Jersey's new government - new faces, new tensions

Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham has appointed his new ministerial team for the next four years.

The team includes some familiar faces, such as Tom Binet in health and Ian Gorst in external relations.

However, there are also new faces around the ministerial table, with Alan Maclean taking on the role of treasury minister and Gerald Voisin becoming economic development minister.

In the last political term, Farnham had to manage an ideologically diverse Council of Ministers. This time, while they are more ideologically cohesive, there will still be significant tensions for him to manage.

Binet is continuing as health minister, and he is never far away from the spotlight.

He was behind the vote of no confidence in Kristina Moore's government when he was her infrastructure minister, and consistently argued in the last political term for more funding for health.

While he got his wish in the last budget, he will now be sat around a ministerial table with colleagues who got elected after campaigning to cut government spending.

So, Farnham will have to manage Binet and his calls for more spending at the same time as other ministerial colleagues favour fiscal prudence.

Binet is disliked by some of those who served alongside him in Kristina Moore's government, including Senator Helen Miles - who topped the island-wide senatorial poll at the election.

Due to her election performance, new Home Affairs Minister Miles will have significant influence and, while many felt Binet had free reign in the last political term, he is likely to face a counterbalance in Miles.

At the end of last year, a political movement called Value Jersey launched.

Few would have predicted when it launched the impact it would have on the 2026 election.

It had a manifesto which candidates could endorse but members have been adamant they are not a political party.

At least six candidates affiliated to the movement won seats at the election.

Economic Development Minister Gerald Voisin endorsed Value Jersey's principles and several other members on the back benches also supported the movement's manifesto.

Several politicians told the BBC that Value Jersey was pushing for ministerial positions in the lead-up to the chief minister submitting his nominations.

Asked about the movement in a recent interview, Farnham said: "I don't recognise Value Jersey as an entity.

"I see 49 States members, I see Reform Jersey members and I see some members who have aligned with Value Jersey values, which weren't new because they were just repeating things we have been aiming for for years."

But even if he does not recognise it as an entity, the movement is a new political force in the assembly and is likely to present Farnham a new and unfamiliar challenge.

One of the movement's flagship policies during the election was to bring in cheaper supermarkets.

It would be no surprise if Voisin pushed this idea strongly in his new economic development role.

Farnham has said a new role will be created with a minister for planning and regulation.

While legislative changes need to be made before that role becomes formalised, Farnham has nominated Senator Mark Boleat for the role.

Boleat told the BBC that "Jersey's planning system is the biggest obstacle to the island's economic growth".

It is fair to say Boleat is looking to shake things up, and that ambition could clash with new infrastructure minister Jonathan Renouf.

Renouf developed a reputation in his time as environment minister for being too eager in trying to introduce regulation and protection.

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