Jurisdictions
Regions
Industry Sectors
01/04/19
From Features
Guernsey Report
Brexit
Q&A with David Lidington, Minister of the Cabinet Office
David Lidington
UK Government
The UK’s secure relationship with the British Overseas Territories (BOTS) has been thrown into question. A vote by the UK parliament to implement public registers of beneficial ownership in the Overseas Territories has been met with both anger and frustration -- the move being perceived as an infringement of the constitutional rights of the islands. The IFC Economic Report spoke with Tory MP, David Lidington, to get his view on where the UK government stands on its relationship, not only with the BOTs, but with the Crown Dependencies as well.
IFC: Should the UK be pushing for greater integration with the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories to compensate for the costs of Brexit?
David Lidington: The UK, the Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies have deep, rich and historic ties and shared links. The UK’s relationship with its Territories and Dependencies is a modern one, based on partnership and shared values. All recognise that our relationship brings mutual benefits and responsibilities. The longstanding constitutional relationships between the UK and the Crown Dependencies and the Overseas Territories will be unaffected by the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
IFC: Andrew Mitchell and fellow MP, Dame Margaret Hodge, have confirmed that they will be attempting to convince the Crown Dependencies to adopt a public register of beneficial ownership of companies this autumn. How successful do you think their bid will be, and to what extent can the UK government enforce these island states to comply?…
