The British Virgin Islands are this week due to begin their first formal constitutional talks with London, and Governor Daniel Pruce’s office confirmed the UK team was still scheduled to arrive, despite Andy Burnham MP having taken over as Britain’s Prime Minister. The Governor’s Office said negotiators from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office were scheduled to start work on the timetable already announced by Premier Natalio Wheatley.

The talks are expected to cover 27 proposed amendments. Drafting would follow the first round, with a further meeting planned in Britain in September. The government hopes to complete the process by December, although that depends on how and what progress is made.

Talks remain on schedule

The constitutional timeline was set weeks before former Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement that he would step down. Mr. Wheatley said in late May that the FCDO delegation would arrive early this month, and that the opening talks would be followed by drafting of texts followed by a second meeting in Britain in September.

At that stage, the Premier said the September meeting would deal with the “weightier issues” and involve the participation of the UK overseas territories minister.

“It is our hope that we will be concluded with the negotiations by December,” he said. “It is certainly going to take a lot of work.”

Political change in Britain adds uncertainty

That change of leadership in the UK could have reshaped the senior ranks of government, including the Foreign Office and other Cabinet posts, however the talks appear to remain on track for now.

A UK expert said a reshuffle could slow the process because new ministers might need time to get up to speed. Peter Clegg, a professor at the University of the West of England, said that would be especially relevant if the talks moved into more detailed stages.

Mr. Clegg said the change of government in Britain might also affect the tone of the talks. He said new ministers could take a firmer line on issues such as financial transparency and local democratic effectiveness. He added that such a government might also push back more strongly against the Virgin Islands government’s call to reduce the governor’s powers in the next constitution.

Government launches public campaign

While the negotiations were being prepared, the Virgin Islands government also launched a month-long information campaign to keep residents updated on the reform process. Mr. Wheatley announced the campaign in a July 3 statement, which did not refer to the UK leadership change.

The campaign’s website went live on July 3 after the premier and members of the Constitutional Negotiation Committee held meetings across the territory’s four main islands in recent months. Those meetings were meant to explain the 27 points the negotiating team would take to Britain.

The public campaign was due to run through the month on the website, Facebook, WhatsApp and radio. It was also to include video interviews with the Constitutional Negotiating Committee, past negotiators, legal experts and community voices from across the territory.

The government said content would also be shared with Virgin Islanders abroad through the BVI London Office. Residents were invited to read the 27 proposed amendments, review the timeline and use the website’s frequently asked section, which archived questions raised in public forums. Members of the public could also submit questions through the site.

“For generations, our people have built something on these islands worth protecting and worth passing on,” Mr. Wheatley said in his Friday statement announcing the campaign.

“When our House of Assembly came together, the 13 elected members agreed on 27 changes to bring to the negotiation table, which I believe is a strong mandate from our people. Now our responsibility is to make sure every person who calls these islands home understands what we agreed to negotiate, and why it matters for all of us.”

House of Assembly review shapes agenda

The 27 proposed amendments were drawn from a report published by the House of Assembly after it spent more than a dozen days in closed-door committee reviewing the 2022-2023 Constitutional Review Commission Report. That commission report had itself been produced after extensive public consultations across the territory.

The House said it considered all 57 CRC recommendations. It accepted 16 outright, accepted 19 with modifications and rejected 22 while putting forward alternatives of its own.

The report shows the House seeking more autonomy from Britain while taking a cautious approach to transparency and accountability rules in the Constitution. It also proposes wider devolved powers for the territory and a referendum on political status before 2032.

At the same time, it rejects many of the commission’s suggested governance reforms. Instead of writing new accountability bodies and transparency rules into the Constitution, the House said ordinary legislation was the better route for measures such as freedom-of-information law, the Integrity Commission, the Comptroller General and other oversight mechanisms.

The Virgin Islands constitutional talks could affect how much power rests with elected leaders and the governor, as well as the territory’s future constitutional relationship with Britain. The public campaign suggested the government was also trying to widen public engagement beyond the negotiating table.