Guernsey attends 44th British-Irish Council Summit

Friday 05 December 2025

Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, President of the Policy & Resources Committee, today represented Guernsey at the 44th British-Irish Council (BIC) Summit hosted in the Vale of Glamorgan by the Welsh Government. This was the first time that Deputy de Sausmarez has attended a British-Irish Council Summit since she was appointed as President of the Policy & Resources Committee in July following the election earlier this year.

The Summit focused on political developments within BIC Member Administrations and a discussion on the potential of the creative industries, particularly the screen sector, across the member administration.

The Summit was chaired by the First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS. The Welsh Government was also represented by Jack Sergeant MS, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership and Rebecca Evans MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning.

The UK Government was represented by the UK Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the Rt Hon Darren Jones MP. The Irish Government was represented by the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD, the Tánaiste, Simon Harris TD, and Helen McEntee TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence. The Northern Ireland Executive was represented by the First Minister, Michelle O'Neill MLA, and deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly MLA. The First Minister of Scotland, the Rt Hon John Swinney MSP, represented the Scottish Government. The Government of Jersey was represented by the Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham and the Isle of Man Government was represented by the Chief Minister, Hon Alfred Cannan MHK.

President of the Policy & Resources Committee, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, said:

"While I have attended Environment Ministerial meetings of the British-Irish Council in my previous role, it was an honour to represent Guernsey for the first time as a Head of Administration at the 44^th British-Irish Council Summit, hosted by the Welsh Government. Taking part in the British-Irish Council is an important aspect of Guernsey's external engagement. It gives us an invaluable opportunity to strengthen connections with Heads of Administration from across Ireland, the UK and the Crown Dependencies, and supports collaboration across a wide range of policy areas. I'm looking forward to welcoming the representatives of these jurisdictions to our island when Guernsey hosts the Summit next year."