Jersey's new States Assembly officially sworn in

Twenty one of the island's 49 States Members have never held political office in Jersey before

Jersey's new States Assembly has been officially sworn in, formalising the results of last week's election.

Twenty one of the island's 49 States Members have never held political office in Jersey before.

More women were elected to Jersey's government than ever before - with women making up 51% of the newly-elected deputies.

Newly-sworn in Deputy Malcolm Ferey said he felt "optimistic" about the future.

Mr Ferey, from the Jersey Liberal Conservatives, said: "It felt a sense of awe, a sense of weight of history sitting in those big seats."

He added: "But also, a sense of good fortune, and all the hard work that has paid off over these last number of months, ambitious and optimistic about what could be manifested in the future."

A total of 35 independent members were voted into government in the general election last week.

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