2023 in the British Virgin Islands

See also: 2023 in the Caribbean

List of events

* 2022
* 2021
* 2020
*   *

|  | 2023

the BVI |

* 2024
* 2025
* 2026
*   *

|
|
|

Decades:|

*   *   *   *   *

See also:|

* Other events of 2023
* Timeline of BVI history

Events from the year 2023 in the British Virgin Islands.

## Incumbents

[edit]

* Governor: John Rankin
* Premier: Natalio Wheatley

## Events

[edit]

### January

[edit]

* 10 January - Former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Julian Willock, is reportedly arrested and then released in relation to suspicions of human trafficking.[1][2] Through a statement released on an affiliated news website, Willock strenuously denied the allegations, and referred to them as "unfounded".[3] Willock had previously resigned as speaker under pressure from his party in May 2022.[4]

### April

[edit]

* 24 April - 2023 British Virgin Islands general election: Citizens of the British Virgin Islands elect the 13 members of the House of Assembly.[5] No party won an overall majority but the incumbent Virgin Islands Party (VIP) won the most seats. Discussions to form a coalition ensued.[6]
* 25 April - In a surprise move, Lorna Smith (wife of longtime National Democratic Party leader, Orlando Smith) switched allegiance to the VIP allowing them to form a government.[7] Lorna Smith was made Deputy Premier.[8]
* 27 April - The new Cabinet was announced. For the first time it included a new Ministerial position for financial services.[9]

### July

[edit]

* 1 July - an armed robbery takes place during broad daylight at the Tortola Pier Park, a key tourist location.[10]

### October

[edit]

* 3-4 October - Tropical Storm Philippe brings widescale flooding to the Territory, despite passing nearly 90 nautical miles to the north.[11]
* 9 October - Unknown assailants opened fire on a prison van, reportedly to try and free a prisoner. One guard was injured.[12]

## See also

[edit]

* 2023 in the Caribbean

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ "Former Speaker arrested on suspicion of human trafficking". BVI News. 10 January 2023.
2. ^ "FORMER SPEAKER ALLEGEDLY ARRESTED AND RELEASED ON SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKING". 284 Media. 10 January 2023.
3. ^ "'I was detained & questioned by 6 Caucasian UK officers'- Willock". Virgin Islands News Online. 11 January 2023.
4. ^ "BVI Speaker asked to resign in wake of premier's drug arrest in US". Loop Caribbean News. 5 May 2022.
5. ^ "British Virgin Islanders electing new government". Jamaica Observer. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
6. ^ "No Majority Winner! Negotiations Underway To Form New BVI Government". BVI Platinum. 24 April 2023.
7. ^ "Cornerstone! Lorna Smith joins VIP to help form new gov't". BVI News. 25 April 2023.
8. ^ "Lorna Smith sworn in as Deputy Premier". BVI News. 25 April 2023.
9. ^ "Financial Services introduced among ministerial assignments". BVI News. 1 May 2023.
10. ^ "daring armed robbery reported at pier parks house of luxury". BVI News. 1 July 2023.
11. ^ "TS Philippe brings floods, infrastructural damage". BVI News. 4 October 2023.
12. ^ "Prison officer injured in shooting incident". BVI News. 9 October 2023.

* v
* t
* e

2023 in North America

Sovereign states|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Canada
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* El Salvador
* Grenada
* Guatemala
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States

Dependencies and
other territories

* Anguilla
* Aruba
* Bermuda
* Bonaire
* British Virgin Islands
* Cayman Islands
* Curaçao
* Greenland
* Guadeloupe
* Martinique
* Montserrat
* Puerto Rico
* Saint Barthélemy
* Saint Martin
* Saint Pierre and Miquelon
* Saba
* Sint Eustatius
* Sint Maarten
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* United States Virgin Islands

* v
* t
* e

2023 in the Caribbean

* British West Indies
* Danish West Indies
* Dutch Caribbean
* Caribbean Netherlands
* Netherlands Antilles
* French West Indies
* West Indies Federation

West
Indies|

| Antilles|

| Greater
Antilles|

* Cayman Islands
* Cuba
* Jamaica
* Navassa Island
* Puerto Rico

| Hispaniola|

* Dominican Republic
* Haiti

|

Lesser
Antilles|

| Leeward
Islands|

* Anguilla
* Antigua and Barbuda
* Guadeloupe
* La Désirade
* Les Saintes
* Marie-Galante
* Montserrat
* Saba^*
* Saint Barthélemy
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Sint Eustatius^*

| Saint Martin^|

* Collectivity of Saint Martin
* Sint Maarten

|

Virgin Islands|

* British Virgin Islands
* U.S. Virgin Islands

Southern
Caribbean|

| Leeward
Antilles|

* Insular Venezuela
* Federal Dependencies
* Nueva Esparta

| ABC islands|

* Aruba
* Bonaire*
* Curaçao

|

Windward
Islands|

* Dominica
* Grenada
* Carriacou and Petite Martinique
* Martinique
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

*  Barbados†
* Trinidad and Tobago†

Lucayan
Archipelago|

* Bahamas
* Turks and Caicos Islands

Caribbean
Sea|

* Aves Island
* San Andrés and Providencia
* Bajo Nuevo Bank~
* Serranilla Bank~

Caribbean
continental
zone|

* Quintana Roo
* Cozumel

| Central America|

* Belize
* Honduras
* Bay Islands
* Izabal
* Limón
* Corn Islands
* North Caribbean Coast
* South Caribbean Coast
* Panama

|

South America|

* Colombian Caribbean
* Venezuelan Caribbean

Wider
groupings
may include:|

* Bermuda#
* Costa Rica
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Nicaragua

| Yucatán Peninsula|

* Campeche
* Petén
* Yucatán

|

The Guianas|

* Amapá
* French Guiana
* Venezuelan Guayana
* Guyana
* Guayana Esequibaǂ
* Tigri Areaǂ
* Suriname

N.B.: Territories in italics are parts of transregional sovereign states or non-sovereign dependencies.

^These three form the SSS islands that with the ABC islands comprise the Dutch Caribbean, of which *the BES islands are not direct Kingdom constituents but subsumed with the country of the Netherlands.

†Physiographically, these continental islands are not part of the volcanic Windward Islands arc, although sometimes grouped with them culturally and politically.

ǂDisputed territories administered by Guyana. ~Disputed territories administered by Colombia.

#Bermuda is an isolated North Atlantic oceanic island, physiographically not part of the Lucayan Archipelago, Antilles, Caribbean Sea nor North American continental nor South American continental islands. It is grouped with the Northern American region, but occasionally also with the Caribbean region culturally.
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