Callister: I am Not a Dishonest Man

Onchan MHK Rob Callister has denied he lied after a report into his sacking said he had been dishonest.

Mr Callister has responded to the report by the Standards and Members’ Interests Committee in an open letter to his Onchan constituents.

The committee’s investigation found that Mr Callister, who was sacked in November after just 10 weeks as DHSC minister, breached Tynwald standards of conduct on three separate occasions.

Of the three, it is the finding that Mr Callister acted dishonestly that he continues to deny.

In his letter, he said this was ‘deeply upsetting for me personally, and one that I absolutely refute’.

He said: ‘Again, I am happy to put in writing that at no time did I ever say to a civil servant that all the political members wished for that individual to consider their position within the department of Health and Social Care.

‘Over the past six years I have probably worked in more Government Departments than most current Members of Tynwald, and therefore I am fully aware of the protocols and procedures expected when working alongside civil servants.

‘Even when those relationships have become strained and difficult due to the nature of the role we undertake as publicly elected members from time to time, at no point would I ever get involved in any employment or disciplinary issue concerning a member of staff.

‘I did write formally to the Tynwald Standards and Members’ Interest Committee on 18th February 2023 appealing to the Committee to look again at this particular part of the report and its final conclusions, but that request appears to have been declined.’

Another such breach was Mr Callister’s appearance on Manx Radio’s Mannin Line show on December 12, which the committee feeling that he had

In response to this, Mr Callister said he ‘restricted my comments around information that was already in the public domain’.

He added: ‘As a publicly elected Member of the House of Keys I felt it was very important that I honoured the re-scheduled appointment that was organised very early on in October/November, and well before any formal investigation was undertaken.’

The MHK has also raised concerns about the future relations between all ministers and senior civil servants and the need for discretionary advice given a conversation he had with the DHSC CEO has presented in evidence despite no minutes being taken of this.

Future

Mr Callister will now have to go to Tynwald to apologise for the breaches the committee stated he has committed.

His said that while he could choose to ask the Public Service Commission to fully investigate the matter, this would not the Standards and Members’ Interests Committee from publishing its report and would be a lengthy process.

He added: ‘When the report is laid before Tynwald next month I could also ask for each breach of the Tynwald Standards of Conduct to be voted on separately, but that would be putting my Tynwald colleagues in an impossible position, especially when I know they haven’t had sight of the full facts of this investigation.

‘I could also refuse to apologise in Tynwald next month, especially when I am being asked to apologise for something I know that I didn’t say. Unfortunately, that course of action would simply implement a suspension from Tynwald, which would remain in place until I was prepared to apologise in a manner acceptable to the President of Tynwald.’

Mr Callister ended his letter by saying: ‘In closing, I want to reassure Onchan constituents and the wider Manx Community that I have been nothing less than 100% open, honest and transparent in everything I have ever done over the past 10 years, and without fear or favour, both on a local and national platform on behalf of those that put their trust in me.’