Commonwealth Speakers from UK and Overseas Territories meet in London for discussions on technology and parliamentary democracy
The 4th Commons and Overseas Territories Speakers’ Conference (COTSC) has been held in the United Kingdom from 13 to 16 May 2025.
Header image credit: UK Parliament/House of Commons.
The Conference was hosted by the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP in London. Speakers and Clerks attended from Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena.
At this year’s Conference, the Speakers, alongside Parliamentary Clerks and technical experts, examined different aspects of building strong Legislatures and effective parliamentary democracy focusing on Artificial Intelligence and digital technology, sharing best practice and presiding over parliamentary proceedings.
The CPA Secretariat was represented by Head of Programmes, Matthew Salik who spoke about procedural challenges for Speakers and Deputy Head of Programmes, James Pinnell, who spoke about the CPA’s work on Artificial Intelligence and the CPA’s recent publication ‘Parliamentary Handbook on Disinformation, AI and Synthetic Media’.
4th Commons and Overseas Territories Speakers’ Conference (COTSC)
4th Commons and Overseas Territories Speakers’ Conference (COTSC)
4th Commons and Overseas Territories Speakers’ Conference (COTSC)
4th Commons and Overseas Territories Speakers’ Conference (COTSC)
The delegation of Speakers from the UK and UK Overseas Territories was received in audience by HM King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. The King is also the Patron of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
Above: The delegation of Speakers from the UK Parliament and UK Overseas Territories pictured with HM King Charles III (image credit Buckingham Palace).
Speakers and Presiding Officers attending the Conference included:
- Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP Speaker of the UK House of Commons
- Hon. Tara K. Carter, Speaker of the Anguilla House of Assembly
- Hon. Dennis P. Lister, JP, MP, Speaker of the Bermuda House of Assembly
- Hon. Corine N. George-Massicote, Speaker of the British Virgin Islands House of Assembly
- Hon. Keith Biles, JP, Speaker of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly
- Hon. Karen Ramagge, MP, Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament
- Hon. Marjorie Smith, Speaker of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly
- Hon. Cyril Gunnell, Speaker of the St Helena Legislative Council
The Secretariat for the COTSC Conference is provided by the UK House of Commons Speaker’s Office and the CPA Headquarters and CPA UK Branch are official partners.
All of the Legislatures attending are Branches of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association across two of the CPA’s Regions - the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region and the CPA Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic Region.
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The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.
For media enquiries, please contact communications@cpahq.org.
