3 May 2023
Chief Minister, Julie Thomas, departed St Helena on Saturday 29 April 2023, to travel to the UK. Whilst there she will be attending the Coronation of His Majesty The King and the annual Overseas Territories (OTs) Joint Ministerial Council (JMC).
The Chief Minister and Governor will be representing St Helena at the Coronation on Saturday 06 May as well as attending a number of functions related to the event. They will also be at an official reception of leaders from the Commonwealth and Overseas Territories hosted by HM The King at Buckingham Palace on Friday 05 May, and at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday 07 May.
JMC events will run from Wednesday 10 May to Friday 12 May. The JMC takes place every year in London and is hosted by the UK Government. It brings together elected leaders and representatives from all of the OTs, as well as UK Ministers, and provides the principal forum for political dialogue and consultation between the UK and the OTs.
The JMC was due to begin on 7 November 2022 but was postponed at late notice due to the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II shortly beforehand. Whilst in the UK the Chief Minster will also be undertaking a number of engagements with key stakeholders and partners.
The Chief Minister will be supported by Governor Nigel Phillips CBE and St Helena Government UK Representative Kedell Worboys MBE, throughout the trip.
On her visit Chief Minister, Julie Thomas, said:
“It is an honour to be representing our Island at the Coronation of HM The King. Both this and the JMC offer an important platform to engage with key partners over issues of significant importance to St Helena. As well as coronation proceedings, I have a full programme of events for my time in the UK. I will be attending the JMC itself, having bilateral meetings with UK Government officials and UK Ministers, as well as a number of engagements with important Island partners and other OT representatives.”
“The trip will provide an opportunity to build on the links this Government has established with key UK Government colleagues and the elected leaders of the wide variety of territories that make up our OT family. I will be championing all of the innovative and successful work underway in St Helena, but also looking to learn from the experiences of others and build networks that can be used to try and translate some of those into a St Helena context, and vice versa.”
The Chief Minister is due to arrive back on St Helena on Saturday 20 May. Whilst the Chief Minister is off-Island, Minister Christine Scipio has been appointed Deputy Chief Minister.
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