Senior Alderney Politician Resigns, Citing “Political Infighting”

Nigel Vooght, Alderney’s most senior politician, has announced his resignation from the island’s States, attributing his departure to “political infighting.” He had served as the chair of the Policy and Finance Committee (P&F) since his election to the position in January 2023. In his resignation letter, Vooght also criticized William Tate, the President of the States of Alderney, stating that their relationship had “irreparably broken down.” Mr. Tate declined to comment when approached by the BBC. Vooght, a former chief at PwC, expressed that his decision to step down was made with “sadness.” Vooght was initially elected to Alderney’s States in 2022, an election in which no votes were cast because there were only four candidates—himself, Steve Roberts, Bruce Woodhead, and Bill Abel—vying for five available seats. Last month, a general election that was contested resulted in the election of Edward Hill, Iain Macfarlane, Alex Snowdon, Kevin Gentle, and Stuart Clark to the States of Alderney. The States of Alderney circulated his letter to the media, in which he declared his position had become “untenable.” He wrote: “I am immensely disappointed at the lack of support in some quarters for my efforts in tandem with our hard-working Civil Service.” He further stated: “Unfortunately, my relationship with the President has also broken down in recent weeks. “When P&F makes a unanimous decision, the President’s role is to facilitate putting that item on the billet where applicable, not to oppose it or gerrymander a situation more to his liking.””