ROAD TOWN, Tortola, Virgin Islands — Political commentator Claude Skelton Cline has sharply criticized the Virgin Islands Government’s decision to dismantle the Territory’s Trade Commission, arguing that the move has stripped the country of a vital institution designed to protect consumers, strengthen trade policy and prepare the Virgin Islands to respond to emerging global economic challenges.
Speaking on his radio programme yesterday, Tuesday, July 7, Skelton Cline accused Junior Minister for Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation Lorna Smith of leading the dismantling of the Commission after being elected to office in 2023, bringing an abrupt end to nearly two decades of policy development.
“In one swoop, the At-Large member, Lorna Smith, dismantled, dismantled, decimated the Trade Commission,” Skelton Cline declared.
He argued that years of work undertaken by multiple governments, public officers and stakeholders had been undone almost overnight.
“Almost 15 to 16 years of work and effort… in one swoop, one person, at the behest of the existing government, decimated it,” he said.
A Project Nearly Two Decades in the Making
The Trade Commission did not emerge overnight. Its origins date back to the mid-2000s when successive Virgin Islands governments began exploring ways to modernize the Territory’s commercial laws and create an independent regulator capable of overseeing trade, competition and consumer protection.
Over the years, governments invested significant time developing a modern trade framework through public consultations, legislative drafting and technical assistance from regional and international partners.
The effort culminated in the passage of the Trade Commission Act in 2020, establishing an independent statutory body intended to regulate fair competition, protect consumers, advise government on trade matters, monitor market practices and promote economic development.
By late 2022, the Commission had formally been established, with the expectation that it would become a central pillar of the Territory’s economic governance.
Supporters viewed it as an institution that would bring the Virgin Islands in line with modern international standards by providing oversight of competition, business practices and consumer rights while helping government navigate increasingly complex global trade issues.
New Administration Reverses Course
However, following the 2023 General Election, the newly elected Virgin Islands Party administration reviewed several government agencies, including the newly established Trade Commission.
Lorna Smith, who entered the House of Assembly as an At-Large representative and was appointed Junior Minister with responsibility for Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation, became the government’s principal voice on the matter.
Rather than operationalizing the Commission, the government suspended its implementation while conducting what it described as a policy review.
Smith subsequently told the House of Assembly that the review concluded the Commission’s responsibilities overlapped with those already being performed by existing government departments.
The administration argued that creating another statutory authority would introduce unnecessary bureaucracy and additional public expense.
Instead, the government proposed strengthening consumer protections by amending existing legislation rather than proceeding with the independent Commission envisioned under the 2020 Act.
Those amendments were introduced through the Consumer Protection Amendment Bill, 2026, which remains before the House of Assembly.
During debate on the legislation in May, Smith maintained that consumers could be adequately protected without establishing an entirely new regulatory authority.
“We Are Now Paying the Price”
Skelton Cline disagrees entirely.
He argued that recent international developments—including the United States’ evolving tariff policies and broader shifts in global trade—demonstrate exactly why the Virgin Islands needed an independent body dedicated to trade policy.
“That’s why when this whole thing with United States tariffs came, we’re in no position, no entity, no proper system in place to address these matters and how they impact our Overseas Territory,” he said.
He contended that without the Commission, the Virgin Islands lacks both the institutional capacity and long-term strategic planning necessary to respond to rapidly changing international markets.
According to Skelton Cline, the absence of a Trade Commission also reflects a wider failure to diversify the Territory’s economy beyond its traditional dependence on tourism and financial services.
“There is no programme, no plan, no agenda for the diversification of our economic outlook,” he said. “All we keep hearing is, ‘This is coming, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that.’”
Calls for Government to Reverse Decision
Skelton Cline urged the government to reconsider its position if it now recognizes that dismantling the Commission was a mistake.
“We must demand that this elected government put the things back in place that are most useful and beneficial to us as a people,” he said.
“If you made a mistake, say, ‘I made a mistake and I’m going to correct my mistake.’ If I took a misstep, say, ‘I took a misstep and I’m going to correct that misstep and put the steps back in place.’”
His comments come as economic resilience and diversification continue to dominate public discussion ahead of the next general election, with critics questioning whether the Territory possesses the institutional framework needed to respond to an increasingly uncertain global economy.
While the government maintains that strengthening existing legislation offers a more efficient approach than creating another statutory authority, opponents argue that eliminating the Trade Commission has left the Virgin Islands without a dedicated agency responsible for trade policy, competition oversight and consumer protection at a time when those functions may be more important than ever.