Isle of Man Legislative Council: Two men elected

The Legislative Council is often referred to as the Manx equivalent of the House of Lords

Two men have been elected to the Isle of Man's Legislative Council at a special sitting of the House of Keys.

Bill Henderson and David Cretney, both currently Members of the House of Keys, were elected to the upper chamber.

Paul Beckett, Christopher Kinley, David Anderson, Tim Crookhall and current member Phil Braidwood did not gain sufficient votes.

The Legislative Council is the upper branch of Tynwald and has 11 members. Four seats became vacant last month.

They did so when the terms of office expired for Mr Braidwood, Dudley Butt, Alex Downie and Alan Crowe.

The Legislative Council primarily acts as a revising chamber for bills.

The elections for the remaining two seats will now take place on 16 April - fresh nominations are now being sought.

Each election candidate must have the support of at least 13 members of the House of Keys to be elected.

The Council includes eight elected members, the President of Tynwald, the Bishop of Sodor and Man, and the Attorney General.

Although members of the public can attend the sittings when voting takes place, they are not allowed to take part in the voting process.