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The Chief Minister wrote to all Ministers and Assistant Ministers to remind them of the “expectation” they should support each other ahead of a vote on a controversial health reform – but did not directly threaten any member, as suggested by one of her team, it has emerged.
During yesterday's States Assembly debate over the proposed plan for an interim 'Advisory Board' for Health, Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet claimed that Chief Minister Kristina Moore had threatened him with an official complaint to politicians' behaviour watchdog.
As he got up to offer his objections to the proposed plan, which ended up being approved by 28 votes to 16, he said: "You'll have to forgive me if I'm a little hesitant. This afternoon, I've just received a text message from our Chief Minister informing me she's going to report me to the Commissioner for Standards if I stand up to speak."
He later added: "I realised before I got to my feet and probably risked my job that I was on a losing wicket."
Deputy Binet was not the only member of Deputy Moore's team to object to the concept of an Interim Health Advisory Board – four others also voted aganst: Assistant Chief Minister Andy Jehan, and Assistant Ministers Steve Ahier, Rose Binet and Richard Vibert.
Constable Andy Jehan savaged the plans as drafted in his speech, raising particular concerns about the cost of the board and whether they would be advising or directing.
The Government has since released the message Deputy Binet was referring to.
Pictured: The Government has released the message Deputy Kristina Moore sent to her Ministers and Assistant Ministers during the debate.
Contrary to what was suggested by the Infrastructure Minister, the Government said it was sent to all Ministers and was intended to provide guidance on "acceptable lobbying".
The full message read:
"Hi all, just for clarity the position of our ministerial code is to support and engage in consensus decision making.
This means that the place for discussion and debate for us is around the table of CoM and the expectation is that following those discussions we support each other when a decision has been made.
For AM’s those working with their minister on a given policy are expected to have taken part in those consensus based discussions and should therefore accept that they have had their opportunity to shape the policy and are expected to offer their support.
I hope that is clear.
As mentioned in QWON, I will write to the Commissioner for standards to ask her view with regards the description of lobbying actions against a fellow minister and whether that is within the code of conduct and acceptable approach within a consensus-based approach."
The message's release followed an attempt to address the issue following commentary on Twitter about Deputy Binet's comments yesterday evening.
Deputy Moore said in a tweet that she had asked "the Commissioner for Standards to consider the description of a Minister lobbying against another and how that sits within our code (in which we have agreed to work to a consensus-based approach)".
Not correct @TheOnlyGuru what I said when answering a Q earlier was that I will ask the Commissioner for Standards to consider the description of a minister lobbying against another & how that sits within our code (in which we have agreed to work to a consensus based approach)
— Kristina Moore (@Moore4Jersey) June 13, 2023
Deputy Tom Binet has been approached for comment on the messages and his comments in the Assembly.
The latest apparent clash between Deputies Moore and Binet follows a previous public war of words over the handling of CEO Suzanne Wylie's departure, when Deputy Binet claimed that Chief Minister had not been transparent about what had happened. The pair later said they had put the issue behind them.
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