TWO of Jersey’s new political parties could be set to join forces – with both leaders confirming the groups had held talks.
The Jersey Liberal Conservatives and the Progress Party have explored whether they might establish a more formal relationship before June’s general election.
Sir Philip Bailhache, acting leader of JLC, said: ‘We are talking together with a view to seeing whether there is common ground between us.
‘If that happens, then we would move to making an announcement about it in due course, but it’s too early to say whether this will happen.’
Progress leader Senator Steve Pallett said: ‘We have talked to several groups over quite a considerable period of time but, while those talks have been congenial, they haven’t yet led to anything.
We’ve talked to one particular group recently, but how that goes we’ll have to wait and see – there’s nothing to announce for the moment.’
The Progress Party was launched in January 2021 by Senator Pallett, Deputy Steve Luce and former Infrastructure Minister Eddie Noel. It has been confirmed that former Island Games director Steve Bailey will be a party candidate.
JLC was formed in June 2021 before being formally launched as a political party in January of this year. In addition to Sir Philip, who is set to be the JLC candidate for Chief Minister, former chief executive of Citizens Advice Malcolm Ferey has confirmed his candidacy for the Deputy election in St Saviour.
JLC and Progress are among several new parties and movements to have emerged in the run-up to the general election on 22 June. The Jersey Alliance Party, led by Sir Mark Boleat and which includes several members of the current government among its membership, was formed in 2021, while in recent weeks A Better Way, a coalition of independents, announced plans for successful candidates to work together in the event of being elected to the Assembly.
They will be joined at the polls by the well-established Reform Jersey, which has confirmed its leader, Senator Sam Mézec, will stand in St Helier South and environmentalist Nigel Jones in St Brelade and former RAF serviceman Ken Addison in St Clement. Current sitting Reform Jersey
Deputies Montfort Tadier, Geoff Southern, Rob Ward and Carina Alves have not yet declared their intentions.
This year’s election will be the first contested under radical reforms of the composition of the States Assembly which were agreed last year.
Under the new voting structure, the Islandwide office of Senator will be scrapped. Instead, the Assembly will be made up the 12 parish Constables and 37 Deputies across nine newly formed districts.
A list of confirmed candidates and where they are standing is available in today’s JEP.
