No quitting if GST is defeated – Ferbrache

There is increasing speculation among deputies that P&R will face a motion of no confidence if its latest tax and spending plan is defeated by the Assembly next month.

One of the plan’s critics, Deputy Charles Parkinson, has already said publicly that he is ‘sure’ the senior committee would face such a motion and that he would vote for it, although he predicted that he would be in a minority and claimed that ‘zombie government would continue’.

Deputy Ferbrache did not believe that another defeat in the Assembly would be a resignation issue for his committee.

‘I don’t think so, speaking for myself. I think that would be irresponsible,’ he said.

‘Post that debate, we’ve still got another 18-20 months of this States left. The last thing we want to do is cause uncertainty in relation to where we are.’

At a media briefing to unveil P&R’s proposals, Deputy Ferbrache said the committee would need to consider its position if its third bid for GST was rejected by the States, but later clarified that he did not mean considering resignation.

‘When I used that phrase, I meant consider what we then need to do and what we can do. It will depend on how the States vote, but not a resignation of P&R,’ he said.

P&R member Bob Murray said the committee could not know in advance of October’s debate what it would do if its tax and spending plan was defeated again.

‘We don’t know what amendments will come [and] we don’t know what is going to be imposed upon us to deliver or how practical or feasible that might be,’ said Deputy Murray.

‘We will have to reassess and see what options we then have to try to deliver what the States is trying to achieve.’