Gary Burgess: The Chief Minister’s weekend crisis meeting

Jersey's Chief Minister
Credit: ITV Channel TV

I can reveal Jersey’s Chief Minister is today (Sunday 1 November) gathering his ministers together for crisis talks.

And, while I haven’t gained access to the list of items on the agenda, I can confirm some of the matters Senator John Le Fondre will be thrashing out with his top table.

It’s been a torrid week for his leadership as he presided over the communication of his chief executive’s £50,000 non-executive directorship of a UK-based property trust.

It has been revealed Charlie Parker has a second £50,000 role as a non-executive directorship of a UK-based property trust. Credit: ITV Channel TV

Within hours of the original official government statement on Tuesday, it was evident it was not correct, and by Friday that was confirmed: Charlie Parker had NOT sought the correct permission to take on his side-hustle, NewRiver DID have a presence in Jersey, and the Deputy Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham has NOT given the green light for Mr Parker to take on the role.

It’s the week where Charlie Parker assured us all he had more than enough time to take on this extra work, but also the week where we found out he forgot to get permission because of his workload!

Senator Le Fondre has done that classic political move…to promise a review.

But that’s just the start of the story.

I also understand the statement confirming Education’s top civil servant Mark Rogers is now not quitting his role, as he’s now able to do his job by splitting his time between the UK and Jersey, has NOT got universal ministerial backing despite the official government statement indicating otherwise.

There’s also the small matter of a potential vote of no confidence in the Chief Minister in the offing. Signatures are being gathered this weekend. Senator Le Fondre clearly intends to head this off at the pass, and will need to get his ministers in line, especially if more than one of them is on stand by to support such a vote of no confidence if it reaches the point when they know it will succeed (smart ministers only back winners).

And then there’s the government’s Winter Covid-19 plan due to be unveiled tomorrow (Monday). Expect to hear a strategy to avoid a lockdown in the coming weeks and months and a massive increase in testing, but that messaging now needs to be in line with Boris Johnson’s Saturday night lockdown announcement.

Add to this ongoing discontent about the lack of a population policy, of a U-turn over the plans for the payment of prior year taxes, and a sudden hole in the balancing of finances in the forthcoming Government Plan, plus grumbles about the Jersey Care Model, and you can see how the tectonic plates are shifting.

Crisis is an over-used word in politics, and an easy journalistic cliché for people like me to trot out. But right now, it feels right.