Leadership key in chief minister vote, says Chamber

The Isle of Man's new MHKs should choose a chief minister based on leadership qualities, rather than experience or popularity, the Chamber of Commerce has said.

The business lobby group has issued advice to the new administration, which has 15 newcomers out of 24 members.

The members will vote for the next chief minister at the next Tynwald sitting on 13 October.

The Chamber of Commerce president, Claire Watterson, said the next chief minister would need to unite the new members into a "cohesive" team.

She warned that the island was entering "a very hard five years" of economic challenges, and said pressures on public finances and the loss of high‑earning jobs had created a difficult environment for both households and businesses.

With the majority of members now first-time politicians, she said MHKs should vote for their next chief minister based on who could "build consensus, set a direction and stick to it".

Watterson said the island's finances were not as strong as in previous years.

She said the latest government statistics showed the economy had declined by 7.4% in the two years to March 2024.

Following the election in September, new MHKs elected a speaker and deputy speaker.

David Ashford was elected speaker and first-time politician Richard Henthorn was appointed deputy.

There are nine ministerial positions available in the Council of Ministers (CoMin), as well as the chief minister role, meaning at least one newcomer will be put into a senior role.

Watterson said the role did not necessarily have to go to an experienced politician. She said: "The person just has to be able to set a direction, set up a cabinet who has the required skills to fulfil that direction and bring together the support around those people."

The Chamber has not endorsed any candidate for chief minister and Watterson said it would work with whoever was chosen, with a focus on growing the economy.

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