Deputy Gavin St Pier's open letter to UK MPs

Deputy Gavin St Pier has told UK politicians that they cannot legislate for the Channel Islands as they are not dependencies of the UK. Credit: PA Images

Guernsey's Chief Minister, Deputy Gavin St Pier, has written an open letter to MPs who are calling for the Channel Islands to publish their registers of beneficial ownership.

More than 40 UK politicians signed an amendment last week, which would force Guernsey and Jersey to reveal who owns assets in the islands. The debate on Monday was withdrawn.

In the letter, Deputy Gavin St Pier has told UK politicians that they cannot legislate for the Channel Islands as they are not dependencies of the UK, and any attempt to do so would be challenged robustly.

He also outlined the high standards Guernsey's and Jersey's finance industry have and reiterated that they run a transparent tax regime. He added the amendments to the financial bill seem to be based on "common misperceptions".

The Chief Minister ended the letter with an invitation to work more closely with the UK Government in future.