Government of the Virgin Islands
Official Statement by Premier Dr Natalio D. Wheatley on the Lifting of the Order in Council to Suspend the VI Constitution
22 September 2025
Good day to the people of the Virgin Islands.
I am pleased to inform you that the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper, acting on the advice of the Minister for the Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, has decided to revoke the draft Order in Council that if invoked would suspend the constitution.
I was informed of this by letter earlier today by Minister Doughty.
The decision reflects the completion of the governance reform programme agreed in May 2022 and confidence in my Administration’s firm commitment to good governance.
I firstly want to express my thanks to God for granting us the strength and resilience to forge ahead under very challenging circumstances which required us to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) whilst at the same time delivering public services to the people of the Virgin Islands.
I want to thank my colleagues in the Cabinet and the House of Assembly, senior public officers, and the Governor and his team for their tireless work in implementing the 48 recommendations. I am also grateful to my internal team for their support that was also instrumental.
This was indeed a collective effort and a demonstration of what can be done when we all work together.
I also want to thank CARICOM, OECS, United Nations, Caribbean Overseas Territories Caucus, the United States Virgin Islands, and all of our international partners who have stood by our side these past three years.
From the beginning, we as Virgin Islanders were adamant about protecting democratic governance and the hard-earned constitutional gains of our ancestors who built this Territory with courage, vision and fortitude.
There are some procedural matters that will have to be completed for the Order in Council to be lifted, which will take a bit more time.
I thank the Foreign Secretary for accepting the recommendation to lift the Order.
I also thank OT Minister Stephen Doughty, as well as the previous OT Ministers involved, for embracing a collaborative approach which allowed us to implement the reforms under continued democratic governance as we strive to build a model democracy.
As Premier, I assure the public that my Government and I remain committed to good governance and leading this Territory with honesty, integrity and democratic accountability.
We have committed to a long tern Transition Plan to continue governance reform and to continue mainstreaming it into the daily workings of Government.
We will continue to build on the progress achieved for the benefit of the people of the Virgin Islands.
Let us all work together in unity as we go forward.
God bless these beautiful Virgin Islands.
Hon. Dr Natalio D. Wheatley
Premier of the Virgin Islands
For Additional Information Contact:
Angela U Burns
Information Officer II
Premier’s Office
Government of The Virgin Islands
Tel: +1 284 468 9445
Email: aburns@gov.vg
Website: https://gov.vg/
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