THE pan-island political watchdog has resigned after Guernsey’s States Members rejected her recommendation to suspend a former Chief Minister over a long-running dispute between himself and a doctor.
Commissioner for Standards Dr Melissa McCullough has resigned with immediate effect after Deputy Gavin St Pier escaped punishment following breaches of the Code of Conduct relating to an interview the former Guernsey Chief Minister gave to a national newspaper.
Dr McCullough is set to remain as Commissioner for Standards for Jersey and Alderney but said she could not continue her Guernsey role after the Assembly’s decision not to suspend Deputy St Pier despite two independent recommendations.
She said the failure to suspend Deputy St Pier undermined the standards system and signalled an unwillingness to enforce consequences and to ensure accountability.
In a statement, she said: “My investigation focused solely on the conduct of Deputy St Pier as complained about. The complaint concerned the confirmation of unsubstantiated and seriously misleading information to a journalist, information that was sensitive and harmful to the reputation of the complainant and actions which the complainant alleged was furtherance of a vendetta against her. The Appeal Commissioner’s report which contains my full report are publicly available and contain the evidence, analysis, conclusions and recommendations.
“The system as it is, chosen by States Members in 2023, includes that the commissioner investigates complaints and provides independent recommendations related to whether there has been a breach of the Code of Conduct. Any appeals are heard by an independent Appeals Commissioner who provides a further layer of independence. Ultimately, it is then for Deputies to decide whether they accept the recommended sanctions of two independent commissioners. On this occasion, some Deputies were not prepared to do so. This is the prerogative of the Assembly who represent the electorate.
“However, it is important to understand that when a Deputy is found to be in breach of the Code, as in this case, and where an Assembly decides not to suspend despite two independent Commissioners’ recommendations, this can signal to the public that the Assembly is unwilling to enforce consequences and ensure accountability, that Deputies are prioritising political considerations over standards and that the independent process has limited real-world effect. A Commissioner cannot uphold standards in a system where standards are not seen to be upheld.”
She added that given the decision of Guernsey States Members, she “cannot, in good conscience, continue to serve as Commissioner for Standards in Guernsey”.
This week, Guernsey’s Assembly debated a proposal to suspend Deputy St Pier for 25 days without pay.
During the debate, Deputy St Pier discussed the report written by the Standards Commissioner and queried missing evidence and the direction of the complaint investigation from the outset, claiming that the timeline did not match up with the Commissioner’s findings.
He also insisted during the debate that he does not hold a personal vendetta against any doctor, but he is concerned about the complaints processes within local medical practices.
At the end of debate, 22 Guernsey politicians agreed that he had not breached the Code of Conduct and should not be suspended, against 111 who voted in favour of the proposal.
