The British Overseas Territories are "ready to speak with one voice" in the UK this week, according to Premier Ewart Brown.

He told a press conference on Friday that the territories had asked this year to meet collectively for bilateral talks with the Foreign Office Minister for the first time at the Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC).

Dr. Brown said: "We feel it's important that we have these issues discussed when we are all in the room and they have all agreed to that.

"We will all be in the room. We are going to learn and the British are going to learn too."

The Premier said Bermuda was chairing the group this year and had recently attended a pre-meeting in Anguilla. "Now we are ready to speak with one voice," he said.

He will address the council on criminal justice, pressing again for the Bermuda Government to be given operational control of policing.

Other issues likely to come up, said Dr. Brown, are climate change, good governance, economic development and the recent scandal in Turks and Caicos.

Dr. Brown said Cayman and Anguilla had recently had strained relations with Britain after it refused to let them borrow money. "There is a certain sense of indignation, if you will, and some concern as to what we can and can't do.

"Of course, Bermuda doesn't fall into that specific category but nonetheless we find that many issues are in common."

This will be Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant's first OTCC. He said in a statement released by the Foreign Office: "I'm delighted to welcome elected leaders from the Overseas Territories to this year's Overseas Territories Consultative Council. Much has happened since territory leaders gathered in London 12 months ago.

"Developments across many of the territories, not least in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the economic and financial services challenges that many of them face, have, in some cases, put our relationship under strain.

"We've got a great deal to discuss and difficult issues to address. I'm looking forward to open and frank discussions and to working with territory leaders to resolve those issues and to strengthening our relationship.

"We value our relationship with the Overseas Territories highly and are keen to maintain that bond of friendship, even if at times we have to be critical friends."

Other territories represented at the council will be Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Ascension Island.

l Premier Dr. Brown was due to join other Overseas Territories heads of government in London this morning to meet with Mr. Bryant. He is expected to fly onwards to Copenhagen on Friday to take part in the United Nations Climate Change Conference.