Guest editorial introduction : overseas territories & Crown Dependencies : what future in ‘Global Britain’?

Abstract

Brexit has caused a big shift in the geo-political outlook of the United Kingdom (UK). An early statement of intent is the ‘Global Britain’ agenda. Within this context the UK’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are often overlooked. However, they have been both impacted by Brexit and potentially offer real opportunities for a more outward facing UK. This Introduction to the special section explores the extent to which the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies have lost out due to Brexit across a range of issues, although perhaps not to the extent originally expected. It also considers how both sets of territories might be able to contribute to realising the Global Britain agenda. However, it is not yet fully formed and the UK and several Overseas Territories are exposed due to the contested sovereignties of the latter. The Introduction concludes by discussing the six papers featured in the special section and how they prompt a range of questions for future research.