BERMUDA will have more representation in the UK and the European Union (EU) if British MP Daniel Kawczynski gets his way.

Mr. Kawczynski (pictured) presented a bill to the UK Parliament this week, proposing that Prime Minister Tony Blair should appoint two or three extra peers in the House of Lords to represent the interests of the people of the British Overseas Territories.

And the Opposition MP also argued that the UK's dependencies should have more representation at the EU headquarters in Brussels, allowing countries like Bermuda to lobby for EU grants and have a say on EU business affecting them.

Mr. Kawczynski argued that the British territories, such as Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Cayman Islands, provided "tremendous military benefits" to Britain.

And he warned of a "tide of dissatisfaction" from the Territories' 220,000 residents if they did not have more say in business carried out on their behalf by the UK.

His British Overseas Territories bill was presented to the House of Commons on Wednesday and gained its first reading.

At present, the UK represents the Overseas Territories in the European Union. Britain also makes all decisions on foreign policy and defence on behalf of the Territories, despite their having no say in how this is enacted.

Mr Kawczynski said: "Our Overseas Territories are bound by treaties that the UK signs on their behalf and rulings in the European Court of Human Rights.

"They receive funds from the EU and are likely to follow the UK into war if required. I simply feel that they should have some say in how these things are decided."

Mr Kawczynski is proposing that the Territories have some influence in the office of the UK representative in Brussels, who now represents the interests of Bermuda and the other Territories in the EU.

Some other EU Overseas Territories, dependencies of France and Holland, are allowed to participate in both national and European Parliament elections.

"As a result, those overseas territories have far more recognition in the EU and secure far more financial assistance than do ours," pointed out Mr. Kawczynski, Conservative MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham.

"The bill would enable us to provide specific help for our overseas territories through the United Kingdom Representative Office in Brussels, to overcome some of the hurdles, in the form of red tape and bureaucracy that the European Union throws in their way in allocating money to them.

"The money is there, but every time that they want to draw money from their accounts, the EU throws more red tape at them.

"I hope that this bill will reverse the dissatisfaction that some overseas territories feel towards the Foreign Office and how it ignores them and their concerns. We need to show more solidarity with our Overseas Territories and the Foreign Office needs to work more closely with them in the European Union to maximise their benefits.

"I have met representatives from many of the Overseas Territories. In fact, this morning I met representatives from the Falkland Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

"I was greatly upset that some of them said that Independence is 'inevitable', because I would hate for us to lose any of the remaining 14 overseas territories. They are extremely important to us strategically and historically."

The Guardian newspaper commented yesterday that the bill "stands little chance of becoming law".

Many of Britain's 14 dependencies are too small to have a member of Parliament for themselves. Bermuda, however, with its population of about 62,000, could qualify, should such a move ever be proposed. The average UK constituency has an electorate of 67,410.