Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK Small Island Developing States strategy 2026 to 2030, published 13 January 2026, what steps she is taking to protect the British Overseas Territories from economic shocks.

The UK is committed to strengthening the economic resilience of the Overseas Territories (OTs), including the resilience of critical infrastructure.

We support the OTs to diversify their economies, strengthen their fiscal governance, and invest in the upgrade and maintenance of critical infrastructure. Major investments in recent years include completion of the Rupert's Bay port on Saint Helena and Road Bay jetty in Anguilla, support for new telecommunications infrastructure on Ascension Island, and significant progress in construction of a new hospital and solar energy farm in Montserrat.

The UK also provides targeted environmental support to the OTs through the Blue Belt Programme, including in relation to plastic pollution. We are also continuing to work closely with our partners in the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, and with other countries, to reach an ambitious agreement that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics.