the House of Lords had not yet received an apology from the Metropolitan Police. Lords Lord Forsyth arranged an urgent meeting with the Met on Thursday and was expected to receive clarification about how his name came to be mentioned; they said he wanted to know why, when the media was widely reporting erroneous information attributed to him, he was not contacted and the record not corrected. Mandelson’s lawyers, Mishcon de Reya, have written to the Met asking what information and evidence underpinned the decision to arrest their client.

Meetings planned and calls for governance reform

During his four-day visit, Sir Lindsay said he was scheduled to meet with police, the attorney general and her team, and representatives of the Girl Guides. He urged the House of Assembly to work with Governor Daniel Pruce, who was appointed by London, and insisted the implementation of recent Commission of Inquiry reforms was necessary to “improve governance” in the territory.

He also spoke warmly about hearing Virgin Islands student Charity Rymer address the UK Youth Parliament in the House of Commons in November 2022, when she told a “hushed” chamber about the ravages of hurricanes Irma and Maria five years earlier, and opened his remarks with the line “The light that comes from wisdom never goes out. ”

Next: Lord Forsyth’s urgent meeting with the Metropolitan Police on Thursday and Sir Lindsay’s remaining scheduled meetings during his four-day visit are set to follow up on the questions raised during his address and the police apology.