Political

By Amy Griffiths

Political

While the 2026/27 Budget was voted through Tynwald, it was one of the most opposed Budgets, certainly in recent memory.

A third of MHKs voted against the financial plan laid out in the Pink Book, with a total of eight members rejecting it.

Two members of the Legislative Council also opposed it.

This is what those who voted against it had to say.

Lawrie Hooper

Since resigning as health minister in 2024, the Ramsey MHK has been one of government's loudest opponents.

It therefore came as very little surprise that he chose not to support this Budget.

"Public finances do not collapse overnight. They erode one Budget at a time until at the last there is nothing left to give. They weaken because of repeated decisions to prioritise immediate applause over enduring and sustainable finances, and they decline when we convince ourselves that spending today will not burden tomorrow." - Lawrie Hooper MHK

Mr Hooper accused government of spending public money with no idea how it will be funded.

He raised serious concerns about government's dependence on reserves and how much this administration has pulled down from them.

Going even further, he accused Alf Cannan's government of 'window dressing', a term he claims is used in accountancy to describe when an organisation manipulates financial statements, making them appear more attractive at reporting dates with the intention of misleading users of those financial documents.

Mr Hooper did welcome the increase to the personal tax threshold, although he questioned the cost of doing so.

"Eaghtyrane, I am tired of this. I am tired of a Government that continually tells us there is no money for anything, but suddenly when the Chief Minister wants to pour the Island’s reserves down the drain, the rest of his Ministers will quietly go along with him. To say that I am disappointed in some of those Ministers would be a colossal understatement. I have great respect for some around that table but this has been sorely dented by their support of this Budget. None of those currently sat in Ministerial seats supporting this daylight robbery of public funds can preach about fiscal responsibility or a lack of funding for their services." - Lawrie Hooper MHK

The Ramsey member also highlighted some of the things he believed were missing from the Budget - specifically funding to address the Island's housing crisis and the new Castle Rushen High School.

Juan Watterson

The Rushen MHK and Speaker of the House of Keys is no stranger to voting against a Budget, and did so again this year.

He didn't give his reasons before Tynwald this time, but his previous objections have centred on the fact he fundamentally disagrees with its process, consistently calling for Budget reform.

Tim Glover

The Arbory, Castletown and Malew member was another one of those who voted against the Budget.

"I am all for putting money in people’s pockets. I have been saying that for all my time in here. But I am also for it being done in a responsible manner and a gradual, progressive manner, rather than the crash-bang-wallop, what-a-picture, election-pledge Budget that we have here today." - Tim Glover MHK

Mr Glover told Tynwald he was concerned that government seems to be 'normalising' overspends within departments, following another £10 million contingency fund being made available for the Department of Health and Social Care.

He also highlights his concerns about government's continued use of reserves to pay for the departmental overspends, arguing it will be future generations who pay the price of doing so.

Finally, as a southern MHK, Mr Glover also referenced the lack of clarity with regard to the plans for a new Castle Rushen High School. 

His concerns lie in that this financial plan only includes provision to fully fund £50 million per year, and anything beyond that would mean having to consider alternative financing options or withdrawing even more from reserves.

He says this proves why the optimisation and prioritisation of the capital programme is so important, and why project development processes need to be 'sharpened'.

Mr Glover says we have never ever been closer to 'getting this over the line', and believes it'd be 'foolhardy to blow that opportunity now'.

Michelle Haywood

This is Rushen MHK Michelle Haywood's first Budget since being sacked as infrastructure minister last month.

"As a Member of this Parliament, I would like to apologise to those diligent Treasury officers and others within the Departments that have been put under such extraordinary pressure since 19th January. It is never easy working in the Civil Service but sometimes the decisions of Government, particularly taken in haste, can cause avoidable strain for staff. That is regrettable." - Michelle Haywood MHK

She voted against the Budget, not because she doesn't think that the personal tax allowances should have been increased, but because there was no reduction in spending to allow for the £24 million lost tax revenue.

She believes, because the personal allowances are never coming back down, the hole in finances is recurring and the consequent drawdown from reserves greater.

Dr Haywood called the Budget a 'pre-election gimmick', arguing it's not targeted enough at the low-paid, part-time workers who need support the most.

“Real confidence is not declared, it is demonstrated. This is not a steady hand on the ropes, it is a flourish of the top hat before the trap door opens.” – Michelle Haywood MHK

Jason Moorhouse

While Arbory, Castletown and Malew member Jason Moorhouse praised a number of elements of the Budget, he said they were outweighed by his concerns.

Speaking in Tynwald, he welcomed the increase in income tax thresholds, but argued the £2,250 rise in one move was too much at a time when reserves are being drained.

He believes the £750 mentioned in the abandoned Budget would have been 'far more impressive' and would have 'left some fire power for the next treasury minister'.

Mr Moorhouse claims this administration will have taken £558 million from the reserves in its five year term, but questions what results the Island has seen from that.

"That is over half a billion pounds to pay for day to day expenditure such as filling up potholes - not much on transformational investment, which would have benefitted the Island's people and business." - Jason Moorhouse MHK

As a southern MHK, it's also unsurprising that Mr Moorhouse referenced the lack of progress on a new Castle Rushen High School, stating that it 'should have progressed much further'.

John Wannenburgh

The Douglas North representative is another member who's regularly voted against Budgets since he was first elected in 2021.

This year was no exception, as he chose not to support the financial plan for the next year.

"One could be forgiven in thinking that this Budget is a thinly veiled attempt to buy votes before the next election. It is putting votes squarely before securing the future of our next generations. The next generations of youth, the next generations of taxpayers." - John Wannenburgh MHK

Mr Wannenburgh was another politician to question this administration's constant reliance on reserves.

He believes government should be working not just to reduce its reliance, but eliminate it completely, arguing we are becoming 'conditioned' on our reliance on reserves, and this 'prolonged and habitual use' must end.

"The lack of meaningful action is as confusing to me as it would be to a chameleon in a bucket of Smarties." - John Wannenburgh MHK

Mr Wannenburgh also raised concerns about the rapid rise in spending on healthcare in this administration, which has gone up by 50% since 2021.

He says, if it's not checked and controlled, it will simply bankrupt the Island, becoming an issue that will not only define the next administration but 'almost single-handedly certainly crippling it'.

Finally, the Douglas North member highlighted his concern about the increasing cost of triple lock pensions.

He says the National Insurance Fund currently stands at £1.07 billion but is no longer in surplus, which means pensions paid out now exceed the annual contributions coming in.

Referencing the projected 2047/58 exhaustion date of the National Insurance Fund, he called on the minister to commit to a Manx pension guarantee.

Manx Labour Party

The Manx Labour Party has two members in the House of Keys - Douglas East MHK Joney Faragher and Douglas South's Sarah Maltby.

They both opposed this year's Budget, voting against it in Tynwald.

While they supported the uplift in Personal Allowances, they say they couldn't support it in its entirety.

Along with many of the other opposing politicians, they raised concerns about the 'significant, permanent draw on reserves while continuing to tell those asking for investment in healthcare, housing, education and support for the the lowest-paid that 'there is no money' doesn't stack up.

While they supported the principle of helping people keep more of what they earn, they believe there were alternative measures suggested that would have reduced the draw on reserves while achieving the same goal.

They also noted concerns with the Budget process as a whole, arguing there is little opportunity for more open consultation before Budget day.

Rob Mercer

Rob Mercer MLC joined the many voices sharing their hesitancy about continued reliance on reserves.

He argued their use following a 'black swan event' is justified, for example during changes to the reciprocal VAT agreement with the UK and the impact of the Covid pandemic.

However, he said he'd find it 'difficult to vote for a Budget' that continues to add to the structural deficit when we should be doing everything in our power to reduce it.