Senator-elect Helen Miles was the overall winner of the Senatorial race… but who is the woman who could be first in line to become Chief Minister?
Here’s what you need to know…
A 2022 newcomer
Senator-elect Miles was a newcomer in the 2022 election, when she became an independent Deputy for St Brelade.
She quickly became part of Kristina Moore’s government as Home Affairs Minister.
In that election, she received 29.49% of votes, winning her district ahead of Deputy Moz Scott.
A strong background in justice
Having started her career as a Customs and Immigration officer in Jersey, a 31-year career saw her rise in the ranks and become Director of Criminal Justice at the States police.
She also earned a PhD in criminology in 2008 and has taught at Jersey’s Institute of Law – so even as a first-time States Member, the Justice and Home Affairs brief was an obvious fit.
She was Minister for Home Affairs, and then Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, from 2022 until the Moore government was ousted in 2024.
The department oversaw the new Domestic Abuse Law and negotiated a system where French day-trippers wouldn’t need to use their passports, but she was criticised by the hospitality industry for restrictions on how long migrant workers can stay in Jersey.
A move to the Scrutiny benches…
Following the vote of no-confidence in former Chief Minister Kristina Moore, Deputy Miles lost her Ministerial role. Then, she moved into scrutiny work – working with a group of politicians to test the effectiveness of Ministers’ proposed legislation and policies.
Her key Scrutiny roles have included chairing the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel and as a member of the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel.
She also recently led a review into the parish system.
Her work has also focused on her home parish as a Deputy, where she has pushed for Les Quennevais to be prioritised on the island’s retail roadmap.
Is the top job calling?
Despite being touted by others as a possible Chief Minister after topping the poll, she has not committed herself to going for the top job.
Senator-elect Miles said last night that she had put herself forward in the Senatorial race “because I felt that we needed more women in the Assembly in senior roles”, but while she could see herself in the Council of Ministers, she didn’t know yet whether that would be as Chief Minister or in another ministerial job.
The Chief Minister, she added, “I don’t think has to be a woman, but I would like to see a woman.”
LISTEN…
Here’s what she had to say about who should be the Island’s next Chief Minister, and how to deal with problems like the cost-of-living and government spending on the Election Disassembled podcast…