Chris Thomas takes office as Chief Minister after 16–6 win in the Keys

Chris Thomas was formally appointed Chief Minister on Tuesday afternoon, 13 October. He received his warrant from the Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant General Sir John Lorimer, at a short ceremony at Government House, hours after winning the House of Keys ballot.

According to the Isle of Man Government, he is the first Douglas MHK to hold the post. In a statement, Mr Thomas said he was “mindful, however, that I am the first among equals”. He added: “My priority is to deliver a smaller, smarter and smoother government that focuses on the real challenges facing the Isle of Man.”

The Government said he has begun forming his Council of Ministers, the island’s cabinet, and an announcement is expected in the coming days.

In the morning ballot Mr Thomas beat Kirrie Jenkins, the new MHK for Arbory, Castletown and Malew, by 16 votes to six. Isle of Man Today and Energy FM both reported that the two remaining ballots, cast by former Chief Minister Alfred Cannan and Jason Moorhouse, were ruled invalid. A motion nominating Mr Thomas then passed by 22 votes to two, with only Mrs Jenkins and Stephen Broad voting against.

Mr Thomas told Media Isle of Man that he had received strong support for the Health Minister, Claire Christian, and the Home Affairs Minister, Jane Poole-Wilson, to keep their posts. The final line-up has not been announced.

He had told members he could see five newly elected MHKs becoming ministers, but said picking the right people mattered more than the number. “It could be five, it could be three, it could be two,” he said afterwards, according to Isle of Man Today. He also confirmed that Mrs Jenkins would be invited to join the Council.

Mr Thomas comes to the job from the Treasury. The Government said he has been an MHK since 2013 and has held several ministerial roles. He has also chaired Culture Vannin, the island’s heritage body, since 2016.

During questioning, Isle of Man Today reported, Mr Thomas called for renewed relationships with airlines and the Steam Packet. Mrs Jenkins proposed making one minister responsible for co-ordinating efforts to grow the economy.

On later-life care, Mr Thomas backed a ring-fenced model intended to be sustainable, though he acknowledged that the detailed financial work had yet to be done. The proposed Mooir Vannin offshore wind farm was also raised. Answering Joney Faragher, Mr Thomas summed up his approach as “evidence-based policy making, not policy-based evidence making”.

Mrs Jenkins took 1,839 votes at September’s general election, the second-highest individual total on the island, according to Isle of Man Today. The paper reported that she has said she remains optimistic about the new Government.

Mr Thomas takes over from Mr Cannan, who had been Chief Minister for five years.