Chief Minister survives no confidence vote

Alfred Cannan became the Isle of Man's chief minister in 2021

The Isle of Man's Chief Minister Alfred Cannan has survived a vote of no confidence in the House of Keys.

The motion, brought by Tim Glover, was not successful after a vote which saw six members for and 18 against the move.

Glover told the house it was time for a "reset" and argued there was a "lack of transparency" in the current administration.

However, those who voted against the move said it would "destabilise" the government and delay the work that was being undertaken across the council of ministers.

Responding to comments from the debate, Cannan said: "Where I have fallen short I am sorry".

He added: "I will continue to serve as long as you will have me as first among equals."

The vote was brought to the house in the wake of Lawrie Hooper's resignation as Health Minister.

Hooper said while he broadly agreed with the government's overarching Island Plan, he did not believe Cannan was the man to deliver on those strategies.

Chris Thomas, who seconded the motion, said it had taken courage by Tim Glover to bring forward the vote of no confidence which had been "smouldering in the background".

Some 18 MHKs voted against the move while six voted for it

While Rob Callister said he had envisioned ousting the chief minister in the past, the motion appeared, he added, to be one of "personalities not policy".

He was among a number of MHKs who criticised that the motion was non-binding and instead singled out the chief minister.

David Ashford described the move as “helpful” to put an end to speculation about the island’s leadership but cautioned it would lead to "frustration" at weeks or months of "political instability".

Others voiced concerns that Glover had not proposed any alternatives or plans moving forward, with John Wannenburgh calling it "irresponsible".

Ministers Jane Poole-Wilson and Tim Johnston said a vote of no confidence in the Chief Minister would reflect a vote of no confidence in the government and if the motion was successful they would resign from their ministerial roles.

Poole-Wilson added that she had real concerns the motion ran the risk of “destabilising and paralysing” the work being done by the government.

But MHKs Michelle Haywood and Joney Faragher said they hoped Cannan would make changes to his approach if the vote was unsuccessful.