A Word from Our CEO, Murray Norton, October 2026

Two Islands, One Missed Opportunity

Some recent on not so recent changes and issues to ferry services have left Jersey and Guernsey without a dependable direct sea connection for passengers or drive on-drive off freight. It is an extraordinary position for two islands separated by little more than twenty miles, with centuries of shared history and many businesses operating across both.

There are numerous Channel Islands companies, but increasingly few genuinely Channel Islands policies. Over the past three or four years, the political relationship between Jersey and Guernsey appears to have drifted in much the same way as our sea links. There have been warm words, familiar assurances and regular statements about cooperation, but they are beginning to hold very little water.

The separate decisions on ferry operators have exposed a wider problem. Each island understandably protects its autonomy, but independence should not prevent intelligent cooperation. We do not need identical governments or policies. We do need politicians and officials who recognise when working together produces better outcomes for both communities.

Fresh governments provide an opportunity to reset that relationship. Beyond the islands, our European neighbours tend to see us collectively as the Channel Islands. Our combined population, economic activity, expertise and international connections create a stronger proposition than either island can offer alone. That should provide competitive advantages in attracting investment, developing new markets and representing our shared interests internationally.

Some traditional rivalry is healthy, particularly on the sporting field, but outdated political competition can become expensive and counterproductive. Each island has experience from which the other could benefit. Jersey knows how to operate a GST system. Guernsey has introduced workplace pensions. Both face similar pressures in health, workforce availability, housing, transport and public finances.

There should be greater scope to share specialist health services, procurement and professional expertise. Regulation could also be eased to allow Channel Islands businesses to move employees between the islands more easily. A company operating in both jurisdictions should not face unnecessary barriers when temporarily deploying staff where their skills are needed.

The separation of freight services is perhaps the clearest example of policy overriding common sense. If a business needs to transport something large between Jersey and Guernsey, it may have to send it to Portsmouth, or possibly through France, before it can reach an island visible from our own coastline. That is not merely inconvenient. It increases cost, delays delivery, adds emissions and weakens resilience.

Whether you are a supermarket, contractor, retailer or utility provider serving both islands, you must question the supposed economies of scale. Those economies cannot exist when decisions taken elsewhere make the movement of goods and people unnecessarily complicated. Shipping the same goods to two islands, on two separate boats and having no stock movement between the two, is not how you keep prices down. Interisland travel numbers are notoriously unpredictable outside of a Muratti or Siam Cup, but the certainty of no low-cost sea crossings makes group travel expensive when you take to the skies.

The Channel Islands need more than cordial statements. We need a practical programme of cooperation, supported by regular transport links and a commitment to remove avoidable barriers. Perhaps the keen new Government will see the opportunity to be the enabler for businesses and islanders.Working together as the Channel Islands does not dilute either island’s identity. It strengthens both. The sea between us should be a connection, not an obstacle.