BVI Premier Natalio Wheatley presented the territory's constitutional proposals to the United Nations Special Political and Decolonisation Committee during the General Assembly session in New York.
The government says proposals advanced in negotiations with the United Kingdom include having the premier chair Cabinet and placing leadership of the public service under the elected government. Officials point to Bermuda and Gibraltar as overseas-territory examples.
The presentation does not mean the proposals have been accepted by the United Kingdom or enacted. Constitutional negotiations remain underway, and the U.N. committee is expected to adopt its annual resolution on the Virgin Islands after member-state deliberations.
Any final constitutional change would depend on the negotiation and legal processes that follow; residents should distinguish the BVI government's requested changes from an agreed constitutional text.
The BVI government should publish a side-by-side comparison of the current constitution, each negotiating proposal, the United Kingdom's response and the public process required before any change takes effect.
Source published October 7, 2026; official release does not display a publication time. Read the original reporting or release for the complete record.
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