Frank Walker (Jersey politician)
Encyclopedia
Frank Harrison Walker OBE
was the first Chief Minister of Jersey
, 2005-2008.
(the island's only newspaper). He later took over chairmanship of the Guiton Group, owners of both the Jersey Evening Post and Guernsey Evening Press. This led to public concern regarding a possible conflict of interests when he became Chief Minister, and, despite originally intending to keep both positions, he later stepped down from that position in February 2005.
on 13 December 1990 as Deputy of St Helier No 3 and was re-elected in 1993; he was then elected as Senator in 1996 and re-elected on 12 December 2002, coming 6th out of 6. After his 2002 election win Walker promised that would be his final term in ministerial government. He did not stand for re-election in 2008.
Walker was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours.
in 2005 by a secret ballot of States members. He achieved 38 votes, Senator Stuart Syvret
received 14 and there was one spoilt paper. His first responsibility was to propose the nine members who would form his Council of Ministers
: these were all elected unopposed except Senator Len Norman who was defeated by Deputy
Guy de Faye
.
As part of his election promises held for the position of Chief Minister, at the public hustings both candidates gave a clear and unequivocal undertaking to work together for the first three years. Syvret had significant support amongst the population and the issue of whom should be Chief Minister was one of the most divisive of the 2005 election.
In August 2007 however, a private discussion between Syvret and the Council of Ministers was made public by former St Lawrence Constable Iris Le Feuvre
in her position as chair of the Child Protection committee. This led to a perceived lowering of confidence in the quality of child protection services; something which Walker subsequently attributed to Syvret. Walker called for a vote of no confidence in Syvret.
talkback, he initially offered to take part in an open debate on the future of Jersey's finance industry; however the debate never took place. Having submitted a detailed analysis of why Jersey was not a tax haven to the US Senate hearing in May 2007, the Tax Justice Network responded with a submission of their own in June 2007 which re-ignited the confrontation. More recently, on 27 April, Walker refused to appear on the Talkback programme with John Christensen of the TJN. He ended up appearing on his own, but Mr Christensen was given a chance to answer the following week.
One of the major complaints of this rebranding was that local design companies were deliberately ignored, Walker considering them not to be up to the job of creating a professional enough design. When a number of these companies banded together to put on a display of designs they had created free of charge, Walker both declined to reconsider his decision to use the disliked UK design, and refused to apologise for comments made regarding the experience of the local designers.
, it emerged that Jersey had enacted more legislation than either Guernsey or the Isle of Man. Walker denied that this was evidence of over-regulation, arguing that "the number of laws reflects the fundamental changes that have taken place in Jersey’s government".
, which is reviewing offshore tax evasion, following the introduction of a bill, entitled “Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act”, which named Jersey a “secrecy jurisdiction”. In his statement, Walker stated that Jersey had received a “generally compliant” verdict from the International Monetary Fund in 2003.
as a representative of Jersey on 16 July 2007, the Seventh Summit in the Isle of Man in May 2005, and the Jersey Summit held in June 2002
He had been criticised by the Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Jersey Institute of Directors and the Jersey Conservative Party for his inability to control the excessive growth in Government expenditure. He was also criticised by the Jersey Democratic Alliance.
centred on the former Haut de la Garenne care home. Walker's official position on the matter was that his Council of Ministers would ensure that there was no cover-up and anyone who had been guilty of child abuse in that investigation would be brought to justice.
Following an interview on BBC Radio Jersey
, where Stuart Syvret
had put forward the view that there had been a systemic failure within Jersey's child protection systems over decades, Walker was filmed retorting that Syvret was out to "shaft Jersey internationally". He was confronted with this footage by Jeremy Paxman
on the BBC's Newsnight
on 25 February 2008. In the short-term, continuing media reporting of the phrase was damaging to his reputation internationally and locally. However, on 26 February 2009, the BBC Trust
, the BBC's own Editorial Watchdog, upheld a complaint from a member of the public and released a report criticising the Newsnight programme for significant failings in the conduct of this interview, stating that the interview had not upheld the BBC's guidelines on fairness and impartiality, that Senator Walker had been misquoted, that the reported exchange between Senator Walker and Syvret had been edited in a way as to misrepresent what Senator Walker had said and so as to mislead the audience and that the correction had not gone far enough in remedying the unfair implications that the quotes had suggested. Frank Walker stated that he was very happy with the outcome, and that he felt vindicated for what he felt was the low-point of his political career.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
was the first Chief Minister of Jersey
Chief Minister of Jersey
The Chief Minister of Jersey is the head of government of Jersey. The head of government is not directly elected by the people but rather by the legislature ....
, 2005-2008.
Career outside politics
In 1973 Walker became managing director of the Jersey Evening PostJersey Evening Post
The Jersey Evening Post is a regional newspaper published six days a week in the Bailiwick of Jersey. It was printed in broadsheet format for 87 years, though it is now of compact size. Its motto is: "At the heart of island life".-History:The Evening Post was founded in 1890 by H.P...
(the island's only newspaper). He later took over chairmanship of the Guiton Group, owners of both the Jersey Evening Post and Guernsey Evening Press. This led to public concern regarding a possible conflict of interests when he became Chief Minister, and, despite originally intending to keep both positions, he later stepped down from that position in February 2005.
Electoral history
Walker was first elected to the States of JerseyStates of Jersey
The States of Jersey is the parliament and government of Jersey.The Assembly of the States of Jersey has exercised legislative powers since 1771, when law-making power was transferred from the Royal Court of Jersey....
on 13 December 1990 as Deputy of St Helier No 3 and was re-elected in 1993; he was then elected as Senator in 1996 and re-elected on 12 December 2002, coming 6th out of 6. After his 2002 election win Walker promised that would be his final term in ministerial government. He did not stand for re-election in 2008.
Walker was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours.
Election as Chief Minister
Walker was elected Chief MinisterChief Minister of Jersey
The Chief Minister of Jersey is the head of government of Jersey. The head of government is not directly elected by the people but rather by the legislature ....
in 2005 by a secret ballot of States members. He achieved 38 votes, Senator Stuart Syvret
Stuart Syvret
Stuart Syvret is a political activist in Jersey. He held elected office as a member of the States of Jersey assembly from 1990 to 2010. From 1999 to 2007, Svyret had executive responsibilities first as President of the Health and Social Services Committee and, after the 2005 constitutional reforms,...
received 14 and there was one spoilt paper. His first responsibility was to propose the nine members who would form his Council of Ministers
Council of Ministers of Jersey
The Council of Ministers is the collective institution of executive government in Jersey. The Council co-ordinates policies and administration, especially policy affecting two or more ministers, prioritises executive and legislative proposals, and presents a "Strategic Plan for Jersey" for approval...
: these were all elected unopposed except Senator Len Norman who was defeated by Deputy
Legislator
A legislator is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are usually politicians and are often elected by the people...
Guy de Faye
Guy de Faye
Guy de Faye was a member of the States of Jersey from 2002 to 2008 and was Jersey's first Minister for Transport and Technical Services-Biography:...
.
As part of his election promises held for the position of Chief Minister, at the public hustings both candidates gave a clear and unequivocal undertaking to work together for the first three years. Syvret had significant support amongst the population and the issue of whom should be Chief Minister was one of the most divisive of the 2005 election.
In August 2007 however, a private discussion between Syvret and the Council of Ministers was made public by former St Lawrence Constable Iris Le Feuvre
Iris Le Feuvre
Iris Le Feuvre , M.B.E. was a Jersey politician in the States of Jersey, who is still active in community work in Jersey.- Biography :Iris Medora Le Feuvre was born in the Parish of Saint Martin, Jersey....
in her position as chair of the Child Protection committee. This led to a perceived lowering of confidence in the quality of child protection services; something which Walker subsequently attributed to Syvret. Walker called for a vote of no confidence in Syvret.
Tax Justice Network
A major opponent for Walker, in recent times, has been the Tax Justice Network. On BBC Radio JerseyBBC Radio Jersey
BBC Radio Jersey is the BBC Local Radio service for Jersey, Channel Islands. It broadcasts from its studios at 18-21 Parade Road in Saint Helier on 88.8 FM, 1026 AM as well as online at Jersey....
talkback, he initially offered to take part in an open debate on the future of Jersey's finance industry; however the debate never took place. Having submitted a detailed analysis of why Jersey was not a tax haven to the US Senate hearing in May 2007, the Tax Justice Network responded with a submission of their own in June 2007 which re-ignited the confrontation. More recently, on 27 April, Walker refused to appear on the Talkback programme with John Christensen of the TJN. He ended up appearing on his own, but Mr Christensen was given a chance to answer the following week.
Jersey logo
Despite a negative public reaction to a previewed version, Frank Walker introduced a new Jersey 'brand', costing £250,000, which in turn also drew widespread criticism. Some people suggested the brand logo looked more like a 'flying banana'.One of the major complaints of this rebranding was that local design companies were deliberately ignored, Walker considering them not to be up to the job of creating a professional enough design. When a number of these companies banded together to put on a display of designs they had created free of charge, Walker both declined to reconsider his decision to use the disliked UK design, and refused to apologise for comments made regarding the experience of the local designers.
Volume of legislation
Following a written question in the UK House of Commons by Conservative MP for Romford Andrew RosindellAndrew Rosindell
Andrew Richard Rosindell is an English Conservative politician. He is the Member of Parliament for the Romford constituency in Greater London...
, it emerged that Jersey had enacted more legislation than either Guernsey or the Isle of Man. Walker denied that this was evidence of over-regulation, arguing that "the number of laws reflects the fundamental changes that have taken place in Jersey’s government".
Constitutional position of Jersey
Walker successfully developed a framework for future relations with the United Kingdom.Netherlands tax treaty
Jersey committed to cooperation and information exchange on tax matters with the Netherlands, a national equivalent of the agreements the UK had forced Jersey to sign with the European Union. They also reached agreement on access to mutual agreement procedures relating to transfer pricing and the application of the Dutch participation exemption. The Dutch Finance Minister indicated this may lead to a double tax treaty.U.S. Senate submission
Walker submitted a 4,000-word statement to the U.S. Senate Finance CommitteeUnited States Senate Committee on Finance
The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection...
, which is reviewing offshore tax evasion, following the introduction of a bill, entitled “Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act”, which named Jersey a “secrecy jurisdiction”. In his statement, Walker stated that Jersey had received a “generally compliant” verdict from the International Monetary Fund in 2003.
British-Irish Council
Walker attended meetings of the CouncilBritish-Irish Council
The British–Irish Council is an international organisation established under the Belfast Agreement in 1998, and formally established on 2 December 1999 on the entry into force of the consequent legislation...
as a representative of Jersey on 16 July 2007, the Seventh Summit in the Isle of Man in May 2005, and the Jersey Summit held in June 2002
Control of government expenditure
As leader of the Council of Ministers at the 2005 elections he extolled the principal platforms of limiting government expenditure growth to 2.5% per annum. However he failed to achieve these targets with expenditure growing in 2006 by 3.4% and budgeted growth for 2008 now being set at 7.1%. Spending in 2007 was also reported as £50 million ahead of budget.Human rights
In 2006, as part of evidence to the corporate services scrutiny panel he indicated that it would be "absurd to bring the human rights law into effect knowing that there were extant breaches"; however in December 2006 the law was brought into effect and the first case against the government of Jersey was lodged with the Royal Court a month later.Criticism
Walker was often viewed by his UK tax critics as exclusively working to benefit the interests of the finance industry.He had been criticised by the Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Jersey Institute of Directors and the Jersey Conservative Party for his inability to control the excessive growth in Government expenditure. He was also criticised by the Jersey Democratic Alliance.
Child abuse scandal
In February 2008, Walker attracted considerable criticism due to his response to the ongoing investigation of child abuseChild abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
centred on the former Haut de la Garenne care home. Walker's official position on the matter was that his Council of Ministers would ensure that there was no cover-up and anyone who had been guilty of child abuse in that investigation would be brought to justice.
Following an interview on BBC Radio Jersey
BBC Radio Jersey
BBC Radio Jersey is the BBC Local Radio service for Jersey, Channel Islands. It broadcasts from its studios at 18-21 Parade Road in Saint Helier on 88.8 FM, 1026 AM as well as online at Jersey....
, where Stuart Syvret
Stuart Syvret
Stuart Syvret is a political activist in Jersey. He held elected office as a member of the States of Jersey assembly from 1990 to 2010. From 1999 to 2007, Svyret had executive responsibilities first as President of the Health and Social Services Committee and, after the 2005 constitutional reforms,...
had put forward the view that there had been a systemic failure within Jersey's child protection systems over decades, Walker was filmed retorting that Syvret was out to "shaft Jersey internationally". He was confronted with this footage by Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
on the BBC's Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
on 25 February 2008. In the short-term, continuing media reporting of the phrase was damaging to his reputation internationally and locally. However, on 26 February 2009, the BBC Trust
BBC Trust
The BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
, the BBC's own Editorial Watchdog, upheld a complaint from a member of the public and released a report criticising the Newsnight programme for significant failings in the conduct of this interview, stating that the interview had not upheld the BBC's guidelines on fairness and impartiality, that Senator Walker had been misquoted, that the reported exchange between Senator Walker and Syvret had been edited in a way as to misrepresent what Senator Walker had said and so as to mislead the audience and that the correction had not gone far enough in remedying the unfair implications that the quotes had suggested. Frank Walker stated that he was very happy with the outcome, and that he felt vindicated for what he felt was the low-point of his political career.