Topic: House of Commons

The United Kingdom’s relationship with the Cayman Islands and its other 13 overseas territories is set to come under the spotlight in a new House of Commons inquiry.

The UK government has rejected demands by the Foreign Affairs Committee that it should enforce the legalisation of same-sex marriages and abolish belongership, the equivalent of Caymanian status, in the overseas territories.

A committee of U.K. lawmakers is urging its government to intervene if the British Overseas Territories do not legalize same-sex marriage or abolish rules tied to belongership, the equivalent to Caymanian status, or a similar status.

Eric Bush, Cayman’s representative to the United Kingdom, is scheduled to attend a hearing with the Commons Select Committee on Tuesday as part of the ongoing inquiry into the relationship between the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British Overseas Territories.

The House of Lords has agreed to a controversial amendment of the U.K. Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill that instructs the British government to draft an order in council to institute publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership in the British Overseas Territories by the end of 2020, if they have not been set up by then.

The Cayman Islands government is retaining legal advisers to challenge the threat of an order in council by the U.K. government forcing Cayman to implement a public register of beneficial ownership.

Britain’s 14 overseas territories, including the Cayman Islands, will have to introduce public registers of beneficial ownership by the end of 2020. If they do not, the U.K. government will issue an order in council to force Cayman and other territories to do so.

“The Cayman Islands Government is deeply aggrieved by the acceptance of the UK Government today of an amendment to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill in the House of Commons.”

Relations between Britain and Russia plunged Wednesday to a chill not seen since the Cold War as Prime Minister Theresa May expelled 23 diplomats.

Though a similar measure in the U.K. House of Lords was recently voted down, British MPs are expected to try again – perhaps as early as February – to force overseas territories to enact a public company registry that lists the beneficial owners of those entities.