RICHARD Willmott launched a scathing attack on the Ministry of Justice at yesterday’s Alderney States meeting.

Policy and Finance Committee chairman Mr Willmott said MoJ lawyers would cause a constitutional crisis of ‘nuclear proportions’ if they failed to submit Alderney’s enabling legislation to ban smoking in public places for royal assent.

The States originally attempted to bring in the law in 2007 but had twice been thwarted by the ministry because of the wording of the respective bills, although the original law was identical to one already passed in Guernsey.

Mr Willmott said: ‘The UK has responsibility for good government in the island – that’s all.’

He said the time had come for the President to request that the Law Officers submit Alderney’s amended law, which had been passed by the States in 2008, for royal assent without delay.

Mr Willmott said: ‘I believe we will receive royal assent. For London to do otherwise would be a farce and cause a constitutional crisis of nuclear proportions.’

The States had two options at yesterday’s meeting: back Mr Willmott’s stance and defy the Ministry of Justice’s request, or amend the legislation again.

The States backed Mr Willmott’s plea by five votes to four, with John Beaman, Geoffrey Sargent, Ian Tugby and Bill Walden supporting him.

However, Mr Tugby said when voting that he had backed Mr Willmott’s stance only on the basis that he thought it would fail and, as a result, further delay legislation of which he was not in favour.