Dear Sir,

If you listened to the adjournment exchange between Chris Bryant and Sir Alan Duncan in the House of Commons on same-sex marriage in Bermuda, Sir Alan’s rebuttal was very carefully, tastefully and diplomatically crafted. Whitehall does not intend to interfere in the internal politics of Bermuda.

But, de facto, they have, and very skilfully so ...

Because as Whitehall delays or freezes the instructions to the Governor of Bermuda to grant Royal Assent to the Domestic Partnerships Bill 2017, the Bill ceases to become law, and while it ceases to be the law in Bermuda, the LGBT community can continue to use existing laws, including the primacy of the Human Rights Act.

Sir Alan gave prudent advice to Bermuda’s LGBT community; use the Supreme Court to challenge the Government of Bermuda. In my humble interpretation, all legal challenges will eventually end in the Privy Council here in London.

Further, in my humble opinion, that is where Britain will get a second bite of the cherry to stop the Progressive Labour Party government — without interfering in internal politics, of course.

So, the PLP government has been politically stayed and will be legally stayed. And Sir Alan smoothly measured his words, tone and body language; he was flawless.

My interpretation is that, one way or the other, Britain will kill off this civil partnership Bill or any other Bill that deprives the LGBT community of its full human rights. It is just that simple.

So, whether you hold your views based on religious grounds or equal-rights grounds, and whether this is as rumoured a pretext for independence or not, at the end of the day the LGBT community will prevail, backed by the British Government.

It is now time for the PLP government to smoothly kill off its ill-fated Bill and concede and respect the human rights of all its citizens.

VALIRIE MARCIA AKINSTALL

London, England