Liberal Vannin Party Partee Libraalagh Vannin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Lawrie HooperMHK |
| Chairman | Paul Weatherall |
| Founder | Peter Karran |
| Founded | August 2006 (2006-8) |
| Headquarters | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Ideology | Liberalism[1] Euroscepticism[4] |
| Political position | Centre |
| International affiliation | Liberal International (observer) |
| British affiliation | Liberal Democrats[5] |
| House of Keys | 1 / 24 |
| Legislative Council | 0 / 11 |
| Douglas Borough Council | 0 / 12 |
| Website | |
| liberalvannin | |
TheLiberal Vannin Party (LVP;Manx:Partee Libraalagh Vannin) is apolitical party in theIsle of Man. It was founded in 2006 byPeter Karran, then anIndependentMHK forOnchan. Karran had been, until 2004, a member of theManx Labour Party. The "Vannin" in the party name is a form of the name of the Isle of Man in the nativeManx Gaelic language, while "Liberal" is a reference to the general political position of the party. The party is currently led byLawrie Hooper MHK.
The Liberal Vannin Party put forward several candidates at the2006 general election and had two MHKs elected. In the2011 general election, they returned three MHKs. This result was mirrored in the2016 general election, but one of these subsequently resigned from the party, and one died in 2020. The party had 4 candidates in the2021 Manx general election, of whom one (Hooper) was elected. As of 2021, they are one of only two parties in theHouse of Keys; the remaining 21 out of the 24 members areindependents. The party do not currently hold any seats on theDouglas Borough Council.
The party campaigns on a platform of greater accountability and transparency in government[6] and also strives for furtherdevolution from theUnited Kingdom to the Isle of Man.[2][3]
The Liberal Vannin Party was founded in 2006 byPeter Karran, a former member of theManx Labour Party. Karran was joined by Tony Wright who was already intending to contestRushen as an independent. It was announced that their target seats would beDouglas South,Middle andOnchan.[6]
The party stood nine candidates in the2006 Manx general election, and two of them were elected:Peter Karran inOnchan andBill Malarkey inDouglas South. Karran received more votes than any other candidate in the election. After being elected representing the Liberal Vannin Party, Malarkey resigned from the party and sat as an independent. The Liberal Vannin Party sent delegates to theLiberal International's 2007 Hamburg Conference, where they became Observer Members pending verification at the 2008 Belfast Conference.[7] Since the 2008 Belfast Conference, Liberal Vannin has been an official Observer Member of Liberal International.[8] The Liberal Vannin Party is also listed as a "Sister Party" of the BritishLiberal Democrats.[9]
At the2011 Manx general election, the Liberal Vannin Party stood ten candidates, received 20.9% of the vote and had three Members of the House of Keys elected.[10] These were Peter Karran andZac Hall in Onchan, andKate Beecroft in Douglas South. Beecroft, standing as the official Liberal Vannin candidate, defeated Bill Malarkey who had previously been a member of the party but was contesting the seat as an independent.
From 2011 to 2012, Karran served in theIsle of Man Government as theMinister for Education and Children.[11] In May 2012 Zac Hall had his membership revoked for "bringing the party into disrepute", leaving them with only two MHKs.[12] In 2014 Kate Beecroft (subsequently known as Kate Costain) was elected Leader of the Liberal Vannin Party, with Karran saying it "was time for a change".[13][14][15]
In 2020, Costain resigned and Lawrie Hooper MHK was elected as her replacement.[16] He is now the only LibVan MHK.
| Election year | Total no. of votes | Overall % of votes | No. of seats won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 7,323 | 14.2% | 2 / 24 |
| 2011 | 11,679 | 20.9% | 3 / 24 |
| 2016 | 3,597 | 6.4% | 3 / 24 |
| 2021 | 3,138 | 5.3% | 1 / 24 |
| Leader | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Karran, MHK | 2006–2014 | MHK from 1985–2016 |
| Kate Costain, MHK | 2014–2020 | MHK from 2011–2020 |
| Lawrie Hooper MHK | 2020–present |
| Active | |
|---|---|
| Defunct | |
