MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands and other BOTs leaders scheduled to meet with PM Theresa May

During the meeting Mrs. May is expected to announce a further £70 million to help the relief efforts for BOTs hit by hurricanes Irma and Maria

Leaders from eleven British Overseas Territories, BTO, including the Falkland Islands will be meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday as part of the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Committee, which begins in London, according to a release from 10 Downing Street.

 During the meeting Mrs. May is expected to announce a further £70 million to help the relief efforts for BOTs hit by hurricanes Irma and Maria, and will also set out a package of up to £300m in loan guarantees.

The leaders of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos, the worst impacted British territories, will be among those at the annual get-together. The funding comes on top of £92m already committed to the relief effort following the hurricanes, which devastated the Caribbean in September.

Mrs. May is expected to welcome BOTs leaders and underline the strong and enduring partnership that exists with the UK.

“This new £70m package of support demonstrates the UK's ongoing commitment to help its Overseas Territories as they get on with the difficult work of recovery”, Mrs, May was quoted in anticipation of the meeting.

But the Prime Minister will also use the meeting to update the leaders on the progress of the Brexit talks.

Representatives from Anguilla, Ascension Island, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, St Helena and Turks and Caicos will be at the meeting, according to 10 Downing Street.

The £70m in grants will be made available to UK territories in line with the damage caused by the hurricanes and their capacity to fund their own recovery and come from existing Foreign Office and Department for International Development budgets.