Smith defends U-turn on Junior Minister post

Deputy Premier and Trade Minister Lorna Smith.

Junior Minister for Financial Services and Economic Development Lorna Smith has defended her decision to rejoin the Virgin Islands Party-led government months after declining a similar post following her removal as Deputy Premier.

Smith had previously said the junior minister position was “not acceptable” to her when Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley first made the offer last year. However, she said she reconsidered after serious reflection and another invitation from the Premier.

“I did say when I was offered the position of junior minister by the Premier that it was not acceptable to me,” Smith explained on the Talking Points show. “But I have thought long and hard about the matter, and he has asked me again to join the government and to assist the government with the many areas that require my support.”

Her return to government comes amid public scrutiny over why she returned to the government. Premier Wheatley previously suggested that Smith rejected the role of Junior Minister after being dismissed from Cabinet because of the timing of the incident. He cited personal and other issues she was dealing with at the time, including the loss of a close relative.

Addressing this, Smith said she made the decision based on the territory’s urgent needs and her desire to contribute meaningfully. “I believe that at this time, it should be all hands on deck,” Smith asserted.

She also clarified that her areas of responsibility—financial services, trade, and economic development—remained unchanged after her departure, which helped her decide to return. “There are areas in financial services—I might not be the best person in the world to deal with financial services—but I do know a lot about financial services that I could support the government on,” she said.

“Those areas were moving. There was a lot happening in financial services, in trade… and economic development,” she continued. “There was no change to them. And so I sort of, I don’t want to say jumped right back in, but I did.”

Smith noted that despite no longer holding a ministerial post, she had remained engaged in her areas of interest and continued working behind the scenes. “I had my reports and my work that I was doing,” she said.

Smith’s return to government comes at a critical time for the BVI, as the territory navigates mounting economic pressures and ongoing reforms stemming from recommendations in recent governance and criminal justice reports.

“When I decided to run for political office… I did say that I would serve the country to the best of my ability,” Smith said. “And so I will continue to do so for the next however many years.”