The Council of Ministers performed a remarkable u-turn to support an amendment to the emergency powers regulations tonight.

After a long and passionate debate, the continuance of The Emergency Powers (Coronavirus) (Entry Restriction No. 2) Regulations 2020 was amended before being passed.

The amendment, set down by Lawrie Hooper (Lib Vannin, Ramsey) removed the condition that would have meant people could only apply to return to the island ’if the individual has not stayed on or after 27th March 2020 anywhere in the world in a dwelling in respect which the individual or a close family member of the individual is the owner’.

Mr Hooper said he was ’not comfortable’ with precluding people from even applying to return to their island if they could stay at a home belonging to a parent, partner or child.

A majority of members spoke in favour of Mr Hooper’s amendment, including backbench MHKs and MLCs and the Lord Bishop Peter Eagles.

However, Education Minister Dr Alex Allinson's message to returning residents was ’if it is safer to stay where you are, stay put’.

This was a sentiment shared by Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer.

Health and Social Care Minister David Ashford warned: 'If we had a second wave, the effects would be devastating.'

However, facing an almost inevitable defeat, the Council of Ministers performed a u-turn, displayed when Mr Ashford accepted that ’compassion is essential’.

He added: ’I think I can support Mr Hooper’s amendment and I will be today.’

Following Mr Ashford’s statement of support, all Tynwald members, including the Council of Ministers, voted in favour of the amendment and the motion passed, as amended, unanimously.

We will have more coverage on this and other emergency powers being voted on in Tynwald in this week’s Manx Independent, available in shops and online from Thursday.