TREASURY minister Lyndon Trott appears to have saved his job after a U-turn in the States yesterday. But it was not before being accused of ‘blackmail’ with his threat not to stand again if the House accepted his resignation.

He had been the only member of the Policy Council to want his resignation debated in the wake of the £2.4m. ‘Fallagate’ hospital clinical block affair.

Deputy Trott changed his mind after members protested that he should stand for election with the rest of the fallen Policy Council next week. It took around an hour-and-a-half of debate on the issue, a five-minute adjournment and many saying that they would accept his resignation so the next chief minister would have a clean slate for Deputy Trott to change his mind.

But everyone who spoke wanted Deputy Trott in the job.

He would not comment after the debate and spoke in the House only to question Deputy Bailiff Richard Collas.

‘Having taken the very wise counsel of some close colleagues and listening very carefully to the debate, is it procedurally possible for me to ask that this debate doesn’t continue further and for this matter to be considered with the others next week?’ said Deputy Trott.

He received a round of applause from States members for backing down.

Deputy Commerce and Employment minister Carla McNulty Bauer summed up the feelings of many in the chamber.

‘I want him to be Treasury and Resources minister, but I don’t like being blackmailed the way I feel I am at the moment,’ she said.

‘I would urge him to withdraw his request for debate and be considered on a level playing field.’

Elections for chief minister take place on Monday.

Current incumbent Laurie Morgan would still not say yesterday whether he intended to stand.

Deputies Mike Torode, Bernard Flouquet and Jonathan Le Tocq have all declared they will run.

And under-fire Health minister Peter Roffey is considering his options over the weekend.

He wanted a broader choice of candidates for members.

‘As to whether I feel strongly enough about that lack of options in order to go for a job I never particularly had an ambition to go for, that’s unlikely – but I’m not ruling myself out.’