🇬🇧 UK House of Commons Speaker to make historic visit to Cayman Islands

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, is set to make a historic visit to the Cayman Islands at the end of July. This will be the first time a UK House of Commons Speaker has made an official visit to the islands. The visit, scheduled from July 31 to August 3, will include addressing the Cayman Islands House of Parliament, touring Grand Cayman, and attending a gala at the Ritz-Carlton in his honour. Sir Lindsay, who has been the MP for Chorley since 1997, became a non-partisan figure after his election as speaker in 2019, a tradition upheld in the UK Parliament. 🏛️

The visit will be hosted by Cayman Islands Speaker Sir Alden McLaughlin, with involvement from the offices of the governor and the premier. A special meeting of parliament will take place on August 1, where Hoyle, McLaughlin, Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart will address the House. This meeting aims to highlight the shared values and mutual goals of the UK Parliament and the Parliament of the Cayman Islands. During his visit, Hoyle will also meet with the premier and Governor Jane Owen to discuss the relationship between the UK and the Cayman Islands. 🤝

Hoyle will be taken on a tour of Grand Cayman, visiting key cultural and historical landmarks such as Pedro St. James, the site of the first meeting of the Cayman Islands legislature in 1831. A formal gala in Hoyle’s honour will be hosted at the Ritz-Carlton on August 2. Hoyle is known for his advocacy of the British Overseas Territories and has expressed interest in the operations of the Hazard Management Cayman Islands office, the Cayman Islands Regiment and Cayman’s marine environment. His visit is seen as a reaffirmation of the strong ties between the Cayman Islands and the UK. 🌴