At midnight tonight, the 24 publicly elected national politicians officially cease to be members of the House of Keys - and can no longer use the initials MHK.

Many of the members elected in 2021 have already updated their Facebook pages and email signatures.

But the work does not necessarily stop for everyone, as planning committee chairman Rob Callister explained.

Mr Callister, who will cease to be MHK for Onchan from midnight tonight, said: ‘If you are not serving on a statutory board, in a government department, or as a Minister, then your official responsibilities effectively end at midnight, allowing you to focus on the election campaign or retirement.’

However, Ministers remain in post until their successors are appointed.

‘While there are generally no departmental meetings during this period unless something urgent arises, Ministers continue to carry their responsibilities.’

In 2021, several Ministers lost their seats but remained in office until the new administration was formed and replacement Ministers were appointed.

Mr Callister said: ‘Using myself as an example, I remain chair of the planning committee and have already received the agenda for next week’s meeting.

‘I am therefore expected to chair that meeting on behalf of the Council of Ministers, as normal. While I could choose not to attend and ask someone else to take the chair, I do not believe that would be the right or fair thing to do.

‘I suppose it ultimately comes down to how much respect you have for the role and the responsibilities that come with it.’

A few weeks ago, all elected members were advised to clear their offices, dispose of any paperwork that was no longer required and ensure they had vacated their offices by midnight tonight.

Mr Callister said: ‘To be honest, most members have already left their offices.

‘My last day in the Legislative Buildings was Monday, following a couple of meetings. Over the next six weeks, I will be working from my garden office at home.

‘While this allows me to focus on the election campaign, I still have responsibilities as chair of the Public Service Commission, chair of the planning committee and a member of the Cabinet Office. If anything urgent arises, I will still be expected to deal with it.

‘The same applies to the Chief Minister and individual Ministers. Should the Council of Ministers need to reconvene to deal with an urgent matter, it can do so.

‘However, its powers are somewhat restricted during this period, as it cannot bring matters back to Tynwald for approval, particularly where financial authorisation is required.’

He added: ‘In many respects, central government is simply keeping things running until the new administration is formed in October.’