Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP will be swapping the Commons for Gorey Castle this week during his first official visit to Jersey since becoming Speaker of the House.
During a two-day visit on Thursday and Friday, Sir Lindsay will meet Ministers and politicians to discuss the Island’s political and constitutional relationship with the UK – while also diving into Jersey’s unique parish system and States Assembly practices.
While it is his first visit to Jersey since becoming Speaker in 2019, Sir Lindsay has already shown his support for the Channel Islands on numerous occasions since.
In 2023, stained glass windows representing the three Crown Dependencies were installed in the Speaker’s House, with Sir Lindsay stating at the time that it would be a demonstration to visitors of “how closely we are connected”.
Sir Lindsay also hosted celebrations in London on 6 May this year to mark 80 years since the Channel Islands were liberated.
On the day of the reception, Ministers first took various meetings with UK Ministers and Parliamentarians, and an Evensong service took place at Westminster Abbey where prayers were said in relation to Liberation Day. The reception, which took place on the parliamentary estate,
What’s on the agenda for this visit?
Sir Lindsay will firstly visit the States Chamber, and later attend the unveiling of the Bailiff’s portrait, as Sir Timothy Le Cocq prepares to hand over to Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae KC.
He will also lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in tribute to Jersey’s servicemen and women who lost their lives in conflict.
Elsewhere in the visit, he will tour the Occupation Tapestry Gallery to learn more about the island’s wartime story, before heading to Mont Orgeuil.