The government has no plans to open a London office, with officials telling Tynwald’s constitutional affairs committee that the cost cannot be justified.
Chris Brannigan, Executive Director of Crown and External Relations, told members that the idea remains “in the long grass” following an updated assessment of rental costs in the capital.
He contrasted the island’s approach with that of Jersey, which maintains a London office and Guernsey, which does not.
“We do take an updated look at what London rental costs. We do look at the benefit that the other Crown Dependencies use, for example, Jersey maintain an office in London, Guernsey don’t,” Mr Brannigan said.
He argued that the engagement required in Westminster is limited to specific periods, making a permanent base unnecessary.
“It makes it difficult to justify how we would have to invest in the order of several 100,000 pounds to be able to establish a London office,” he said.
Instead, the government favours a more flexible approach, targeting events outside the capital.
“We get much more bang for our buck by being more agile and resourcing our engagement at those other events, rather than just doing it in London all the time,” Mr Brannigan added.