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Guernsey's Chief Minister and his senior colleagues have been formally asked to resign within five working days – and will face a vote of no confidence if they don't.
The official push has been made by a band of seven politicians after Deputy Peter Ferbrache and his Policy and Resources Committee had their plan to introduce GST in the island shot down by the States for the second time this year.
The controversial GST bid was part of a package of measures proposed by P&R to finance the running of the island as a deficit of £100m per year looms.
At the conclusion of the four-day debate, Deputy Ferbrache said the States were at an "impasse" and called for an early election, arguing that the current tranche of politicians can't agree on any "key topic".
Pictured: P&R previously projected that all of Guernsey's money will be gone before 2030 if the island doesn't chart a new financial course.
The motion – which requires seven deputies to write to the Committee and ask for it to resign – has been led by Deputy Charles Parkinson.
Yesterday, he told Express that "the call for an early general election is the right one, but in the meantime I don’t think P&R should remain in office".
Then, this afternoon he confirmed that he had "sent a formal written request to the members of Guernsey’s Policy & Resources Committee (’P&RC’), asking them to resign their membership of that Committee".
Pictured: An email sent by Deputy Charles Parkinson calling for the resignation of the Policy and Resources Committee members.
The Committee has just five working days to resign – taking them up to next Tuesday.
If not, the seven deputies responsible for the motion can elevate it to Guernsey's Bailiff and have it debated in the States Chamber – something the deputies have already indicated they will do.
The idea that the P&R Committee might willingly resign seems unlikely, however, having today published a statement indicating that all members intend to stay in post.
The statement said that raising revenue and reducing the cost of the island's public service was now "even more important, in light of the States rejecting any form of sustainable tax package".
"The Committee believes it is right that they remain in post to expedite that work, rather than cause a delay which would be inevitable with a change in membership at this time," they added.
"Undeniably, this States is divided and that has made progress extremely challenging this term, but resigning from our posts won't change that and it would only serve to slow any progress further," Deputy Ferbrache said.
In light of the potential upheaval, he also appeared to make an attempt to assuage possible concerns from the business and international community about Guernsey's stability.
"While talk of resignations and motions of no confidence leads to exciting headlines, it's important to keep some perspective," Deputy Ferbrache continued.
Pictured: All the members of the Policy and Resources Committee, which is led by Deputy Ferbrache.
"Guernsey remains an extremely safe, stable jurisdiction when compared to anywhere in the world. Day-to-day public services continue as ever, provided by our hardworking teams across the public sector.
"We have a strong economy, high employment, great opportunities and very good quality of life. We will continue to work to ensure we preserve what makes Guernsey special, and do all we can to meet the challenges the island still faces."
Guernsey CM pushes for early election after second GST flop
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EXPLAINED: A debate about so much more than GST...
Pictured top: Guernsey's Chief Minister Peter Ferbrache (left) at a meeting with Jersey's Chief Minister Kristina Moore (right).
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