Friday, December 4 – The new Director of the BVI London Office, Mr. Kedrick Malone, on Thursday met with Lindsay Hoyle MP, the Chair of the British Virgin Islands All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). 

 

The discussions, the first between the two since Mr. Malone was appointed in October, focussed on a number of issues affecting the islands including the recently published Final Report of the Independent Review of British offshore financial centres by Mr. Michael Foot.

 

Describing the discussions as being constructive, Mr. Malone said they also focussed on the impact on the Foot Report on the financial services sector, the impact of the current economic climate, increasing the BVI’s voice in Parliament and constitutional matters.

 

 “It was a real pleasure to meet Mr Hoyle who has been a supporter of the BVI for a number of years and has also visited the islands,” Mr. Malone said after the talks.

 

 He added, “Mr. Hoyle like other UK parliamentarians has shown a distinct willingness to speak up on our behalf with the UK Government and I was keen to meet him to show my appreciation for that and as well as bringing him up to date on developments in the BVI”.

 

Mr. Hoyle also welcomed the opportunity to meet the new Director of the BVI London Office. “We had a fruitful discussion and he brought me up to speed with the aspirations of the British Virgin Islands.  I am pleased to continue supporting the Territory in the House of Commons and I look forward to maintaining a great working relationship with Mr. Malone and the team at BVI House in London,” he said.

 

Thursday’s meeting was the first of a series that Mr. Malone will undertake in his new role, aimed at ensuring the BVI’s voice is heard and its interests represented in Westminster.

 

The APPG is a forum for parliamentarians of all parties and from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords to come together to discuss issues of importance to the British Virgin Islands. The group provides a link between the BVI and the UK Parliament by fostering and maintaining good relations with interested parliamentarians.  Mr. Hoyle has been Chair of APPG since 2006 and is also Chair of the umbrella UK Overseas Territories Group. 

 

The BVI London Office was established in 2002 and also serves as headquarters for official visits to the UK/European region and supports Virgin Islanders living and studying in Britain. The BVI London Office falls under the management of the Premier’s Office.