TREASURY Minister Ian Gorst has ruled out proposing Reform Jersey members for ministerial positions if he wins Thursday’s Chief Minister election.
However, the Deputy, a former Chief Minister, stressed the importance of finding a “consensus” across the Assembly.
Deputy Gorst, who has so far gathered the backing of 14 States Members – including much of the current Council of Ministers, added that the new Council of Ministers would need to be “mixed”, which could include politicians from the backbenches.
Another candidate and former Deputy Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham also said that it would be “sensible” for the new Chief Minister’s council to be “more representative of the States Assembly”, adding that it was “not unreasonable” for some of the ten members of Reform to have a seat in the next government.
Deputy Gorst, Deputy Farnham and leader of Reform Jersey Deputy Sam Mézec are currently in the midst of campaigning for the role of Chief Minister after Deputy Kristina Moore was ousted last week in an historic no-confidence vote, which was brought by former Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet.
On Thursday, each candidate will make a 15-minute speech to the States Assembly, before facing an hour of questioning on their policies.
The successful candidate will then embark on filling the 14 ministerial seats – all of which are now up for grabs.
Deputy Mézec is speaking to the public in the Town Hall at 7pm tonight, hoping to urge people to contact their States Members and voice support for him.
Speaking to the JEP yesterday afternoon, Deputy Gorst said he was not planning to host a similar event, saying: “I’m very much focusing on the vote on Thursday morning.”
He continued: “Before I put my candidature in, I listened to what States Members were saying in the vote-of-n- confidence debate, and listened to Islanders as well, and I recognise that the Council of Ministers will need to be made up of Members broadly across the Assembly.
“It can’t be the same as the Council of Ministers that have just faced the vote of no confidence, so I will be proposing a mixed council and will be proposing new ministers into those roles.”
Deputy Gorst added that these could be from the backbenches – but that he had not yet spoken to the ten-member Reform Jersey party.
He continued: “I don’t intend to be proposing Reform members for ministerial positions, but it is important that we build consensus across the Assembly, which would mean working with Reform on some of their priorities.”
He further said that he would expect several ministers to keep their current roles and that his goal was to “restabilise the Assembly after the shock of the vote of no confidence, because that’s what Islanders and States Members want”.
Deputy Farnham, whose “vision statement” has the backing of six Constables, also confirmed to the JEP that he would not be holding a hustings event.
He added that he would be happy to work with the other candidates, should his bid for the role be unsuccessful, saying: “We have to forget personal grievances and wipe the slate clean.
“A new Chief Minister has to compile their Council of Ministers based on ability and experience.”
He continued: “We do need a change. We certainly don’t want to see a large part of the last government with the same vision. It would be sensible to put together a government that’s more representative of the States Assembly.
“It’s not unreasonable that members of Reform should have a seat in the next government.”
Other than confirming tonight’s hustings event, Deputy Mézec did not wish to comment.
