Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of allowing British Overseas Territories to introduce a legislative consent process for Westminster legislation that applies to Overseas Territories.

The 2012 White Paper remains the foundation of the UK's modern partnership-based relationship with the Overseas Territories (OTs), but the OTs continue to work alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to identify proposals on how the relationship should develop in response to more recent global developments. To strengthen that collaboration, the Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November 2025 agreed to develop the option for OTs to agree new Partnership Compacts with the UK, providing tailored, practical frameworks for advancing shared priorities.

Since July 2024, the UK has provided over £20 million in security support to Caribbean OTs, including armed police and investigators to reinforce local forces, new patrol vessels, coastal radar systems, and police drones. We also work closely with independent Caribbean states and deploy UK agencies, including the National Crime Agency, to help counter serious and organised crime.

The Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November welcomed the participation of the Overseas Territories at COP30 and other international fora, and reaffirmed the shared ambition to protect Overseas Territories' ecosystems and address climate and nature crises. The FCDO has provided support through its Climate Security, Civil Resilience and Blue Belt programmes to help OTs adapt and build their climate change resilience, strengthen their disaster management capabilities, and protect and enhance ocean health.

Acts of Parliament are normally not extended to the Overseas Territories except with the agreement of their locally-elected governments. It is established practice to consult the Overseas Territories when the UK Government is considering new legislation or policies of relevance to them.