Chief minister calls for proper debate over issues

Alfred Cannan was appointed chief minister in 2021

Those unhappy with the Isle of Man's current leadership should hold the debate in a "robust and proper way on the floor of Tynwald", the chief minister has said.

Alfred Cannan said while he was "not above" scrutiny or challenge, issues should be raised formally so that "proper debate" could take place.

It followed comments on social media by two MHKs questioning his leadership in the wake of the latest Manx budget and the sacking of former education minister Julie Edge.

Mr Cannan said the removal of Ms Edge happened because it was "felt a change was necessary" and the budget had gained majority support.

MHKs Rob Callister and Tim Glover called into question the chief minister's performance so far on social media in recent days.

In response, he said the island had been faced with "significant seismic events" in recent times including Covid, the Ukraine war and soaring inflation.

'Right direction'

Defending his removal of Ms Edge, he said there had been "a lot of issues" during her tenure at the department and it "hasn't all been plain sailing".

He said: "Eventually you get to a point where you decide actually it's in a better interest to try and move things forward in a different direction."

Mr Cannan said while social media "has a role in life these days and can be a force for good", recent posts by the MHKs were a "distraction".

"I'm not saying the government is getting everything right, there are still problems that we need to address and keep working at, but we are making progress," he said.

"What we need to do is have proper debate and articulate the real areas of concern, the solutions that are being delivered, and the different options that are available to us if those solutions are not taking us in the right direction."