Britain's overseas territories brace for Brexit
July 23, 2018
As UK Prime Minister Theresa May continues to hash out a Brexit deal with the EU, Britain's overseas territories are waiting anxiously to see how the divorce from the bloc will affect them.
Anguilla, one of Britain's six territories in the Caribbean, is located some 6,500 kilometers (4,039 miles) from Britain and relies heavily on imports — even for its drinking water.
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Most of the goods come in through the EU, via a port just 15 minutes away on the French island of Saint Martin.
"This port is the life vest of Anguilla," Port Manager Roland J Hodge told DW. "This is the only cargo port, so if for whatever reason the port closes down, Anguilla in itself just might close down."
Anguilla 'an afterthought'
If London fails to secure a good Brexit deal, Anguilla's residents are worried they will be among the biggest losers. The territory's dependency on its ties with the EU means most residents would have chosen to stay in the bloc.
But they were not given a vote.
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Anguilla's Prime Minister Victor Banks said he thinks Anguilla is an "afterthought" of the British government.
"When I travel to the United Kingdom, I would say 90 percent of the people I talk to, who are British, don't have a clue that there is a place called Anguilla," Banks told DW. "So I really think we are an afterthought. I don't think that we are big on the agenda for the British government as one of the issues that they speak about."
Residents to lose EU passports
Local radio host DJ Hammer said he was angry Anguilla did not have a say over Brexit. He is among some 15,000 islanders who are set to lose their EU passports after March 29 next year.
"We find it insulting because we'll be affected directly. The Anguilla-Saint Martin border has been a soft border for years and we are concerned that this Brexit situation might impact that in a negative [way]."
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Other Anguillans feel similarly. "Anguillians should've had the chance to participate in the Brexit vote and that no other people should decide Anguillans' fate," one local man told DW. "But then Britain has been increasing its micromanagement of Anguilla," he added.
Another man asked: "Is it fair to us? That means we have no say, because if you take the economy of Anguilla, if you take the budget, it has to be approved by the UK. So we are just puppets in the whole thing."
Independence movement
The EU plays a significant role in Anguilla. Hurricane Irma devastated the tiny territory last September and many homes still lie in ruins, and with the state having no money to spare, the planned reconstruction is funded by the EU.
The EU is also Anguilla's largest provider of development aid, with much of the money earmarked for education. But for the moment it is unclear whether London will step in to help after Brexit.
The frustration of the situation has seen some Anguillans make calls for independence.
"As an independent country, we are much better off," DJ Hammer said. "You'll be able to fend for yourself, because the British government relationship with Anguilla as it stands now, I am not sure we are getting a fair shake."