Premier lobbies Tory conference for BOT aid
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson receives his new Cayman Islands plate from Premier Alden McLaughlin
(CNS): The Cayman Islands delegation, led by Premier Alden McLaughlin, that travelled to Brussels recently to promote Cayman, also went to London and the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. They were there to engage with British politicians to push the financial services business but also lobbied for more support for the British Overseas Territories hit by the hurricanes. At various meetings McLaughlin met with a number of officials, including MPs James Cleverly and Andrew Rosindell, both members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Cayman Islands, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and updated them on the needs of the territories
The premier presented Johnson with a gift from the Cayman Islands, according to a release from the premier’s office. McLaughlin said, “Whilst Mr Johnson had seen first-hand much of the devastation caused by the recent hurricanes, I continued to make a case for continued support from the UK.”
Prior to the meeting with Johnson, the premier and Financial Services Minister Tara Rivers met with Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, where humanitarian aid, the need for a coordinated effort on disaster preparedness and recovery for the BOTs going forward were again the topics for discussion.
On Monday evening members of the delegation attended the Conservative Party Conference business dinner. Chancellor Philip Hammond was the key-note speaker and the dinner was attended by the majority of the UK’s Cabinet ministers as well as key business leaders.
McLaughlin took the opportunity to speak with Priti Patel, Secretary of State for International Development, and lobby for financial support for the BOTs impacted by thee major storms, again stating that the Cayman Islands had been quickly able to offer humanitarian aid because Cayman had not been affected.
After the Tory conference the delegation went to London, where Rivers met with City UK, a group that aims to promote business competitiveness, and attended the 100 Women in Finance Breakfast event at Bloomberg, where she met Baroness Evans, who currently serves as the leader of the House of Lords.
“This has been a very successful trip,” Rivers said. “I had the opportunity to speak with many key influencers to educate them on Cayman’s role as a financial services centre and all the work we have been doing around implementing and shaping international transparency standards.
“I was fortunate to speak at the British Overseas Territories reception in Manchester about the inter-connectedness between the UK and the Cayman Islands, as well as the humanitarian relief we’ve been providing to those affected by the recent storms. This was very well received by everyone in attendance.”
The delegation’s last meeting was with Overseas Territories Minister Lord Ahmed. “I provided a general update on what was happening in the Cayman Islands,” McLaughlin said. “We again discussed Cayman’s humanitarian assistance efforts to our OT neighbours. We talked about the need for the UK to commit, not just short-term financial help with the devastation, but long-term to help their economies get back on their feet.”
According to the release, Lord Ahmed expressed his thanks, as had everyone the delegation met over the course of the trip, for the assistance that Cayman’s government and people are providing to those islands affected.
The final event on the itinerary was the Conservatives Abroad dinner, where McLaughlin was a guest of honour.
“Everyone involved agreed that this trip accomplished what we set out to do,” he said. “We were able to renew and build relationships with not just senior civil servants but also senior members of the UK government and business leaders and to continue to spread the story of Cayman’s success. This is important for us as a country, to ensure the people we meet understand the issues that the Cayman Islands face and the contributions that we make.”
Category: Politics
Excuse me 11:24. I am shouting at you and saying no to Brexit. Margaret Thatcher the great conservative in her no, no, no speech branded this same Brexit as a tax on the English. How is having to pay for tons of Illegals a good thing for everyone? Socialism and communism is only good till you run out of other peoples money.
Socialists expect others to give them everything for free.
Cayman HSA is now collecting debts because people expect things for free and expect government to carry their medical bills.
You pay for cars, cell phones and food. Why not medical bills when doctors and nurses and dentists have to work forever before they can make a cent for themselves.
Everyone thinks the government should carry their bills and their healthcare for free. No one goes to the doctor or dentist checkups. Too cheap to spend a cent on healthy living.
Cigarettes, rum, cell phones and tattoo parlors get all your money but you dont have healthy lifestyles.
Listen. Wake up and change and dont expect to be a communist expecting the government to carry you. This is Brexit people. Retiring to British Overseas places and expect free passports and free everything.
Freeloaders on government! Get a job and help yourselves.
Stop being resentful for the Cayman Government people. I am not a government employee here on Cayman but we should be thankful for those that serve.
Brexit is a tax on the working class!!!!
Was this post randomly generated? I reckon the infinite monkeys typed this up on a day off from Shakespeare.
Alden has his job to do. Brexit was just about more taxing of the poor English people that are already taxed to death.
We all need to put on brakes with Immigration of more people that will drain countries of more funds and burden the working people. Delegates go to other countries all the time and have always done this.
Budgets are made for humanitarian funds and hopefully this allocation can be made to this fund. Paying ahead to other countries damaged by hurricanes was the thing to do to BVI, TCI and Anguilla.
Someone please translate these reports for me. How exactly has all of this socialising and advocating for our OT neighbors by a seriously over staffed contingent been of benefit to the tax payers of Cayman? Seriously, with our own people drowning from despair of government neglect here at home, how can this carousing and waste of public funds for 2 weeks abroad be newsworthy except to cast shame and embarrassment on these amateurs? A free vacation for 6 already overpaid public servants. And we’re OK with this?
The proverbial plate from which the dog ate his dinner.
Is this the guy to convince the UK to exit the EU and left them hanging lol?
He only convinced the poorly educated provincial English and the Welsh. Don’t brand the rest of the UK population with such stupidity.
You dimwit, the vote came from across the country including almost all of the outskirts of London!
The vote came from the areas with the highest numbers of poorly educated people. The correlation between educational attainment and voting remain was stunning. And that is why remain lost, because the intelligent and educated in the UK had no idea how stupid the provincials really were.
Sorry to say it but 11:24 is exactly correct.
They are smart enough to know your kind have been screwing them.
Boris looks like he’s thinking of things to do with that plate as soon as he gets a chance. Alden is only too happy to be licking his boots. A sad photo overall.
He seems pretty ecstatic about the sweet plate!
It is probably the guilt of knowing how badly Brexit will screw Cayman’s Offshore business over time. Blacklisting central going forward.
Cayman cam copy Jamaica and go independent.
We will do about as well as your spelling.
Your right, I also have dyslexia. But won’t stop it from letting me say how I feel.
I stopped reading at “your right”.
But what is really friggin sad is that the plate was made in China. Maybe next time some caymanite or rum cake might be more fitting for Mr. J. Suspect with Brexit there will be more meetings next year.
Wonder what role the woman-beater Councillor actually played on this high cost trip?
You’re Right
Boris is a lot shorter than I thought he was….
And he is only 53 yrs old.
Selling his soul to the devil Leave cause simply because he thought it would help him be Prime Minister aged him.
Correction to the above comment Washington DC and the UK .
There goes more Taxpayers money down the drain and campaign funds bigger , and one more status Caymanian. Him alone wouldn’t be able to do squat in Washington DC .
I think that the people of Cayman Islands should know how much money this man is going to cost them . Because them Politicians in Washington DC don’t come cheap .
Boris or Alden – which is the more useless embarrassment to their nation? Now, that would be an interesting poll.
This is what you get when you elect people to lead your country, who have not lived for more than two weeks abroad. So every chance they get to see the world they make an excuse to do so, aka “neva see cum see”. And that extends to the highest level of the Civil Service…. and we expect different outcomes.