Tynwald: Isle of Man parliament elects new president

A veteran former minister has been elected President of Tynwald, becoming the fifth person to hold the role.

Laurence Skelly was backed by 20 of 32 members to take up the position of the presiding officer for the island's parliament and the Legislative Council.

The 60-year-old former Enterprise Minister said he was "humbled and deeply honoured" to be elected.

He succeeds Steve Rodan, who retired from Manx politics earlier this month after five years in the role.

Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson, who was also nominated for the position, received 12 votes.

Mr Skelly was first elected to the constituency of Rushen in 2011, before being re-elected in 2016.

After a short spell as Infrastructure Minister in 2014, he was appointed Minister for Economic Development, which was rebranded as the Department for Enterprise in 2016.

When he announced his candidacy for the role of president earlier this year, he said he would not be seeking re-election to the House of Keys at September's general election.

Supporting him for the position, Daphne Caine MHK said Mr Skelly had the "skills and experience" needed, and would be a "new broom".

"His style is understated but firmly confident in being a modern Manxman with traditional values," she added.

Mr Skelly will hold the position until July 2026.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk