MHKs who rejected new chief minister pledge to work with government

Joney Faragher (left) was one of three MHKs who failed to back Alfred Cannan

Three MHKs who failed to back Alfred Cannan as the island's new chief minister have pledged to work with the new administration.

Joney Faragher, Sarah Maltby, and John Wannenburgh all voted against Mr Cannan in a confirmatory vote on Tuesday.

He had already secured the majority of support in an earlier vote, beating Alex Allinson to take the role.

Although they did not back him, the trio said they were ready to play a role in the new government.

Speaking after his election, Mr Cannan said one of the "key challenges" he faced while in office would be to "harness many disparate views" among members and "draw out the best of those views, shape them into policy and get delivery for our island".

Alfred Cannan (right) was formally appointed chief minister by the Lieutenant Governor

Leader of the Manx Labour Party Joney Faragher said, although she and party chairman Sarah Maltby had not agreed an approach to the vote beforehand, they had both initially voted for Dr Allinson because his policies had aligned their own.

Mrs Maltby said: "We are the voice of people who feel disenfranchised with the system, it's our obligation to make sure those voices are heard, but it doesn't mean we're going to obstructive, or overly critical."

Mr Wannenburgh, who initially rejected both candidates for the role, said he "could not support members of the previous Council of Ministers" and the island "needed something new".

Although he would "absolutely want to play a role in the next government", voting against Mr Cannan was about "doing the right thing, and that is what my conscience told me to do".

Former minister Chris Thomas, who also abstained from the first vote before backing the new chief minister in the second, criticised the election process as "inadequate" and said a debate should have been held prior to the poll.