King Charles III approves changes to Royal Assent procedure

King Charles III approved the changes in a meeting of the Privy Council on 21 February

King Charles III has approved changes to the way legislation is granted Royal Assent in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

It means the introduction of legislation can be expedited through the granting of Royal Assent by His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor.

The new process will take effect from 29 February, the States of Guernsey said.

The States said the new procedure should result in faster processing of primary legislation.

Lt Gen Richard Cripwell was sworn in as Guernsey's Lieutenant-Governor in 2022

Prior to this change, all Bailiwick primary legislation (known as Projets de Loi) were approved by the Sovereign, providing Assent acting through the Privy Council.

The modified process will enable the ratification of Bailiwick Projets by His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, Lt Gen Richard Cripwell, in the Bailiwick (unless the Projet is specifically reserved for His Majesty The King's Assent, which could include Projets involving defence or the Royal Prerogative).

'Years of work'

The States said there would be no change to how primary legislation was debated or approved by the Bailiwick parliaments - nor to the registration of legislation in the Royal Court.

It said the change underlined the Bailiwick's "domestic legislative autonomy and developing international identity".

The president of the Policy and Resources Committee, deputy Lyndon Trott said he was "pleased" this change had now been agreed, after "years of work".

He said: "This new process is not only of practical importance, it also reflects our identity as a jurisdiction through our direct relationship with the Crown, distinct from the UK."