Politicians reject plans to remove citizenship from election criteria

Wednesday 11 December 2024

Politicians have voted against a proposition to extend the right to stand for election to the States Assembly to non-British citizens – for the fourth time.

States Members today voted to reject Deputy Monty Tadier’s proposition with 14 votes for, 31 votes against, and one abstention.

This is the fourth time Deputy Tadier's proposal to allow non-British people living in Jersey to stand to become an elected representative has been defeated.

A person does not have a choice about where they are born, but they can choose
where they live.

I have lodged a proposal to give more people the right to stand for election. You can read it here https://t.co/Qwo3Tg4mQU #JerseyCI @BBCJersey @ITVChannelTV @Channel103 @JEPnews

— Deputy Montfort Tadier (@DeputyTadier) September 27, 2024

Under current laws, being a British citizen is one of the criteria for standing as a Constable or a Deputy in Jersey.    

Deputy Tadier had called for this requirement to be removed in time for the 2026 elections.

In a report accompanying his proposition, he explained: "Most right-thinking people will probably tell you that they don’t place so much importance on characteristics such as race, nationality, sexual orientation, age or gender; when it comes to someone’s potential to do a job, it is what skills, experience and knowledge they have to offer that counts.

"This should also be the case for political office."

Pictured: The proposition was brought back to the States Assembly for a fourth time.

He added: "When it comes to entering the political arena, the primary concern of a candidate should be if they have enough of these skills to offer in public service, not whether they have been able to pass a nationality test."

During the debate, Deputy Tadier said that his proposition removed the stipulation for those standing for election to be “part of a niche club”.

He added that there was no such requirement in Guernsey, and that Jersey should be inclusive to those wanting to put themselves forward, whether they were from the vingtaines or cuillettes of Jersey, from British territories like England, Northern Ireland and the Falkland Islands, or from countries like France or Portugal.

Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache credited Deputy Tadier for his doggedness in making a further attempt to change the citizenship criterion, but said there was an important principle at stake, with anyone able to take a citizenship test in order to become eligible.

Deputy Sam Mézec said there was a “fatal flaw” in the citizenship requirement, because it required would-be candidates to swear allegiance to a nation – Great Britain – that wasn’t Jersey. He also highlighted the case of a school friend who had lived in Jersey since the age of six months but who would be ineligible for election because they had been born in Madeira.

I am saddened and puzzled by the way so-called diversity champions have voted on a bid to make our Assembly more open and diverse (although I think I know why).

I thank those who voted for opening up candidacy to non-British Jersey citizens. #JerseyCI pic.twitter.com/AxhY4ai1qZ

— Deputy Montfort Tadier (@DeputyTadier) December 11, 2024

Several Members highlighted the cost of applying for citizenship, with bills of between £1,000 and £2,000 and the need to wait up to a year. Deputy Raluca Kovacs said some countries, including India and Spain, did not allow their citizens to hold dual nationality, meaning someone who moved to Jersey would have to renounce their citizenship before putting themselves forward for election.

Describing herself as “the least British person in the Assembly”, Angolan-born Deputy Beatriz Porée said that her allegiance to Jersey “came from within, not from a piece of paper”.

The concept of “island identity” was mentioned by several speakers, with Deputy Kirsten Morel saying that there were many different perspectives.

“My identity is tied to Jersey, I have no UK ancestors and the Jersey flag is the one that ‘speaks’ to me. I see the Union Jack as the flag of another country,” he said.

Deputy Inna Gardiner said she had been subjected to thorough checks on her background when she acquired British citizenship, and that she considered these checks were beneficial.

Writing on social media after the two-hour debate, Deputy Tadier said he was “saddened and puzzled by the way so-called diversity champions have voted on a bid to make our Assembly more open and diverse”.