Wednesday 12 February 2020
Representatives from Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Jersey met with the Channel Islands All Party Parliamentary Group (CIAPPG) in the Houses of Parliament on Monday 10 February 2020 to discuss current issues.
The CIAPPG's purpose is to promote a better understanding of the issues facing the Channel Islands and to develop relations between the UK and the Channel Islands.
Deputy Gavin St Pier, President of the Policy & Resources Committee, represented Guernsey at Monday's CIAPPG meeting and a dinner which followed, both of which were well attended. The entire event provided an opportunity to raise awareness of the Channel Islands and to discuss a wide range of topics with members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
All APPGs have to be officially restarted following the UK's General Election in December if they want to exist again. As a one-off, the inaugural CI APPG meeting was combined with the inaugural Isle of Man APPG meeting. There are some topics which are common to the Channel Islands and Isle of Man and on which the jurisdictions have benefitted from working closely together, including aspects of Brexit and the forthcoming UK-EU future relationship negotiations and the challenges in 2018 and 2019 when some backbench MPs attempted to legislate directly for the Channel Islands and Isle of Man without the consent of the islands.
Deputy St Pier said:
'It was encouraging to meet with so many UK parliamentarians at the CIAPPG meeting and dinner. There were some familiar faces from across the political spectrum and some new faces, including MPs who were first elected in December. There was a genuine interest in the issues that face the islands and an enthusiasm to help to develop a greater understanding across Westminster of our special constitutional position, our relationship with the Crown and our legislative autonomy. I took the opportunity to emphasise that the UK Government has - and has recognised - a responsibility to represent the interests of the Bailiwick on the international stage, even if our interests are different to those of the UK.
CIAPPG meetings are one part of Guernsey's continuing programme of engagement with UK parliamentarians to build relationships and to discuss matters of importance to the Bailiwick/island. During this trip to London, I also had appointments with individual MPs on individual topics.'
