Retired Bailiff Sir Philip Bailhache at his home iin Grouville

MOVES in Westminster to make Islanders show passports when entering the UK would be a ‘very gross interference with one Jersey long-standing constitutional privileges’, the newly-retired Bailiff has warned.

In an interview published in today’s Jersey Evening Post, Sir Philip Bailhache, who stepped down on Tuesday, says that Jersey and its Bailiff must defend the rights that Islanders have earned and enjoyed over centuries.

‘For centuries we have benefited from royal charters that have given us the right to move freely within the British Isles,’ says Sir Philip. ‘At present there is a bill before parliament which would empower the executive to treat us, in effect, as foreigners by requiring us to produce passports to gain entry to the United Kingdom. That would be a very gross interference with one of our long-standing privileges.’

In today’s interview, Sir Philip comments on a wide range of issues relating to Jersey social and political life.