Chief Minister-designate John Le Fondré beat Senator Gorst to the role on Monday but immediately said the outgoing Chief Minister would be first pick for the External Relations post to help secure a good Brexit deal for the Island.
However, there is no room in the ministerial team for Senator Kristina Moore, who finished second in the Islandwide vote, with St Clement Constable Len Norman being preferred for the Home Affairs role she has held for the past four years.
And Senator Steve Pallett, who came fifth in the Senatorial poll, has also been overlooked. However, he has not ruled out challenging for one of the ministerial posts.
Deputy Steve Luce is also not in the Chief Minister’s top picks for Environment Minister, despite having said he would like to continue in the role.
The States were due to meet this morning to decide the next Council of Ministers. Senator Le Fondré can nominate his chosen candidate for each role. However, any Member can put themselves forward for each of the posts, with the Assembly ultimately deciding.
Within Senator Le Fondré’s proposed team, Senator Gorst would take on External Relations, Deputy Susie Pinel would take the Treasury brief, Deputy Judy Martin replacing her at Social Security. Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham would stay where he is and Deputy Kevin Lewis would return to the Infrastructure Department he left in 2014. Senatorial poll-topper Tracey Vallois would be Education Minister and Senator Sam Mézec would take over at Housing. Deputy John Young and Senator Sarah Ferguson would take the Environment and Health portfolios respectively, to complete the ministerial team.
There would also be the further creation of a Children’s Minister, which Senator Mézec would take in due course, and an International Relations post to build on the work of Jersey Overseas Aid, which Deputy Carolyn Labey would hold.
In the meantime, Deputy Labey will be an Assistant Chief Minister alongside Constables Chris Taylor and Richard Buchanan. Senator Vallois will be Deputy Chief Minister.
Senator Le Fondré said: ‘My selection has been made after an intense period of consultation with my team and a broad cross-section of Members.
‘We feel this selection reflects a broad church of opinion from the new Assembly, including those who served in the last Council of Ministers and on the backbenches. The selection process has been as open and consultative as possible, and if the Assembly supports my nominations, my preferred team will offer a strong blend of skills and experience. This will provide the vital stability needed to steer the Island through the tough challenges that we face over the next four years.
‘Once the new Council of Ministers has been formed, it is my intention to arrange to meet all States Members individually, with a view to understanding issues and to see whether they might be prepared to sit on any policy development boards as they are formed.’
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Senator Lyndon Farnham
SENATOR Farnham has been put forward for a second consecutive term heading up the Economic Development Department. The fourth-placed finisher in last month’s Senatorial election, Senator Farnham had initially put himself in the running for the Chief Minister’s job but pulled out of the race before Monday’s election after admitting the support of the Chamber lay elsewhere. He was first elected to the States as a St Saviour Deputy in 1999, serving two terms before taking a six-year break from the States – returning to the Senatorial benches in 2011. He is a former president of the Jersey Hospitality Association.
EDUCATION
Senator Tracey Vallois
SENATORIAL poll-topper Tracey Vallois stood on a platform of reforming the Education Department and has been the only name in the frame for the job after both Chief Minister candidates indicated at an early stage she would be their top pick. Senator Vallois was the youngest woman ever to be elected to the States when she became a St Saviour Deputy in 2008. She served as an Assistant Treasury Minister in the last term but stood down after just over a year amid growing frustrations with the Council of Ministers. She will also be offered the Deputy Chief Minister role.
ENVIRONMENT
Deputy John Young
RETURNING to the States after a four-year absence, Deputy Young’s experience as the chief officer within the Planning Department prior to moving into politics has seen him selected as the new Chief Minister’s first choice to tackle the Environment brief. Among his early tasks would be making a decision on the planning application for the new Hospital. He was first elected as a St Brelade Deputy in 2011 but lost his seat three years later when he opted to run for Senator. Deputy Young has recently worked in Alderney’s Planning Department before being returned to his former seat unopposed last month.
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Senator Ian Gorst
HAVING missed out on a third term as Chief Minister after losing Monday’s vote by 30 votes to 19, Senator Gorst will be tasked with ensuring a smooth Brexit deal having developed relationships with senior Whitehall officials during his six-and-a-half years in the top job. He was first elected to the States as a St Clement Deputy in 2005, becoming a Senator for the first time in 2011. He finished sixth in last month’s Senatorial polls. If successful, Senator Gorst would become the Island’s second External Relations Minister, taking over from Sir Philip Bailhache who did not seek re-election last month. He has previously served as Social Security Minister.
HEALTH
Senator Sarah Ferguson
LIKE the new Chief Minister, Senator Ferguson has developed a reputation as a meticulous scrutineer. As the preferred candidate for the Health portfolio, Senator Ferguson will be tasked with getting to grips with the Future Hospital project if she is successful in securing the job. During the last term, Senator Ferguson was part of the Scrutiny Panel reviewing the Hospital project. Her initial 12-year run in the States came to an end in 2014 but she successfully reclaimed her seat two years later in a Senatorial by-election.
HOUSING
Senator Sam Mézec
THE youngest-serving Member at 27, Senator Mézec has expressed a desire to set up a policy development board on social and affordable housing. There is a precedent for young politicians taking the Housing portfolio with former States Member John Averty being appointed as president of the Housing Committee at the age of 25. Senator Mézec is chairman of the Island’s only political party, Reform Jersey, and signed an agreement with Senator Le Fondré which will also see the former St Helier Deputy become the new Children’s Minister when the post is created. In that role, he will be tasked with overseeing and implementing the recommendations of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry.
HOME AFFAIRS
CONSTABLE Len Norman is the longest-serving Member of the Assembly having first been elected in 1983 and has held positions as a Deputy, Senator and Constable. He is a former president of the Education, Social Security and Housing committees but has not held a ministerial post since the shift to ministerial government. Mr Norman – now in his fourth term as St Clement Constable – would take over from Senator Kristina Moore at the Home Affairs Department. He has most recently served as chairman of the Privileges and Procedures Committee.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Deputy Kevin Lewis
THE organiser of the Jersey Film Festival, Deputy Lewis is being lined up for a return to the post he held between 2011 and 2014. He was ousted from the job at the start of the last term by Eddie Noel, who stood down from the States ahead of last month’s election. He has been a Deputy in St Saviour since 2005 and is a committee member at Eye-Can, formerly the Jersey Blind Society. Deputy Lewis has most recently served as a member of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel and the Privileges and Procedures Committee.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Deputy Judy Martin
THE longest-serving Deputy in the States, Deputy Martin is the Chief Minister’s first choice for the Social Security portfolio. She was first elected to the States in 2000 and has previously served as an Assistant Health Minister. She has been lined up by Senator Le Fondré to replace Deputy Susie Pinel, who has been earmarked for the Treasury post. Deputy Martin topped the poll in her St Helier No 1 district last month and is likely to be asked to review social security contributions in one of her first tasks, if she is successful.
TREASURY
Deputy Susie Pinel
THE St Clement Deputy has been in the Social Security Department since her election to the States in 2011 – first as an assistant minister before taking over as minister from Francis Le Gresley. As preferred choice for the Treasury Department, Deputy Pinel will probably be asked to initiate a review of the Island’s tax structure, given the new Chief Minister’s commitment to an assessment. Deputy Pinel is one of the world’s leading restorers of art miniatures and has a Royal Warrant from the Royal Collection.
