Speaker of the Anguilla House of Assembly, Tara Carter, has identified strong potential for partnership with the Isle of Man following a two-day study visit to Tynwald.

She was accompanied by Lenox Proctor, Clerk to the Anguilla House of Assembly, for the trip organised by the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald.

Appointed Speaker in March 2025, Speaker Carter is focused on enhancing ‘debate, democracy, and decorum’ in her Assembly.

Observing a sitting of Tynwald Court, she praised the respectful and effective conduct between members, which she hopes to emulate in Anguilla.

‘I want to use my legal training to improve standards of debate and conduct. Our culture is very effervescent and forthright, so we must temper that while developing a code of conduct,’ she said.

Her goal is to foster respectful behaviour, camaraderie, and scrutiny to help the Assembly earn public trust.

Speaker Carter also highlighted the value of Tynwald’s research services, expressing her ambition to strengthen research support for Anguillan members to improve the quality of debate.

She first connected with Tynwald through Tim Crookall MHK during a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association seminar in March, which followed Anguilla’s general election the previous month. Speaker Carter said the seminar was especially beneficial for newly elected members.

She expressed particular interest in Tynwald’s Hansard operation and the absence of video streaming, noting the contrast with Anguilla, where proceedings are streamed via YouTube but no formal Hansard exists.

She proposed a potential collaboration: ‘We might be able to share resources and work on a joint IT transcription and streaming project using AI technology to create a “hybrid Hansard” for the Assembly.’

Concluding, Speaker Carter said the visit was ‘exceptionally useful’ and reaffirmed her belief that ‘there is definitely room for a good partnership between Anguilla and the Isle of Man’.