Sir Philip Martin Bailhache KC (/ˈbælæʃ/ BAL-ash[1]) is a Jersey politician and lawyer who has served as a Deputy for St Clement since 2022 and the leader of the Jersey Liberal Conservatives party.[2]

Deputy Sir
Philip Bailhache
Bailhache in 2007
Deputy for St Clement
Assumed office
22 June 2022
Minister for External Relations
In office
2013–2018
Chief MinisterIan Gorst
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byIan Gorst
Senator
In office
2011–2018
ConstituencyIsland-wide
Bailiff of Jersey
In office
1995–2009
MonarchElizabeth II
Governor
Preceded bySir Peter Crill
Succeeded bySir Michael Birt
Deputy Bailiff of Jersey
In office
1994–1995
Preceded byVernon Tomes
Succeeded byFrancis Hamon
Attorney-General
In office
1986–1994
Preceded byVernon Tomes
Succeeded byMichael Birt
Solicitor-General
In office
1975–1986
Preceded byVernon Tomes
Succeeded byTerence Sowden
Deputy for Grouville
In office
1972–1975
Personal details
Born
Philip Martin Bailhache

1946
Jersey, Channel Islands
NationalityBritish
Political partyJersey Liberal Conservatives
RelativesSir William Bailhache (brother)
Residence(s)Grouville, Jersey

He served as Bailiff of Jersey from 1995 to 2009, before entering the States Assembly in 2011 as a Senator, serving as Jersey’s first Minister for External Relations from 2013 until he stood down from the States Assembly in 2018. He previously served as Deputy for Grouville from 1972 until 1975, before serving successively as Solicitor General, Attorney General and Deputy Bailiff between 1975 and 1995.

Early years and family

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Bailhache was born in Jersey and was educated at St. Michael's Preparatory School and Charterhouse School, England.

His grandfather was a Jersey solicitor and served as Deputy for Grouville. His father was Lester Vivian Bailhache MA (1910–2005), a barrister called to the English Bar and an advocate in Jersey, he was Deputy of St Clement and subsequently a Jurat of the Royal Court of Jersey who served as Lieutenant-Bailiff of Jersey 1980–1982.[3]

Bailhache read Law at Pembroke College, Oxford, was called to the English Bar in 1968 and the Jersey Bar on 7 August 1969. He practised from the family law firm, Bailhache and Bailhache in Hill Street, St Helier.

His brother, William Bailhache, was appointed HM Attorney General in 2000 and Deputy Bailiff in 2009, and he was sworn in as Bailiff on 29 February 2015.[4]

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Law Officer 1975–1993

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Bailhache served as a Law Officer of the Crown for 19 years, first as HM Solicitor General (1975–1985) and subsequently as HM Attorney General (1986–1993).

Deputy Bailiff and Bailiff 1994–2011

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In 1994, Bailhache became Deputy Bailiff of Jersey, following the controversial removal from office of the previous Deputy Bailiff Vernon Tomes.[5] He was appointed Bailiff of Jersey in 1995, in succession to Sir Peter Crill. As Deputy Bailiff and Bailiff, he was an ex officio judge of the Court of Appeal of Jersey. He was a judge of the Court of Appeal of Guernsey from 1995 to 2009.

Bailhache introduced several modernisations to Jersey's legal system. In 1997, he was the founding editor of the Jersey Law Review (from 2007 the Jersey and Guernsey Law Review).[6][failed verification] In 1998, he led the setting up and became the first chairman of the Jersey Legal Information Board, a project designed to use technologies to streamline the administration of justice and make Jersey court judgments[7] more easily accessible as part of the worldwide free access to law movement.[8] In 2008, he became the first chairman of the Governing Body of Jersey's law school, the Institute of Law, a not-for-profit organisation providing courses for candidates sitting the Jersey advocates and solicitors examinations and students taking the University of London LLB degree via the International Programmes.[9]

In July 2005, the Policy and Resources Committee of the States of Jersey established the Constitutional Review Group, with terms of reference 'to conduct a review and evaluation of the potential advantages and disadvantages for Jersey in seeking independence from the United Kingdom or other incremental change in the constitutional relationship, while retaining the Queen as Head of State'. Bailhache was invited to chair the Group, which produced a 'Second Interim Report' in December 2007, presented to the States by the Council of Ministers in June 2008.[10]

He said the following in his May 2008 Liberation Day speech about international reporting of child abuse investigations on the island:

"All child abuse, wherever it happens, is scandalous, but it is the unjustified and remorseless denigration of Jersey and her people that is the real scandal."[11]

His words were condemned by a support group for those who grew up in care on Jersey.[12] Bailhache justified his comments.[13] A vote of no-confidence in the Bailiff was proposed by Jersey Democratic Alliance member Deputy Shona Pitman on 15 July 2008, citing his speech and the fact he allowed a convicted paedophile - Roger Holland - to remain an honorary policeman in 1992 after being told about him. Jersey's Chief Minister and Jersey Evening Post proprietor, Frank Walker, whose own speech was criticised,[14] defended Bailhache, describing him as "an honourable man"; the proposal was rejected by 47 votes to 3.[15] Holland continued sexually abusing children over six years in the St. Helier honorary police; for eight such offences in total he was gaoled in 2008.[16][17]

Bailhache retired from the office of Bailiff at the end of June 2009 and was succeeded by Mr Michael Birt.[18] He was an active member of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges' Association and became its Executive Vice-President in September 2009, following the retirement of Sir Henry Brooke. In 2010, he set up the CMJA Endowment Trust, a charity advising and financially supporting judicial independence and training in Commonwealth countries. He continued to sit as a Commissioner (part-time judge) of the Royal Court of Jersey until July 2011.[citation needed]

In 2016, referring to Roger Holland's earlier conviction, Bailhache told the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry that more was known about paedophiles now, saying, "It was reasonable to conclude he had been re-habilitated. What Holland did was put his hand up a girl's pullover. It was an unpleasant thing to do but across the range of sexual offences it was at the lower end of the scale," and "The action of suspending Roger Holland immediately after he had been sworn in would have been a very extraordinary thing to do."[16][17] The completed Inquiry, published on 3 July 2017, commented on his Liberation Day speech: "We cannot accept that a politician and lawyer of his [Bailhache's] experience would inadvertently have made what he told the Inquiry was an 'unfortunate juxtaposition' of words", calling his link between Jersey's reputation and the child abuse investigation "a grave political error".[19] Bailhache said he accepted the inquiry panel's comments and apologised for any distress caused.[20]

Political career

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Bailhache was elected to the States of Jersey as deputy of Grouville in 1972, resigning his seat in 1975 on his appointment as Solicitor General.

In 2009, Bailhache and his wife were among prominent islanders to give public support to a campaign to introduce civil partnerships for gay people in Jersey.[21] For many years, Bailhache has promoted reconciliation between the peoples of Jersey and Germany, especially in Bad Wurzach, where many islanders were interned during the Second World War.[22]

In written evidence to Lord Carswell's 2010 inquiry into reform of Jersey's Crown Officers, including the role of the Bailiff,[23] Bailhache concluded that "the current system works extremely well and there is no reason for change".[24]

In July 2011, he announced that he was standing in the elections for the four vacant Senatorial seats in Jersey's October 2011 general election.[25] He came top of the poll, receiving 17,538 votes (80.2% of votes cast).[26] He subsequently stood for election to the post of Chief Minister, but was defeated by 27 votes to 24 by Ian Gorst on 14 November 2011.[27]

Bailhache has called for changes to the Channel Islands' relationship with the United Kingdom government, arguing that "at the very least, we should be ready for independence if we are placed in a position where that course was the only sensible option".[28]

On 7 March 2012, the States appointed Bailhache as chairman of Jersey's Electoral Commission.[29] The Electoral Commission was set up to examine the constitution of the States Assembly.

On 24 June 2021, Bailhache announced he would launch a new political party called the Jersey Liberal Conservatives.[30]

The JLC garnered sufficient support to field candidates in the 2022 Jersey general election, and entered into a coalition with the Progress Party.[31]

In 2024, he proposed new Franglais (English-French bilingual) school tuition from 2025.[32]

Honours

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In 1989 he became one of the first two Queen's Counsel learned in the law of Jersey.[33] He received a knighthood in the 1996 Birthday Honours.[34] In 2006, he was awarded[35] l'Ordre de la Pléiade (Grand Officier class) by l'Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie. He is an honorary fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford (elected 1995) and an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple (2003).

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Philip Bailhache - Standing for Senator". YouTube. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Dramatic night will result in a new-look States Assembly". 23 June 2022.
  3. ^ ITV Channel Television (2009). "Swearing-in of new Deputy Bailiff". channelonline.tv. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  4. ^ "An Online Resource for the Royal Court of Jersey". Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Jersey Bailiff (Dismissal) (Hansard, 19 May 1992)". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 208. cc93-4W. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Jersey and Guernsey Law Review". Jersey Legal Information Board. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  7. ^ "The Jersey Legal Information Board's 21st birthday". Jersey Legal Information Board. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  8. ^ Declaration on Free Access to Law http://www.worldlii.org/worldlii/declaration/montreal_en.html
  9. ^ "Home | Institute of Law". Lawinstitute.ac.je. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  10. ^ States of Jersey (2008). "Second Interim Report". statesassembly.gov.je. Retrieved 14 July 2012.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Bailiff's Liberation Day speech 2008". Information and public services for the Island of Jersey. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Dark Secrets of a Trillion Dollar Island:Garenne". Storyville. 15 March 2021. BBC. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Former bailiff stands by speech". BBC News. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  14. ^ "Liberation Day speech criticised". Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Confidence in the Bailiff". BBC News. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Senior Minister defends failure to remove child abuser from honorary police". Bailiwick Express Jersey Edition. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Ex-Jersey judge "unaware" he let sex offender into police". BBC News. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  18. ^ ITV Channel Television (2009). "Former Bailiff speaks out". channelonline.tv. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  19. ^ "Independent Jersey Care Inquiry" (PDF). Independent Jersey Care Inquiry. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Sir Philip apologises for his child abuse comments". Bailiwick Express Jersey Edition. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  21. ^ Anon (2009). "Group wants law changed to give gays equal rights". thisisjersey.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. ^ Anon (2005). "Occupation play to be staged in Germany". thisisjersey.com. Retrieved 20 October 2011.; Anon (2006). "Occupation art goes to twinned German town". thisisjersey.com. Retrieved 20 October 2011.; Anon (2005). "Bailiff's words of hope". thisisjersey.com. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  23. ^ States of Jersey (2010). "Introduction to the review of Crown Officers". gov.je. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  24. ^ Bailhache, Philip, "Submission of Sir Philip Bailhache" (PDF), Panel Inquiring into the Roles of the Crown Officers, pp. para 25, retrieved 20 October 2011; Carswell, Lord (2010). "Panel Inquiring into the Roles of the Crown Officers" (PDF). States of Jersey. Retrieved 20 October 2011.[permanent dead link]
  25. ^ Anon (11 July 2011). "Former Jersey Bailiff will stand for senator role". BBC. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  26. ^ Anon (20 October 2011). "Sir Philip Bailhache tops Jersey election senatorial vote". BBC. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  27. ^ "Senator Ian Gorst is Jersey's new chief minister". BBC. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  28. ^ Bailhache, Philip (2009). "One or two steps from sovereignty". Jersey and Guernsey Law Review (October 2009 ed.) – via Jersey Legal Information Board.
  29. ^ "Who's on the Commission | The States Assembly – Electoral Commission". Electoralcommission.je. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  30. ^ "Liberal Conservatives political party formed in Jersey". 24 June 2021.
  31. ^ "Jersey political parties combine". 25 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Senior Jersey politician proposes French-English bilingual schools for 2025". ITV News. 19 August 2024.
  33. ^ Jersey Evening Post, 27 June 1989
  34. ^ "No. 54427". The London Gazette. 14 June 1996. p. 2.
  35. ^ Jersey Evening Post, 7 June 2006