THE Chief Minister has warned his Economic Development Minister that another significant breach of ministerial rules will see him expected to resign – after he tried to stop a controversial letter about the minimum wage from being published in the JEP.
Senator Lyndon Farnham revealed he had asked Deputy Gerald Voisin to withdraw the letter – which said that the current £13.59-an-hour minimum wage was “strangling the economy” and “turbocharging inflation” – before it appeared in Monday’s edition of this newspaper.
The intervention has emerged in a strongly-worded letter sent by the Chief Minister to Deputy Voisin following days of controversy over his comments.
Senator Farnham said publication had caused “understandable concern among many Islanders”, particularly those who rely on the minimum wage, and created uncertainty over the government’s position.
The Chief Minister also accused Deputy Voisin of failing to follow the standards and collective processes required under the Ministerial Code by going directly to the media before discussing a significant policy issue with ministerial colleagues.
Deputy Voisin has since apologised and said he would not pursue the abolition of the statutory minimum wage.
“I recognise that by writing directly to the media I did not allow for this and so I would like to apologise to the Chief Minister, the Minister for Social Security and my colleagues on the Council of Ministers,” he wrote.
The Chief Minister has accepted that apology – but has also issued his Minister with a significant warning about his future in government.
“Any further significant failure to observe the Ministerial Code or appropriate ministerial processes would lead me to expect your resignation as Minister for Economic Development,” wrote Senator Farnham.
Read the full story and analysis in tomorrow’s JEP.
