Peter Ferbrache elected as P&R president

Deputy Peter Ferbrache said Guernsey had been good to him and he wanted the same for his children and grandchildren

Deputy Peter Ferbrache has been chosen for Guernsey's senior political position.

He was elected as president of Policy and Resources by a vote of 23-17, ahead of incumbent Deputy Gavin St Pier.

Both had also stood for the position in 2016, with Mr St Pier chosen ahead of Mr Ferbrache by a single vote after four rounds of voting.

The P&R president heads the senior committee and uses the title of chief minister when working externally.

The committee is responsible for co-ordinating policy and allocating and managing States resources.

After the vote Mr Ferbrache said the States faced "the most difficult passage of time... that any government has faced for some time".

He urged his fellow States members: "Let's go do it and do it well."

During his speech seeking election, the advocate, who said he would be standing back from his legal practice if elected, said: "Enough of plans. Not action this week, not action this day, but action now."

He said he wanted the States to adopt a more collaborative approach and the members of the senior committee - the other four are due to be elected on Saturday - would all be equals.

Mr Ferbrache also paid tribute to the hard work of his predecessor.

Deputy Gavin St Pier topped the polls in last week's election - in what many see as a vote of confidence in the island's handling of the pandemic

Criticism of Mr St Pier's leadership in the previous term included the breakdown of relationships between committees.

In his speech he outlined a number of measures aimed at addressing the divides.

Both candidates talked about the need for the island to have more say on external relations, which is currently run through the UK's government, especially in light of Brexit.

Elections for the rest of the committee positions in the States of Guernsey are due to continue on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday.