No decision yet on British Virgin Islands direct rule, says UK minister after visit

Amanda Milling says significant changes' needed to tackle corruption following talks with political and community leaders

The Foreign Office minister Amanda Milling has said a decision on whether to impose direct rule on the British Virgin Islands (BVI) has still be to be made following her return from a three-day visit to the overseas territory, but said its government must address endemic corruption.

Her emergency trip, during which she met a variety of business, community and political leaders, came after the territory's premier, Andrew Fahie, appeared in a US federal court in Miami last week on charges of money-laundering and conspiring to import cocaine following his arrest in a sting operation by agents posing as Mexican drug traffickers.