Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to provide observer status for British Overseas Territories during the Commonwealth Summit in London in April 2018.

The UK is committed to strengthening the links between the Overseas Territories and the Commonwealth. As membership of the Commonwealth is limited to sovereign states, the Overseas Territories cannot attend the Heads of Government Meeting or other ministerial meetings in their own right but will be represented by the UK. The UK Government will discuss the four policy pillars for the summit (security, sustainability, fairness and prosperity), with the Overseas Territories ahead of next year’s summit, in order to seek their views and feedback.