On July 7, British prime minister Boris Johnson finally resigned. Or claimed he would resign. Undone by his own Cabinet ministers, who in realising that their own credibily was at stake, he decided to jump ship.

What does this mean for the British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks & Caicos Islands and British Virgin Islands?

In reality, it means very little.

No matter who sits as prime minister, the mandate for the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office does not change.

So no one in the OTs should get overly excited about a change in leadership. The top contenders to become prime minister will follow the exact same mandates of “Global Britain” as set out in the Foreign Affairs Committee Report of 2019.

Expanding the franchise

Recommendation 9:“The UK Government should initiate a consultation with the elected governments of the OTs and work with them to agree a plan to ensure that there is a pathway for all resident UK and British Overseas Territory citizens to be able to vote and hold elected office in territory."

As an example, a UK national on a work permit would be able to vote or run for office in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

The same would apply in each and every one of Britain's remaining colonies.

Can anyone recall this Foreign Affairs Committee coming to the OTs to ask our opinion on this matter?

As we speak, there have been movements by some to change the Constitutional Order of the Cayman Islands to allow non-Caymanians the right to vote.

Private Members Club

Over the past year or so, there have been a number of Bills put forward by either British Members of Parliament or members of the House of Lords that would have an adverse effect on the people of the Overseas Territories.

More to the point, these persons have never once spoken to the people of the OTs about their proposals.

Essentially, they retain the colonial mindset that a small group of persons in London can dictate what should happen here in our islands.

That in itself is a clear definition of European dictatorship, not democracy. Ironically, the very same democracy that they so proudly boast that they are defending in Ukraine.

Colonialism lives

The Overseas Territories cannot legislate what happens in Britain. So they have no moral rights to attempt to legislate what we do and the laws we make.

In a few weeks or months, Boris will be gone. But make no mistake, colonialism lives.

• Christopher Famous is the government MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him on WhatsApp at 599-0901 or e-mail at carib_pro@yahoo.com