He had said for months that he would leave the States at the end of the current political term, but yesterday he revealed that he was now almost certain to stand at next month’s general election.
He told the latest Guernsey Press Politics Podcast that he was ‘pretty sure’ his name would be among the candidates at the second island-wide election on 18 June.
Hear a full interview with Deputes Peter Ferbrache and Al Brouard on our Shorthand States podcast
‘Something could happen personally in the next couple of weeks which changes it, but I doubt it. At this stage, yes, yes. I’ve got people to talk to because I have told so many people I’m not standing,’ said Deputy Ferbrache.
The Assembly met for the final time yesterday – except for a ceremonial meeting next Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Liberation – and bade farewell to several long-serving members who are leaving politics, including Deputies Lyndon Trott, Peter Roffey and Al Brouard, who between them have served in the States for 72 years.
Deputies Heidi Soulsby, Lester Queripel and David Mahoney had also previously announced that they would not seek re-election.
Deputy Ferbrache believed the States would miss the experience of long-serving members who were retiring and not wanting to add to that loss was one of the reasons he had changed his mind.
But should he be re-elected as a deputy he does not think he would stand for a major committee presidency again.
‘I think I’d be a backbencher. I’m not saying I wouldn’t be on a committee. I think I could do that,’ he said.
‘There has been a generational change over the past 25 years or so. When I was in the States first time around, from 1994-2000, it was more respectful and wasn’t confrontational all the time. Here it’s as though there’s got to be an argument on everything.’
He predicted ‘a very difficult four years’ ahead as the next States faces a funding shortfall of tens of millions of pounds a year and large pressures on spending.
Also speaking on the podcast, Deputy Brouard agreed that the States was a different place when he was first elected in 2004.
‘The influence from the UK has come through. A feeling that if you are not in power you have to be against it. That has not been helpful,’ he said.
‘The older system in Guernsey was better, where it was a consensus of local businessmen and local people generally who just wanted to do their best for Guernsey, rather than trying to put themselves in a particular camp, but I think that may return.’
Deputy Brouard has been president of Health & Social Care since 2020, a role he took on reluctantly.
He had known for years that this would be his final term in the States and felt that had been an advantage in one of the toughest roles in local politics.
‘Health is quite a rocky horse to ride and it’s a lot easier to ride knowing you’re not going to carry on,’ he said.
‘I could make decisions a little bit firmer than I would have done if I was standing again and looking over my shoulder. I know that also comes from confidence of being in the States for a long time.’
Candidates wishing to stand at the general election must be nominated between 12 and 14 May.
The new States will meet for the first time on 1 July when it will elect the P&R president.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.