Lobbying by the Crown Dependencies did not thwart a move by Westminster to bring in more openness to offshore company ownership laws.

That’s the view of Tory MP Andrew Mitchell who is planning to visit the Isle of Man with Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge a week on Monday in a bid to persuade the Manx government to create a public register of beneficial ownership.

Currently, the island’s central register of the real owners of companies is accessible only to law enforcement and tax officials.

The Manx government’s view is that the system works well and a public register should be only be brought in if it applies to everyone as a global standard.

In April, an amendment to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill was tabled in the House of Commons.

If passed, and the Crown Dependencies were forced to create a public register, it would have potentially sparked a constitutional crisis as the UK would be legislating for us without our consent.

proposal

In the event, the amendment was withdrawn. A similar proposal for the British Overseas Territories was adopted, however.

In the House of Keys last month, Chief Minister Howard Quayle insisted an intense period of lobbying by government officials and their counterparts in the other Crown Dependencies proved invaluable in securing the withdrawal of the new clause 14.

But Mr Mitchell insisted: ’It’s not true to say that lobbying was particularly relevant.

’The Crown Dependencies were not removed from the amendment. They were not in that amendment.

’We felt their slightly differing governance structure made it too complicated to put them in the same amendment [as the British Overseas Territories].

’But we expect the Crown Dependencies to adopt the same open register as the Overseas Territories. Why? Because they share our Queen, trade under our flag and accept our same values.’

Mr Mitchell confirmed that he and Dame Margaret Hodge will be visiting on Monday, June 18.

He told the Manx Independent: ’We wil be pushing the case for a public register. But we would hope to persuade the Isle of Man authorities that it is a good idea.’

Mr Mitchell said a global standard on public registers is going to happen and already the EU is committed to introducing this for its member states by the end of next year.

’The thing to do is speed things up,’ he said.

In a statement, the Manx government said the amendment referred to by Howard Quayle in the Keys was new clause 14, the one tabled by the Labour opposition but then withdrawn but Mr Mitchell was referring to new clause 6, a cross-party amendment relating to the Overseas Territories. It added: ’An invite was issued to Mr Mitchell to visit the island earlier this year. It was subsequently extended to Dame Hodge.

The EU recently agreed a fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive which introduces a requirement for public registers of companies in Europe.

Mr Mitchell hit the headlines in 2012 when he was accused of calling police officers ’plebs’ when they would not let him cycle through Downing Street’s main gate.