Allan Bell | |
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Chief Minister of the Isle of Man | |
In office 11 October 2011 –4 October 2016 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governor | Adam Wood |
Preceded by | Tony Brown |
Succeeded by | Howard Quayle |
Minister for Economic Development | |
In office 2010–2011 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | New position |
Succeeded by | John Shimmin |
Minister for the Treasury | |
In office 2001–2010 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | Richard Corkill |
Succeeded by | Anne Craine |
Minister for Home Affairs | |
In office 1996–2001 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | Richard Corkill |
Succeeded by | Phil Braidwood |
Personal details | |
Born | Allan Robert Bell 20 June 1947 |
Nationality | Manx |
Political party | Independent |
Other political affiliations | Mec Vannin (before 1984) |
Allan Robert Bell CBE (born 20 June 1947) is a Manx politician who was the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man,having been elected to that position on 11 October 2011. He was an Independent Member of the House of Keys for Ramsey from 1984 to September 2016,and served in several different ministerial roles. He was replaced as Chief Minister on 4 October 2016. [1]
Bell was educated at Ramsey Grammar School. He was involved in banking and clothing retail prior to entering politics. [2]
Bell was first elected to the House of Keys as an Independent representing Ramsey in a 1984 by-election and continued as such until 22 September 2016 when he did not seek re-election. He had first,unsuccessfully. contested Ramsey in 1976 as a candidate for Manx nationalist party Mec Vannin. [3]
He served in numerous ministerial roles including Minister for Tourism and Transport,from 1986 to 1990,Minister of Tourism,Leisure and Transport,from 1990 to 1994,Minister of Industry,from 1991 to 1996,Minister of Home Affairs,from 1996 to 2001,Minister of the Treasury,from 2001 to 2010 and was the first Minister for Economic Development,from 2010 to 2011.
He was named as a central figure [4] in the "corruption of the system of government" [5] identified by Mount Murray Commission of Inquiry [6] (2002–2003),referring to his time as Tourism Minister in the early 1990s.
On 11 October 2011,Bell was elected Chief Minister of the Isle of Man,winning a clear majority over Liberal Vannin opponent Peter Karran. Bell was proposed by Eddie Teare and seconded by Laurence Skelly. [7]
While Bell was Chief Minister in 2013,the government signed a deal involving a £1.3 million bail-out loan and property purchase for the hotel chain Sefton Group which Bell stated was a "small but decisive part" in "support[ing] the economy". [8] After a legal review found the deal to be "outside of government powers",Bell initially refused to accept the proffered resignation of the economic development minister,John Shimmin. [9]
Bell was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for public service to the Isle of Man. [10]
In a 2015 interview with The Guardian ,Bell stated that "People know that I’m gay. I’ve never made a secret of it,but no one has ever asked me." [11]
On 1 August 2016,Bell announced that he was retiring after 37 years within Manx politics. [12]
The Isle of Man or Mann,is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea,between Great Britain and Ireland. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations and is the homeland of the Manx people,a Celtic ethnic group. As head of state,Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the Isle of Man's military defence and represents it abroad,but the Isle of Man still has a separate international identity.
The government of the Isle of Man is a parliamentary representative democracy. The Monarch of the United Kingdom is also the head of state of the Isle of Man,and generally referred to as "The King,Lord of Mann". Legislation of the Isle of Man defines "the Crown in right of the Isle of Man" as separate from the "Crown in right of the United Kingdom". His representative on the island is the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man,but his role is mostly ceremonial,though he does have the power to grant Royal Assent.
Mec Vannin is a political party operating in the Isle of Man. Formed in 1962,it seeks to revoke the status of Man as a British self-governing Crown dependency and establish a completely sovereign state,which would be a republic.
The Manx Labour Party is a political party on the Isle of Man that was founded in 1918.
The Council of Ministers is the principal executive organ of the Isle of Man Government. Its role is similar to,though not identical with,that of the Cabinet in the United Kingdom. Until 1990,its title was the Executive Council.
Sir Miles Rawstron Walker is a Manx businessman and politician,who was the first ever Chief Minister of the Isle of Man.
The Isle of Man Government is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor,the personal representative of the Lord of Mann. The executive head is the Chief Minister.
Jurby is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north-west of the island in the sheading of Michael.
John Philip Shimmin is a former Member of the House of Keys for Douglas West.
Anne Valerie Craine is a Justice of the Peace from the Isle of Man.
Peter Karran is a Manx politician,who is a former leader of the Liberal Vannin Party and former Minister of Education and Children. He was a Member of the House of Keys for Middle,and then for Onchan,from 1985 to 2016.
Maughold is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is named for St Maughold,the island's patron saint.
The Liberal Vannin Party is a political party in the Isle of Man. It was founded in 2006 by Peter Karran,then an Independent MHK for Onchan. Karran had been,until 2004,a member of the Manx Labour Party. The "Vannin" in the party name is a form of the name of the Isle of Man in the native Manx Gaelic language,while "Liberal" is a reference to the general political position of the party. The party is currently led by Lawrie Hooper MHK.
Isle of Man Public Transport,also known as Isle of Man Transport and Isle of Man Transport Services,is a division of the Isle of Man Government's Department of Infrastructure that operates public transport on the Isle of Man.
Bus Vannin - styled as bus vannin - is the government-owned and operated bus service on the Isle of Man. The name was adopted in June 2009 to replace Isle of Man Transport. The company was founded on 1 October 1976,as National Transport,which was an amalgamation of two other operating companies.
Alfred Louis Cannan MHK is an independent Member of the House of Keys for Ayre &Michael and is the current Chief Minister of the Isle of Man. He was previously the Minister for the Treasury.
Robert Howard Quayle is the former chief minister for the Isle of Man,between 4 October 2016 and 12 October 2021. He previously served as the minister for Health and Social Care,until the elections in September 2016.
The Isle of Man Green Party is a green political party in the Isle of Man founded in August 2016 by Andrew Langan-Newton,who still leads the party along with Deputy Leader,Lamara Craine. Success has been achieved at local authority level with the first seat won in a by-election in 2018 and today the party has 4 elected members on 4 different local authorities. The Party proposes that it provides a forum for citizens of the Isle of Man to build a movement seeking change and direction in Isle of Man politics.
General elections were held in the Isle of Man on 23 September 2021. A record ten women were elected,twice as many as the five elected at the previous election. For the first time,in two constituencies,both elected MHKs were women. Four government ministers failed to be re-elected.
Lawrie Lee Hooper is a British born Manx politician who is the leader of Liberal Vannin Party and current Minister for the Department of Enterprise. He represented Ramsey in the House of Keys from 2016.