An academic report looking into the relationship between the United Kingdom and its 14 overseas territories has concluded that it is “messy and often difficult”.
The university-led analysis says the existing levels of governance require significant work because problems occur when lines of communication collapse.
It suggests changes should be made in how the UK oversees and engages with the territories – such as assigning a dedicated overseas territories minister.
The report also discusses opportunities for constitutional reform, such as devolving governors’ powers, and argues that an “open and wide-ranging” approach should be taken.
The Cayman Islands is among Britain’s five Caribbean territories mentioned in the paper, along with the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat and Anguilla.
‘Global Britain’
Three UK university experts collaborated to create ‘Global Britain, contested spaces, and the UK Overseas Territories’, published this June.
It considers two main topics: the relationship between the UK and its territories, and how the territories can support and enrich ‘Global Britain’ – a term established following Brexit.
The report does this by focusing on the most important aspects of the relationship, highlighting the current state of affairs and proposing changes or further avenues of enquiry.
Co-author Peter Clegg, a professor in politics and international relations at the University of West England, UK, told the Compass the report will be widely shared.
“It will hopefully inform discussions in government, media and the general public,” he said.
“Some of its findings might also feed into the upcoming inquiry by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee of the House of Commons in the Autumn.”
It was written following a two-day workshop in March at the University of London, which brought together government representatives, NGOs, and academics to discuss the issues.
“Of course, between the [funding] bid and the workshop, the UK had three prime ministers, so there is perhaps now less of a focus on Global Britain, but it’s still important,” Clegg said.
He added, “It’s been over a decade since the last UK government white paper on the UKOTs, so we thought it was timely to revisit some key issues.”
Constitutional issues
The new report describes the territories as having different levels of autonomy using, as an example, the Cayman Islands which confers a special legislative power on the governor.
It says there can be a lack of clarity between governors and the territories when it comes to decision-making, causing friction and accusations of constitutional overreach.
The paper looks back at when the former Cayman Islands governor Martyn Roper used reserve powers to approve legislation that introduced same-sex civil unions in 2020.
This took place despite opposition from parliament, and has since faced challenges in court.
The UK should approach constitutional reform only when it is required and not make blanket changes, the report says.
It suggests changes could include the role of the governors in chairing Cabinet, the reserve powers of the governors, and the law-making powers of the governors, among others.
“These suggested changes would advance the territories’ constitutional maturity and allow them to play a more engaged role in international affairs,” the authors wrote.
The report suggests the UK should look into ‘free association’ – the right of territories to determine their internal constitution without outside interference.
“Up until now there has been a rather narrow range of options for constitutional reform as set out by the UK government,” the report says.
Political relations
There is some debate over whether the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office is the most appropriate department to manage relations, the report says.
“The territories are neither foreign nor Commonwealth, nor in most cases in any need of development assistance,” the authors wrote.
“Nevertheless, there is little appetite for change and no clear or better alternative.”
However, the paper describes problems in relations between the FCDO and the territories.
One issue is the high turnover of civil servants and ministers with responsibility for the territories.
This “leads to at times inconsistent policymaking and a lack of understanding about the differences between the territories,” the report says.
Another problem is that government ministers do not have the territories as their sole responsibility.
“We do propose that serious consideration is given to having a single minister for the overseas territories covering all the inhabited territories,” the report says.
The authors describe Whitehall as having a “paternalistic attitude” as territories are managed by civil servants.
“This should be guarded against, as often the most significant fallings-out occur when consultation either does not happen or happens too late,” the report says.
The paper also recommends that both of the UK’s houses of parliament hold more regular debates on the territories.
When it comes to Belonger status, it stresses the “restricted franchise” from tight controls should be considered when evaluating the quality of democracy and civic engagement.
“A more representative electorate would enrich discussions regarding the future political status of each territory,” the report says.
And it says calls for direct representation in UK parliament should be put to one side and efforts instead directed at strengthening and streamlining existing avenues of influence.
Development, aid and infrastructure
Due to their small size, the opportunities of territories for diversification are extremely limited, the report says.
“Also, because their existing industries are generally so important and well-established this also acts as a barrier to change.”
However, there are some possibilities to explore, particularly in relation to climate change and environmental protection, the authors wrote.
They suggest cooperation should be strengthened between the UK and its territories to ensure that genuine possibilities for diversification and development are explored.
In terms of funding, tangible benefits from EU funding have so far not been fully replicated by the UK since Brexit, the report says.
The UK needs to make good on that funding and consider if it can re-enter EU programmes that have benefits for the territories.
Meanwhile, the BBC could help to improve communications by having a dedicated territories news page on its website, the report suggests.
Environment
The UK’s overseas territories are well known for their natural environment and associated biodiversity.
“Indeed, it is estimated that over 94% of the biodiversity within the UK is located in the territories,” the report says.
“They contain over 500 globally threatened species, and many undisturbed habitats of international significance.”
The authors describe the Cayman Islands as having 25 endemic species of plants and reptiles, and more than 200 species of birds.
The territories benefit from their relationship with the UK when it comes to funding for environmental schemes, the report says.
However, “the contribution of the territories to the UK’s broad environmental pledges outstrips the support given to them in return”.
Social policy
Key issues within the orbit of social policy are education, skills and the transient nature of populations, and working with diaspora communities, the report says.
It describes territories as facing an ageing and shrinking population along with an increase in non-communicable diseases with the introduction of western diets and lifestyles.
“Education systems in small territories also encourage young people to move away from home as they lack secondary or tertiary education institutions,” the authors wrote.
“Many young people, having seen other ways of living as they study abroad, are then reluctant to return home, especially due to the lack of skilled work.
“Where the UK government or other stakeholders have created skilled employment opportunities in the Territories, these are frequently filled by outsiders.”
The authors suggest the UK could better support the territories by creating tertiary and higher education opportunities and encouraging citizens to return to the islands for work.
The reports says, issues related to human rights, chiefly in the Caribbean territories, are contentious, but there are opportunities for more effective cooperation.
However, the territories should use their own political and legal mechanisms to help to reinforce change regarding gay rights and civil partnerships.
Security and defence
There are obvious benefits to the UK of having territories located across the globe, the report says, but there are also risks and vulnerabilities.
“The most obvious manifestation of the territories’ contribution to security and defence are those territories which have a UK military presence,” it added.
The authors wrote that, more generally, the territories can help to satisfy the interests of NATO and the US.
However, there are limits to the territories’ contribution such as the dissonance between the UK’s geo-political priorities and the location of the territories.
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