Chief Minister Alfred Cannan has emerged from this week’s no confidence vote with his authority intact but not entirely unscathed.

He comfortably survived the vote in a day of drama in the House of Keys.

Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Mr Glover had tabled the motion - the first against a sitting Chief Minister since the ministerial system was introduced more than 40 years ago.

Mr Cannan needed a simple majority to win the vote although a narrow margin would have weakened his position.

But in the event, only six MHKs voted in support of the motion, with 18 voting against. The six voting in support were Claire Christian, Julie Edge, Tim Glover, Lawrie Hooper, Joney Faragher and Chris Thomas.

Three members of the Council of Ministers indicated that they would have resigned if the vote of no confidence had passed - and the risk of destabilising the government clearly concentrated minds on the wider significance of the vote.

Other MHKs suggested that the Chief Minister should ‘pause and reflect’ even though it was clear from early on that the motion was doomed to fail.

A contrite Mr Cannan said in a short speech at the end of the long debate: ‘Where I have fallen short, I’m sorry. Whatever the outcome today I will continue to serve as long as you will have me.’

Tuesday’s vote followed the resignation of Lawrie Hooper as Minister for Health and Social Care in a bitter dispute regarding funding for over-budget Manx Care.

Mr Glover told the Keys: ‘It brings me zero pleasure to bring this motion. It’s certainly not been the healthiest of past weeks with sleepless nights and increased anxiety. However, someone had to have the courage of their convictions.’

Explaining why he didn’t bring a motion of no confidence in CoMin as whole, he said: ‘I believe there are Ministers who are doing a great job. The issue for me is in the centre of government.’

He said the Chief Minister’s attitude was ‘it’s my way or the highway’ - and Mr Glover accepted that when he brought the motion, he knew he was ‘going to get a kicking’.

‘This has been done to lance a boil so that we can move forward,’ he added.

But Home Affairs Minister Jane Poole-Wilson (Middle) said the motion was in effect a vote of no confidence in CoMin - and if it was to succeed she would resign as minister.

Enterprise Minister, Ayre and Michael MHK Tim Johnston said the motion was ‘frankly irresponsible at a time of great challenge’.

He said he too would resign as minister if the motion succeeded, as did DEFA Minister Clare Barber (Douglas East)

But Onchan MHK Julie Edge hit out at the threats of resignation, saying this implied that no one else could do their jobs.

Douglas North MHK John Wannenburgh said: ‘We are beyond simple protest votes - the stakes are too high.’

He said the mover of the motion had an ‘absolute responsibility’ to put his own name forward for the role of Chief Minister.

Fellow Douglas North MHK, former health minister David Ashford said that while he wouldn’t support the motion he actually thought it was helpful as it would put to an end speculation.

He warned that if the vote passed it would ‘bring nothing but chaos and instability’.

‘If this motion passes today I would suspect most of the existing Ministers would be off and say to those supporting this motion “congratulations, over to you, show us how it’s done”’, he told MHKs.

The earliest any new administration would be able to change course properly in a fiscal sense would be at that start of 2026, he added.

Mr Ashford said constituents had told him they were fed up of seeing MHKs fight among themselves or resorting to personal attacks, or as one put it ‘they are sick of what they see as us all fighting like cats in a sack’.

Rushen MHK Dr Michelle Haywood hit out at ‘crass, ill-phrased and petulant’ comments made by the Chief Minister in the wake of the Health Minister’s resignation - but said she would not support the motion as this would result in the loss of CoMin members she had ‘great deal of respect for’.

Douglas South MHK Claire Christian gave few clues in her speech that she would be voting in favour of the motion.

She listed nine critical points she wanted the Chief Minister to take on board. ‘We need a clear action plan’.

‘There are no magical unicorns in this chamber,’ she said.

Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse urged Mr Cannan and CoMin to ‘pause and reflect’.

Onchan MHK Rob Callister, who was sacked as Health Minister by Mr Cannan, said he had ‘more reason than most to press the green button’ - given the ‘anguish and hurt that the Chief Minister inflicted upon my family and friends, and myself personally during 2022 and 23’.

But he said he would not support the motion because it was ‘misguided, and the wrong motion on the order paper’.

Mr Hooper, whose resignation set in train the events, said: ‘The problem is right at the centre. The Council of Ministers is essentially hamstrung by the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister simply doesn’t listen to others.’

He said last week CoMin was presented with a list of health service cuts, which he said was not supported or recommended by Manx Care who had put the list together because they had specifically been asked to.

It included the potential temporary closure of MEDS which he said Manx Care had assessed would result in a significant increase in waiting times and ‘undoubtedly cause patient harm and corridor care would be inevitable’.

Also included was the proposed closure of ward 4 which Manx Care said would result in significant volumes of cancellations of patient admissions, he told the Keys.

Douglas East MHK Joney Faragher said the issue of the future of the health service was the backdrop to the motion.

She said the prospect of ministers resigning had given her ‘pause for thought’. But that did not stop her from voting in support the motion.

Central Douglas MHK Chris Thomas, who had called for Mr Cannan’s resignation and had put his name forward for the role, pointed out: ‘Other democracies have managed to change their Chief Minister without collapsing into chaos.’

He said he had a ‘clear and declared position’ - but then , to laughter in the chamber, said that ‘could change and change again’.

Addressing the Chief Minister directly, Douglas South MHK Sarah Maltby said: ‘I do believe this motion has hurt you. But guess what - it’s hurt us all.’