MP with responsibility for Crown Dependencies visits

Former banker Mike Freer MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the UK Ministry of Justice, made his first official visit to the Bailiwick, spending two days in the island and a day in Sark.

He met political representatives from both islands and discussed a range of current issues and priorities, including the islands’ relationship with the UK government and global trade agreements, and visited local businesses to get a better understanding of the local economy.

‘As the Minister responsible for managing the relationship between the Crown Dependencies and the UK government on behalf of the Crown, it is important for Mr Freer to see the islands for himself to gain a better understanding of the Bailiwick,’ said P&R president Deputy Peter Ferbrache.

‘We have been able to cover a range of topics during the meetings in Guernsey, including our interests in new UK trade agreements being negotiated by the UK post-Brexit and various social and economic policy objectives.’

John Guille, chairman of Sark’s Policy & Finance Committee, described the discussions as ‘interesting and productive’.

Mr Freer, who has been in the role for the past 11 months, had already met some island representatives in London but said it was important to visit the islands too.

‘The programme for my first trip to the Bailiwick has given me an opportunity to see some of the similarities and differences between the islands, explore inter-island relationships and their constitutional relationships with the UK in more depth, and to understand the current priorities for each government.’

Mr Freer, a former leader of Barnet Council, who has been an MP since 2010, was unable to get to Alderney on his visit but intends to go there later this year.

He visited Jersey at the end of 2020.

The last time a UK justice minister visited the island was in September 2018.