More election twists as Chamber chief goes and authority warns of misleading 'poison' - Jersey Evening Post
by Julien Morel · Jersey Evening PostPosted inNews
More election twists as Chamber chief goes and authority warns of misleading ‘poison’
by Julien Morel 5 June 20264 June 2026
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AN increasingly controversial election campaign, particularly over funding, took another twist yesterday when the president of the Chamber of Commerce resigned over a small personal donation he gave to the Value Jersey movement 18 months ago.
Lee Madden, who was just over a year into his three-year term of office, said he was very disappointed to be standing down and maintained that he had done nothing wrong.
However, he added, he recognised that the donation – which he had declared in a Chamber register of interests in April – had raised concerns, particularly from the business organisation’s retail committee, which had led to a loss of confidence in Mr Madden’s position as president.
“While I do not accept that my conduct in office has been compromised, I do accent that confidence across all sectors is essential if the Chamber is to lead with credibility, balance and unity,” he said.
“If my continuing in the role risks becoming a distraction from the Chamber’s wider purpose and the important work it has to do on behalf of Jersey’s business community, then it is right that I step aside.”
Asked about the size of the donation to Value Jersey, Mr Madden said that it was a personal matter, but “it was not in the hundreds”.
He added that he had been vice-president when he gave the money and he would never have done so as president.
He said: “Ever since I have known I was becoming president, I have distanced myself from Value Jersey and had no involvement in it whatsoever. I have been diligently independent and apolitical as president, and I remain so.”
He added: “I’m not ashamed of my personal politics whatsoever and I was drawn back then to the concept of Value Jersey. I believe in a better Jersey, and I gave some money for its initial scoping; that was it.”
Mr Madden said it has been a “real privilege” to serve as president, and he left the role “with my dignity intact” and “grateful for the opportunity to have served”.
In a statement, the Chamber of Commerce said that its Executive Council had considered the implications of the donation on the organisation, with Mr Madden recusing himself from these discussions.
It added that Mr Madden had “served the organisation with considerable commitment, energy and enthusiasm, championing the interests of Jersey’s business community and helping to guide the Chamber through a period of growth and development.”
It thanked Mr Madden “for his service and contribution during his tenure and wishes him well for the future”.
The organsation also stressed that it remained “remains an independent and apolitical organisation representing businesses of all sizes and sectors across the Island.”
Meanwhile, in another sign of the febrile nature of elements of this election, particularly online, the Jersey Electoral Authority issued a statement yesterday to stress that “candidates and their supporters should not share false or misleading information about the election, candidates or any group or body associated with the election”, which it added “applies to all means of communication”.
The statement continued: “The JEA is aware that there are some persons who are commenting online without respecting this requirement.
“The JEA has received complaints, and is reviewing various websites and social media sources, in which openly misleading information is being spread, including under website names that are themselves causing confusion.
“This misinformation also includes attacks on individuals and claims about those individuals that are untrue and/or menacing in character.
“Misleading information can become a poison to our Island electoral process. It is neither clever, nor funny, nor an aid to any elector or candidate. It threatens to diminish the whole process of elections.”
The JEA said that individuals who post messages or other matter that could be viewed as indecent, obscene or menacing by a reasonable member of the public may be referred to the police.
It advised: “The JEA encourages all who read such posts online to be careful in believing what is written. We all have to exercise care online, especially when the source is uncertain and where the primary purpose of the post is to shock or abuse another person, party or cause.
“There are many good ways to encourage voters to vote, as we are seeing through much of the campaigning, at the hustings and across the media.
“Those who perpetrate falsehoods are not acting in the best interests of Islanders and are ultimately harming the democratic process.”
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