Dominoes tumble

A TOTAL of 17 States members yesterday signed a letter calling for the Policy Council to stand down over Fallagate. Just hours later, the group came tumbling down like dominoes.

Deputy Barry Brehaut, who had led the backbench revolt against the refusal by some ministers to quit, had collected the signatures before the drama unfolded.

'I'm not sure whether the letter had any bearing on events, but I think it would have focused the mind on the whole resignation issue,' he said, immediately after learning the news at 2.15pm.

'I'm surprised I have been told by a member of the media because as a member of the States I have not officially been told.

'The most important thing now is to put this behind us and move on - it's taken the charge out of the air. It's been a very difficult atmosphere for everyone over the last few weeks but people were in untenable positions and it should have happened some time ago.

'It was always, always going to end this way, ultimately.'

He highlighted the importance of the House having confidence in the new or existing members who would be voted on to the council.

'What the Wales Audit Office demonstrated is that there were significant failings on the part of some individuals and I would not vote every last person back on to the Policy Council.

'I have no aspirations to be minister or deputy minister of anything.'

At lunchtime he had said: 'A couple of the dominoes have already fallen - let's hope the line continues.

'The position of Treasury minister Lyndon Trott is untenable - three T & R members are requesting their minister resigns.

'I would be amazed if everyone was still in their post at the end of this week.'

States members who signed the letter were Deputy Brehaut, Geoff Mahy, John Gollop, David Grut, David de Lisle, Rhoderick Matthews, Jonathan Le Tocq, Brian de Jersey, Jean Pritchard, Hunter Adam, Claire Le Pelley, Diane Lewis, Charles Parkinson, Duncan Staples, Mark Dorey, Eric Walters and Ivan Rihoy. They believed that confidence in the chief minister and the council had been adversely affected by events surrounding the award of the PEH clinical block contract. They felt the findings of the WAO report further undermined the reputation of the government and were anxious the loss of confidence be remedied as quickly as possible.

The backbenchers had called for the chief minister and council members to resign and to seek a fresh mandate if they saw fit.

Their actions were preferred to a requete and they acknowledged some members might be wholly blameless in the matter.

'The signatories accept that they are asking members to make a very difficult decision, but believe that it is in the best interest of our government to act swiftly to restore its relationship with the people of Guernsey,' the letter read.

Public Accounts Committee members were told not to sign the letter because is taking its report on the matter to the States at the end of February. That meant chairman Leon Gallienne, deputy chairman Chris Brock and members Brian Gabriel, Scott Ogier and Jenny Tasker had been excluded.