The House of Keys sits in Douglas at 10am on Tuesday 13 October to nominate the island’s next Chief Minister, according to the order paper for the sitting. Two Members have been proposed: Kirrie Jenkins and Chris Thomas.
How the vote works
Under the Council of Ministers Act 1990, it is the function of the House of Keys to nominate a Chief Minister, Tynwald says.
The first item on Tuesday’s order paper lays the two candidates’ policy statements before the House, in compliance with section 2(2B) of the Act. The second item is the nomination itself, under section 2 of the Act (order paper). Questions to the candidates are set out on a separate question paper, the order paper says. Before the vote, each candidate is expected to make a speech and answer questions, Isle of Man Today reported.
Section 2(2) of the Act says a nomination must be made by a resolution “supported by no fewer than 13 members of the House of Keys present and voting”, as quoted in a 2024 report by the Keys Standing Orders Committee. The House has 24 Members. Manx Radio also reports that a candidate needs the support of at least 13 members present.
In 2024, Tynwald described the procedure as an open election, in which everyone knows who has voted for whom, followed by a confirmatory vote in which the preferred candidate must reach the threshold of 13 votes, and said no change was proposed to those elements (Tynwald).
If the Speaker considers that no candidate is likely to receive 13 votes, the Act says the Speaker must adjourn the House to later the same day and call for fresh nominations, according to the same report. If the Speaker considers there is no prospect of agreement that day, the House is adjourned until the next day (report). Any new nominee must publish a policy statement, and Members would have one hour to read it before the sitting resumes, Manx Radio reported.
The candidates
The candidates appear below in alphabetical order, and each section draws on the candidate’s written policy statement, published by Tynwald, and on Isle of Man Today’s report of the hustings for MHKs on 8 October.
Kirrie Jenkins
Mrs Jenkins is MHK for Arbory, Castletown and Malew and has been a Member of the House of Keys since 2026, according to her Tynwald profile. She is proposed by Mrs Baptist and seconded by Mr Broad (order paper).
Her policy statement carries the headings “A Government That Delivers” and “Streamline. Strengthen. Stabilise.” It proposes a three-stage initial programme plan: each minister identifies the positions they inherit, including legal status and financial and contractual commitments; ministers lead sessions on topics including economic growth, health, housing, and food and energy security; and a new government programme follows, setting out what is being built and how it will be measured and reported (statement). Under its three aims it lists accountability for major projects, less duplication and faster decision-making; a stable public finance model and housing for working people and their families; and less regulatory friction and a new resilience strategy for energy and food (statement). It calls for a more collegiate government, “one in which Ministers lead, but Parliament scrutinises” (statement).
At the hustings, she called for a wider look at the housing market, including empty properties, holiday homes, second homes and the factors pushing up land prices, Isle of Man Today reported. On financial regulation, she called for a review of the Financial Services Authority (Isle of Man Today).
Chris Thomas
Mr Thomas is MHK for Douglas Central and has been a Member of the House of Keys since 2013, according to his Tynwald profile. He is proposed by Mr Cowell and seconded by Mrs Poole-Wilson (order paper).
His policy statement carries the headings “Smaller, Smarter, Smoother Government” and “Fair, Firm, Free Island”. It proposes refreshing the Economic Strategy in November, bringing a legislative programme to Tynwald before Christmas, and bringing an update on migration and border policy to Tynwald for debate in January (statement). For the public service it lists recruitment controls, removing redundant roles and a multi-year pay agreement, and it proposes publishing more detailed Council of Ministers minutes (statement). On housing, it proposes a Housing and Planning Policy Minister, rent-to-buy, improved shared equity schemes and a Vacant Properties Initiative to bring several hundred properties back into use (statement).
At the hustings, he proposed bringing a motion to Tynwald as soon as possible to clarify the island’s affordable housing target, the funding required and how homes would be delivered, Isle of Man Today reported. On financial regulation, he said the priority should be reducing regulatory friction rather than introducing fundamental new legislation (Isle of Man Today).
How to follow it
The Speaker, David Ashford, has said Tuesday’s sitting will be available as online audio only, not video, Isle of Man Today reported (our report).
Live audio of sittings is on the Listen page of the Tynwald website, which also posts written updates during sittings in the three Chambers. Recordings are added there as soon as possible after each session break (Tynwald).
Both candidates’ policy statements are on the Tynwald website. Tynwald said the hustings on 8 October would be live video-streamed and published on YouTube.
What happens next
Once the House has made its nomination, the Chief Minister is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor on the basis of that nomination, Tynwald explains. The Chief Minister then nominates Ministers from the Members of Tynwald to the Government’s Departments, forming the Council of Ministers (Tynwald). The next scheduled sitting is on Tuesday 20 October in Tynwald Court, according to the order paper.
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