Beaches and borders

FEW Britons have heard of Anguilla. Yet the tiny Caribbean island, home to around 14,000 people, is proud to be a British overseas territory. In the 1960s its islanders successfully staged a bloodless rebellion to stop Britain granting them independence as part of St Kitts & Nevis, around 60 miles to the south. Today they style themselves as the only place to have “fought Britain to remain British” and loudly trumpet their links to London. But like other far-flung relics of empire, Anguillans often complain that they are overlooked. Since the Brexit vote their grumblings have grown louder.

The islanders say they rely heavily on the European Union and on nearby islands owned by France and the Netherlands. Anguilla’s airport does not have a runway long enough for big jets, which makes it dependent on the French and Dutch halves of neighbouring St Martin. Although tourism makes up a big chunk of Anguilla’s economy, nearly all visitors must first fly to the Dutch half of the island...