Chief Minister Alfred Cannan’s choice of words was ‘unacceptable’ when he accused former Health Minister Lawrie Hooper of ‘fabrication, falsehood and gaslighting’, a Tynwald committee report concludes.

The standards and members’ interests committee recommends that Mr Cannan should be asked to withdraw the comments.

Mr Hooper had asked the committee to investigate, alleging the Chief Minister’s remarks had been in breach of standing orders.

The comments were made in Tynwald after Mr Hooper resigned as Health Minister in October last year, stating he was convinced that Mr Cannan’s ultimate aim was to try to privatise the health service.

The Chief Minister’s initial response was to describe the resignation as ‘unfortunate’ and to wish the ex-minister well for the future.

But the next day, while Mr Hooper was absent from Tynwald on parliamentary business in Jersey, Mr Cannan pulled no punches in his criticism.

He accused him of a ‘contrived plan to stitch up his resignation’ by accusing the Council of Ministers and himself of wanting to privatise healthcare.

‘That statement on privatisation was of course a fabrication. It is a falsehood and a slur on the Council of Ministers, and the Minister has done it to perpetrate a distraction,’ he told Tynwald.

He went on to accuse Mr Hooper of ‘gaslighting’ the public that the health service was underfunded as the ‘best way forward to cover inaction’.

‘Let’s stop the gaslighting now,’ he added.

The standards committee report finds that ‘fabrication, falsehood and gaslighting’ are just other words for lying.

It concludes: ‘The manner in which Mr Cannan responded in Tynwald to Mr Hooper’s resignation statement of the day before was unacceptable.’

The report says Mr Cannan should be asked to withdraw his remarks and it calls on all Tynwald members to be given training in the principles of parliamentary language and debate.