UK Parliament Committee announces inquiry into UK-BOT relationship

The House of Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, chaired by William Wragg MP, has announced a new inquiry examining the status of the UK’s relationship with the Overseas Territories in the 21st century and whether the current constitutional settlement is satisfactory. The inquiry extends to the relationship between both the UK Government and the UK Parliament, and the Overseas Territories. At present, the UK is responsible for the defence and foreign relations of the territories, although the UK has extended domestic legislation to the territories on occasion.

From the 25th to the 27th of April 2023, committee members visited Gibraltar as part of both the inquiry on the territories’ constitutional status, as well as their other ongoing inquiry on the scrutiny on international agreements, meeting with government figures such as the Chief Minister, the Hon. Fabian Picardo KC MP, and the Governor, Sir David Steel. In addition, the committee held other meetings with representatives from the legal profession, trade unions, businesses and academics from the University of Gibraltar, which was setup in 2015.

Committee chair William Wragg MP was interviewed by the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation on his visit, where he touched on the recent press report that former Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Dominic Raab MP, accused a senior diplomat of breaching the UK Cabinet’s stance on UK-EU negotiations regarding Gibraltar, as well as touching on the need to gather opinions on whether Gibraltar should be made a constituency and have direct representation in the UK Parliament. The full interview can be found here.

The committee is requesting that stakeholders respond to the inquiry with a written submission, providing an answer to any or all of the questions it seeks to answer:

• Are the UK’s current constitutional arrangements as regards the overseas territories satisfactory and appropriate in the 21st Century? 

• What is the UK Government’s relationship with the overseas territories? 

• What is the UK Parliament’s relationship with the overseas territories? 

• How is legislation made in the overseas territories and what role does the UK Government and UK Parliament have in these processes? 

• Are effective mechanisms in place for the interests of the Overseas Territories to be represented internationally?  

• Are the rights and interests of British overseas citizens effectively protected by the current constitutional arrangements?

Written submissions must be received no later than 5pm on Monday 4th September 2023, and can be submitted here.