Chief minister rails against ‘ignorant and arrogant’ policies of MPs

The Assembly backed a law change that is being rushed through in the wake of the threat of the UK forcing public registers of beneficial ownership on the island, a move which has been labelled a constitutional overreach and seen the UK likened to acting like a colonial power.

Drafting will now take place within days for a provision that any UK act of parliament or order in council has to go the States for it to signal its approval before it can be registered in the Royal Court – a provision that has existed in Jersey since 2005.

Policy & Resources president Gavin St Pier said: ‘Nobody on or off the island should be under any illusions as to my determination or that of the Policy & Resources Committee or this States of Deliberation or the wider community to represent and defend our historical constitutional position.’

Guernsey has argued that the UK should not legislate for the island on domestic issues without its consent.

It is opposed to public beneficial ownership registers until they become a global standard and argued that the current closed register, which is accessible to law enforcement, is much more robust and effective than the UK’s.

A crisis was only narrowly averted last month when the Government withdrew the financial services bill which backbench MPs were trying to amend.

‘Our relationship with the Crown has a direct lineage to our being part of the Duchy of Normandy, long before our Duke’s successful conquest of England in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings,’ said Deputy St Pier.

‘Our relationship with the Crown pre-dates the founding of any parliament in England by 200 years and it pre-dates the founding of the United Kingdom by 650 years.

‘Our relationship with the Crown is now largely conducted through Her Majesty’s government but only because Charles I lost his head and his power struggle with parliament so beginning the journey from absolute monarchy to what we now recognise as a modern constitutional monarchy.

‘The territory our Duke invaded 953 years ago has over those successive centuries, like a cuckoo in the nest, grown into a larger and louder and brasher neighbour, but that does not reduce or supplant our history or relationship with the Crown and neither will the actions of a handful of presently serving, here today, gone tomorrow, ignorant, arrogant or malevolent Westminster politicians.’

He later agreed to withdraw that direct reference to politicians after some complaints from other members, and re-phrased it to ignorant or arrogant or malevolent policies of here today, gone tomorrow, Westminster politicians.

Deputy St Pier will be meeting with Andrew Mitchell MP, one of the leaders of the threatened amendment, within the coming weeks.

The financial services bill was a no-deal Brexit provision, but even if the UK does strike the bill, the fear remains the public registers move, which has significant cross-party support, will simply be made against another one.

Deputies Emilie Yerby, Dawn Tindall and Lester Queripel raised concerns about how Deputy St Pier had referred to MPs.