Minister’s flying visit is a positive sign

That James Duddridge should choose to spend even a few hours meeting business and political leaders in Guernsey is a coup for the island and a sign that Chief Minister Gavin St Pier has earned the respect of UK politicians.

Beyond that, the member for Rochford and Southend East made it clear that he wanted to make his first visit as DExEU minister to a Crown Dependency ‘because I understand how important our relationship is for both of us’.

Granted, such warm words cannot be taken at face value. Mr Duddridge would not be the first politician to flatter his hosts about how important they are.

Cynicism aside, the minister did not have to come and listen to our concerns. It would have been easy – truthful even – for his diary to have been booked up until well after Halloween.

And, judging by the social media response, outside of these shores the visit earns him little political capital. Most of the comments posted were along the lines of ‘Why bother going there? The tax dodgers aren’t even in the EU? Focus on the UK and your own constituents.’

In that light, Guernsey – and by proxy the other Crown Dependencies – has good reason to hope that Mr Duddridge and the Conservative ‘and Unionist’ government are genuine in their commitment to the wider British family.

A key part of that is the much-delayed extension of World Trade Organization membership. Successive ministers and civil servants have promised that it is on its way, only for weeks and months to pass by.

The new minister says that it is ‘all in the pipeline’ and he is confident of success before 31 October. Let us hope so.

More important, however, is the work Mr Duddridge is doing to strengthen supply lines through UK ports.

If, as seems likely, a no-deal Brexit does become a reality, the island will hold the minister and his government responsible for the unimpeded flow of goods and medicines to the islands.