“Reform Jersey believes that whilst we are a small Island, we should not shy away from playing our part on the international stage. The government should aim to seize opportunities to work with our neighbours and partners to achieve the best outcomes for people in Jersey.”

With Brexit on the horizon, Jersey’s position is uncertain. We do not know what the final deal for Britain leaving the European Union will look like and what its implications for Jersey will be. Our position is that we want Jersey to retain as many of its current relationships (currently governed under Protocol 3 of the UK accession treaty) with the UK and EU as possible. We will speak up for the Island’s interests at the highest levels to make sure that this status is preserved in the final deal.

We will also seek to benefit from our relationships with other EU states which are also members of the Commonwealth, such as Malta and Cyprus (who will have vetoes on the final Brexit deal) to ensure that our interests are taken into account.

Channel Islands’ Co-operation

There are many areas, not least over Brexit, where Jersey and Guernsey should be working together to provide value for money for both governments as well as drawing on a wider pool of experience and expertise to provide better services. There are services where we should aim to establish joint offices to achieve this. We will seek an agreement with our neighbours to establish a Channel Islands Council to facilitate communications and joint project work with our counterparts in each Island. The maintenance and improvement of our sea and air links, not only with the other Islands but also with France and the UK, requires full co-operation.

Our special relationship with the United Kingdom

Reform Jersey believes that our special relationship with the United Kingdom is of paramount importance, not just for our economy but also for our security, and we do not support Jersey becoming an independent country. Progress has been made in recent years to ensure all UK political parties understand Jersey’s value to the UK and the nature of our constitutional relationship. We will work to maintain good relations to ensure that Jersey’s interests are considered in the Brexit negotiations.

International Development and Foreign Policy

Jersey’s contributions to Overseas Aid should be a source of pride for Islanders. The aid we provide is improving the lives of some of the most deprived people in the world. We will protect funding for the Overseas Aid Commission and work to ensure that each project we take on is providing the maximum benefit possible to those we are seeking to help by focusing on long-term projects designed to help lift areas out of poverty, rather than making token donations.

Reform Jersey accepts that we cannot solve all the world’s problems, however we should not be legitimising regimes which are abusing human rights and contributing to instability and terrorism in trouble spots around the world. We would not take part in positive PR for disreputable regimes, as the current government in Jersey has done on several occasions.

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