House of Commons speaker to visit Grand Cayman

CNS: At the end of this month, Sir Lindsay Hoyle will become the first speaker of the UK House of Commons to make an official visit to the Cayman Islands. During the visit, which will last from 31 July to 3 August, he will address the CI House of Parliament, tour Grand Cayman and attend a gala at the Ritz-Carton hosted in his honour.

Sir Lindsay, the MP for Chorley since 1997, was a member of the Labour Party until he was first elected as speaker on 4 November 2019. At that point, as is expected of parliamentary speakers in the UK, he resigned from the party.

As explained on the UK Parliament website, “The political impartiality of the Speaker is one of the office’s most important features – and most emulated or aspired to outside the UK. Once elected, the Speaker severs all ties with his or her former party and is in all aspects of the job a completely non-partisan figure.” No such requirement exists in the Cayman Islands.

According to a release from the Cayman Islands Parliament, Speaker Sir Alden McLaughlin will host the visit, though the offices of the governor and the premier will also be involved.

Calling it “a testament to the deep traditions and duties that connect our parliaments”, the Cayman speaker said ahead of the visit, “My friendship with Sir Lindsay is built on a shared commitment to fostering strong diplomatic ties between our parliaments.” He added, “I look forward to showcasing Cayman’s vibrant culture and rich history to my esteemed colleague.”

There will be a special meeting of parliament at 10:30am on 1 August, during which Hoyle, McLaughlin, Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart will all address the House. “This special meeting will highlight the shared values and mutual goals of the UK Parliament and the Parliament of the Cayman Islands and will provide the dignitaries with the opportunity to formally record their remarks on the significant ceremony,” the release stated.

During the visit, Hoyle will meet with the premier, who was recently elected president of the UK Overseas Territories Association, and Governor Jane Owen to discuss the relationship between the UK and the Cayman Islands. He will then be taken on a tour of Grand Cayman, escorted by the Cayman speaker. The tour will include visits to key cultural and historical landmarks such as Pedro St. James, where the first meeting of the Cayman Islands legislature took place in 1831.

On Friday, 2 August, McLaughlin will host a formal gala in Hoyle’s honour at the Ritz-Carlton, where the guest list will include current and former MPs, speakers, and leaders of the Cayman community.

According to the release, Hoyle is a vocal advocate of the British Overseas Territories and has a strong interest in seeing the operations of the Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) office, the Cayman Islands Regiment and Cayman’s marine environment.

He has also been “a vocal advocate for strengthening the diplomatic ties between the UK’s Parliament and the Commonwealth nations, particularly the British Overseas Territories”. In May 2023, he unveiled two new stained-glass windows in Speaker’s House at the Palace of Westminster, incorporating all sixteen BOTs, which he said represented the importance of the “United Kingdom family”.

The premier said the visit “reaffirms the strength” of Cayman’s relationship with the UK. She described Hoyle as a “champion and supporter” of the BOTs, “using every chance to underscore that together, we are stronger and more prosperous because of the ties that bind us. We look forward to all our discussions with him on matters of mutual interest, including opportunities for strengthened cooperation.”

The governor said the visit “provides an opportunity to strengthen the bonds between the UK and Cayman’s legislatures and discuss how Cayman is responding to the current national and global context. It also allows us to showcase to Speaker Hoyle these remarkable islands and our community.”

Hoyle said about the upcoming visit, “It is a huge honour to be the first Speaker of the House of Commons to visit and address the Parliament of the Cayman Islands – so I would like to thank Sir Alden for giving me the opportunity. The Cayman Islands, like all of our Overseas Territories, are an important and integral member of the British Family, and I hope my visit – and meetings with key figures and organisations – will further strengthen these bonds of friendship.”