THE Chief Minister and her Deputy Chief Minister have been cleared of deliberately misleading the States over the extent of their knowledge about government chief executive Suzanne Wylie’s shock departure.
Commissioner for Standards, Melissa McCullough, said that Deputies Kristina Moore and Kirsten Morel’s handling of Mrs Wylie’s resignation was down to a ‘genuine mistake’ caused by the ensuing crisis.
The timeline
Mrs Wylie handed a resignation letter to Deputy Moore and Assistant Chief Minister Andy Jehan on 14 March, just over a year after taking on the post. The same day, Deputy Morel was informed of Mrs Wylie’s decision.
On 21 March, Deputy Morel stood in for Deputy Moore for questions without notice in the States Assembly, where he was asked about the resignation of chief health officer Caroline Landon and chief nurse Rose Naylor.
In a supplementary question, Deputy Morel was asked if he was aware of any other resignation, replying that he was not aware of any.
The following day, 22 March, the public announcement of Mrs Wylie’s resignation was made, leading some Members of the States to accuse Deputy Morel of misleading the Assembly.
Incorrect statements in an interview with the JEP
On 24 March, Deputy Moore gave an interview to the Jersey Evening Post in which she incorrectly stated that she received confirmation of Mrs Wylie’s resignation on 22 March 2023.
Following this, Constable Karen Shenton-Stone – who chairs the Privileges and Procedures Committee, which oversees States Members’ conduct – referred the matter to the Commissioner for Standards.
The commissioner was asked to determine whether ‘there was a deliberate obfuscation or avoidance by the Chief Minister and/or Deputy Chief Minister’ and if ‘there was an intention to mislead or misinform the Assembly’, which would breach the code of conduct for ministers.
‘Perceived lack of openness’ not due ‘to any ulterior motive’
Published yesterday morning, the commissioner’s review cleared the Chief Minister of any wrongdoing in providing incorrect dates.
‘I’ve received no evidence to suggest that there was a deliberate reason for Deputy Moore’s confusion on the date; that is, I have been provided with no other reason, nor can I ascertain any advantage to Deputy Moore providing an incorrect date,’ Dr McCullough concluded.
She added: ‘It is reasonable to conclude that Deputy Moore’s perceived lack of openness in relation to stating these dates was not due to any ulterior motive or to hide any misconduct of her own in relation to Ms Wylie’s notice of resignation but rather a genuine mistake.’
‘Notice of the resignation of the chief executive sparked crisis’
The mistake, according to the commissioner’s report, was mainly caused by the shock nature of the resignation, given Mrs Wylie had been in post for such a short space of time.
The commissioner wrote: ‘This sense of surprise and concern by Deputy Moore, in addition to the fast-paced environment of government, in my view, led to less than clear thinking.’
She added: ‘Essentially, the notice of resignation from the chief executive sparked a crisis.’
In her report, the commissioner accepted Deputy Morel’s explanation of events that he believed he was answering a question specifically relating to Health resignations.
The Bailiff
The report noted that Deputy Morel sought clarification from the Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, who said: ‘I think that it was objectively reasonable for you to focus your attention solely on the Health Department, as it was to that department that the initial question was addressed.’
However, the commissioner stated: ‘I am satisfied on my analysis of the facts and evidence that, on the balance of probabilities, Deputy Morel believed at the time of answering… [that he] was answering a supplementary question in relation to further health resignations rather than further resignations in general.’
