Above: Minister HEnry Bellingham (Photo: FCO)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

United Kingdom Minister for the Overseas Territories Henry Bellingham will visit the Cayman Islands beginning Wednesday, seeking to reinforce ties between the UK and the territory.

Bellingham will meet with Cayman Premier McKeeva Bush and other officials to talk about the relationship between the two sides and the challenges currently facing the Cayman Islands.

Bellingham will also meet with Opposition Leader Alden McLaughlin, along with senior civil servants, businesspeople and other members of society.

“I am really looking forward to visiting the Cayman Islands, which I have heard and read so much about,” he said. “I welcome the opportunity to meet members of the government and the wider community face to face during my visit, to see the islands myself and to learn more about the Cayman Islands and its people.”

It is Bellingham’s first visit, and the first by a British government minister since 2007.

After concluding his visit, the Minister will visit the British Virgin Islands and Barbados.

Bellingham is the Member of Parliament for North West Norfolk in the United Kingdom. His portfolio also includes Africa and climate change, among other issues.