Ian Joseph Gorst (born 15 December 1969) is a
Jersey
Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
politician who has been a
Deputy for
St Mary,
St Ouen and
St Peter and
Minister for Treasury and Resources since
2022.
Gorst was first elected to the
States Assembly in the
2005 general election as a Deputy for
St Clement. In November 2011, after his successful election as a Senator, Gorst was appointed
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...
by the Assembly. He served two terms as Chief Minister until he was beaten in a vote against
John Le Fondré after the
2018 general election. From 2018 to 2022 he served as
Minister for External Relations.
Born in
Lancaster, England, Gorst worked as an
accountant before going into politics after moving to Jersey.
Background
Gorst was born into a farming family in the
Lune Valley, Lancashire, England, and left school with
A-levels
The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
in history and business studies (grade E) and went on to work in insurance before going into banking and accountancy. He was a member of the UK
Conservative Party before leaving the United Kingdom. He met his wife Dionne (née A'Court), a Jerseywoman, while she was studying nursing in England, and the couple moved back to Jersey.
Electoral history
Gorst was elected to the
States of Jersey
The States Assembly (; Jèrriais: ) is the parliament of Jersey, formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable (Jersey and Guernsey), Connétable of each of the Parishes of Jersey, twelve parishes.
The origins of the legislature of ...
as one of the Deputies for
St Clement in the
2005 elections, coming second with 930 votes. He was re-elected in
2008 when he topped the poll with 1,112 votes. In the
2011 general election he successfully stood for one of the four Senators' seats, coming second out of 13 candidates.
Gorst was re-elected in the
2014 general election with 14,035 votes (9.6% of the vote share), the highest of any Senatorial candidate.
States Assembly
In 2005, Gorst was appointed as an assistant minister in the Chief Minister's Department, with responsibility for decisions about migration and human resources. In July 2007, Gorst became an assistant minister to the Minister for Treasury and Resources, with responsibilities including the review of accounting functions, investment matters, internal audit and procurement.
Between 2008 and 2011, Gorst was Minister for Employment and Social Security in the
Council of Ministers
Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
. During his period of office, a system for redundancy payments was introduced, the income support system was criticized, state pension retirement age was raised from 65 to 67; and a new system for funding care in old age was put in place.
He was elected
Chief Minister of Jersey in November 2011 and became the first Chief Minister to serve for two terms. He was succeeded by
John Le Fondré in June 2018, when the new Chief Minister appointed Senator Gorst as the Minister for External Relations, a role he has taken over from
Sir Philip Bailhache.
Gorst has served as chairman of the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission.
Voluntary work
Gorst is the Deputy Chair of Governors at
Le Rocquier School, a member of Le Squez Youth Club Management Committee, and a member of
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity founded as the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC) by Thomas Agnew on 19 April 1883. The NSPCC lobbies t ...
Pathways steering group.
References
External links
Senator Ian Joseph Gorst on States Assembly Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorst, Ian
1969 births
Deputies of Jersey
Government ministers of Jersey
Living people
Senators of Jersey
Jersey accountants
Chief ministers of Jersey