Formal complaint made over Guernsey Sunday trading 'guillotine rule'

Deputy Jan Kuttelwascher has faced criticism for cutting short a debate on Sunday trading

A formal complaint has been made against a member of the States of Guernsey who used the "guillotine rule" to cut short a debate.

The special procedure was enacted by Deputy Jan Kuttelwascher to force an immediate vote on Sunday trading.

Resident Rosie Henderson, who lodged the code of conduct complaint, said the "reason for the guillotine was both spurious and disrespectful".

Deputy Kuttelwascher said it was inappropriate to comment.

'Publicly told off'

Previously on BBC Radio Guernsey, Mr Kuttelwascher said members had voted to implement the guillotine and he had used "one of the tools in the democratic box".

At the time, he added the debate up until his intervention was "assumption, presumption, speculation and rather painful levels of repetition".

Ms Henderson - whose complaint relates to the comments made on the radio station - said she wanted to see him "publicly told off, at least".

States members voted by 25-19 to end controls on which shops can open and what goods can be sold on Sundays.

The use of the rule has come under attack from several deputies who claim it represented "very poor democracy" and there should have been time allowed to have "all the arguments put on the table".