The forthcoming review of overseas territories is long overdue according to a British MP with a keen interest in Bermuda affairs.

Andrew MacKinlay, a Government backbencher who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), said he hopes it will look at disparities of wealth and power and make sure each territory is on par with European standards of human rights. Mr. MacKinlay had a whole slew of questions in the UK parliament answered recently, including the costs to Britain of defending Bermuda and what it spent on the Governor (see sidebar).

He told it was his job to scrutinise expenditure as a member of the FAC.

And he said he knew Bermuda had earlier spurned Independence but that opportunity was still open. "If they have Independence it is no longer my business — but you can't have it both ways. There is an element of out of sight out of mind if we don't, at the very least, scratch the surface in terms of scrutiny.

"I think the British Parliament has been dilatory in not looking at overseas territories in any serious way for a long time.

"I think it's wholly inadequate — it is a neglect which is why I am pleased the Foreign Affairs Select committee is embarking upon this now."

The review is expected to start gathering evidence this year. Mr. MacKinlay once unsuccessfully tabled a private member's bill seeking to have formal representation for Britain's colonies in Parliament.

He said the US, France, the Netherlands and Spain had an element of representation from their territories in their legislatures — even if those territories didn't have any voting rights.

Asked about his interest in Bermuda, he said: "I am at the beginning of the process and can claim a slight success in helping persuade my colleagues to have this formal inquiry."

The overseas territories were a mixed bag in terms of wealth and constitutional structure, said the MP.

Asked what he hoped the review would do, he said: "I hope we can look at disparities in wealth and power.

"I think some of the overseas territories are inherently poor and some are basically wealthy but there isn't a fair distribution of wealth."

Probed on whether that latter situation might apply to Bermuda, he said: "People can draw their own conclusions.

"If there are people unfairly treated in terms of distribution of wealth and administration of justice then I think, and I am talking generally, we have an absolute responsibility to them — particularly in the area of human rights. We can't ignore that."

However responses by British Government Minister Meg Munn showed that Bermuda had reached the UKs goal for its territories to sign up to the six core UN Human Rights Conventions.

Mr. MacKinlay declined to comment on Bermuda MP Renee Webb's failed bid to make it against the law to discriminate against homosexuals.

But he said: "The laws of the overseas territories need to reach the United Kingdom and European Union norm and again that's part of the work I am in — to test that.

"I want to be assured — whilst you might get some minor variables in law — the overriding thing is there should not be discrimination on grounds of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation so I want to look into what the position is in the overseas territories."

In the summer the FCO warned that some of the territories had governance issues which needed to be addressed including corruption, financial management and regulation of financial services.

Britain said Governors would be given leeway to intervene where necessary.