UK shouldn’t impose their beliefs in constitutional talks
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has said the BVI hopes to maintain a modern relationship with the United Kingdom, where nothing is imposed on the territory, including contentious social issues such as same-sex marriage.
The Premier made the remarks during a recent public engagement session on constitutional reform after a resident questioned whether the UK could ultimately reject the BVI’s proposed constitutional position on marriage and force the territory to accept same-sex marriage laws against the wishes of the majority.
In response, Premier Wheatley stressed that the BVI has already assembled its constitutional negotiating team and intends to clearly present its position to the UK government.
“We’ve put together a negotiating team that suggests that we will have our negotiating position and the UK will have their negotiating position,” the leader explained. He hinted that the BVI team has already been tapped that there will be major focus on the issue during their engagement with London.
“We know, of course, that is an issue that’s going to come up,” Dr Wheatley said. “That’s an issue that they have already signalled will come up, and we’ll have a discussion and a negotiation about it.”
But Dr Wheatley said the territory is opposed to any form of imposition by the UK.
“A part of our contention is that we don’t want a relationship with the United Kingdom where anything is imposed on us,” the Premier stated. “The UK describes our relationship as a modern relationship, and in that modern relationship, imposition should not be a part.”
At the same time, Dr Wheatley argued that though the BVI doesn’t want same-sex marriages, the territory has a duty to protect the rights of minorities like same-sex couples and uphold internationally recognised human rights standards.
“Despite the fact that you may have a majority, it doesn’t give us the right to discriminate or abrogate the rights of others who may not agree with the majority. So we exercise tolerance, we exercise love, but it doesn’t mean that that minority also can dictate to the majority,” Dr Wheatley said.
Copyright 2026 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
















Nah… we don’t want the UK (or anyone else) imposing first world rules of good governance that would adversely impact the decades of traditional corruption, cronyism and glad handing that have prevented the Territory from having reliable infrastructure, health care, and education.
So very, very true!
What about their beliefs in good governance, financial responsibility, democracy, human rights? Should they not impose those? …sort of the point in being the “parent”, isn’t it?
How sad that the most ignorant of us make the rules.
We are an international destination for ALL walks of life, but really want the world to know how limited in vision we truly are…
How is it that Natalio “Cruickshank” Wheatley can never understand that currently the VI is a Territory of the UK.
Bigotted views in the UK have been dropped a long time ago and for the most part have no place in the laws any longer and voting rights are for all the population who live there not just a select group.
You and your Plantation mentality, endeavours to keep the VI firmly stuck in the past.
We can see how Independence and DICTATORHSIP is to your liking and why the peoples views and those of the Constitutional Commision have been taken out representations you are taking to the Constitutional Review and you try and negotiate just for yourselves and your elite buddies.
The Uk need to get RID OF YOU.
The Uk ned to get RID OF YOU.
It’s pretty clear… All the evidence says:
Good governance, financial responsibility, democracy, and human rights oversight would lead to the end of civilization as we know it, and the territory would descend into chaos.
is this going to be something on which the people can vote?
REGRESSION OVERRULED PROGRESSION.
You neither
I dont believe homosexuality is right but I also believe that what I think about it shouldn’t impact their rights. If marrage was just a religious practice with no legal benefits or implications then I would say deny them based on religion. However marrage is a legal contract and denying these people the right to make that contract is discrimination. If you want to call it something else to apease the religious folk then do that but we cant continue to deny these people that right else a decision may be fored upon us in a way that we may not like.
Natalio and John cline and Claude and Ronnie and other entitlement indeginous elites would rather sit in a constitutional negotiation with a team if UK real rednecks than to have Myron walwyn a blood of BVI soil interrogate natalio colonial masters that he loves taking trips to see, natalio wants to protect these colonial masters from the onslaught of Myron, once the colonial oppressors give natalio and Claude he cliques little more power to enjoy colonial formalities they will celebrate that, but with Myron now he will be fighting for all to benefit, his argument will be more expansive and not limited as this so call tapped team, of you listen Marlon can’t answer one question from the press in fear of getting natalio angry and remove him from the team.
OMG they might have some ETHICAL ideas
The Premier shouldn’t impose what he wants on the people.