Channel Islands governments to attend British and Irish Council summit

John Le Fondre and Peter Ferbrache will attend the summit
Senator John Le Fondré will travel to Northern Ireland for it, while Deputy Peter Ferbrache will join virtually. Credit: ITV Channel TV

Jersey and Guernsey leaders are in talks in Northern Ireland about how to tackle the post-Covid-19 pandemic recovery.

Jersey's Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré and External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, will travel to the British Irish Summit (BIC) to attend in person, while Guernsey's Chief Minister, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, will join virtually.

This is the 35th BIC summit, where Jersey and Guernsey will hold negotiations alongside the six other member states at the Lough Erne Resort in Fermanagh.

The meeting is being attended by the leaders and ministers from the council's eight member administrations including:

  • Scotland

  • Ireland

  • UK Government

  • Wales

  • Isle of Man

  • Northern Ireland

The last meeting was held in November, hosted by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, where the main discussion was on the post Covid-19 economy.

Previous discussions at these meetings include Brexit and tackling drug abuse.

Jersey last hosted the summit in 2017 with Guernsey holding it in 2018.