Members of Tynwald have reflected on what many described as a difficult and emotional final sitting of the current parliament after a lengthy standards debate dominated proceedings late into Thursday evening.

The decision brought to a close a debate lasting more than three hours, following a complaint over social media posts and a letter to the Isle of Man Examiner in which Ms Lord-Brennan criticised Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper over his handling of delegated planning appeals.

Posting after the sitting, Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Tim Glover described the conclusion to the parliamentary term as 'emotional and sad'.

He said: 'It was a marathon session and an emotional and sad way to finish this administration.'

Mr Glover argued that attempts to regulate members' conduct on social media risked dragging politics 'into a swamp' and said the standards process had failed long before the matter reached the floor of Tynwald.

He called for complaints to be handled independently, with stronger mediation used at an earlier stage to resolve disputes.

Meanwhile in the chamber, Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall said the debate should serve as a lesson for those elected in September.

He told members: 'We need to show the next 24 MHKs this debate and show them how not to do it.'

Stressing the importance of maintaining professionalism despite political differences, he added: 'We can not like each other in the corridors but we must debate fairly in here.'

Mr Crookall criticised both the conduct of members and the tone of the debate, arguing that Tynwald should set a better example of respectful political discourse.

Rushen MHK Dr Michelle Haywood said the final sitting 'wasn't the finale any of us would have wished for'.

She added that emotions had run high throughout the debate and it was clear many members had found the proceedings deeply distressing.

Dr Haywood said standards in the island's national parliament 'should be set high' and described ending the administration with a disciplinary debate as 'deeply saddening'.

She added: ‘Standards of behaviour matter. Tynwald standards should be set high. We are a national parliament. We write and approve our own codes of conduct. If we can't abide by our own rules then what hope is there?’

Onchan MHK Rob Callister also expressed disappointment, saying debates of that nature inevitably place friendships and trust under strain.

He said the number of standards complaints in recent years showed the parliamentary culture 'needs to change' after September's General Election.

He added: ‘At times, I am genuinely glad that the majority of people do not listen to the live sittings of Tynwald because this was a particularly disappointing final sitting for the current administration.’

Mr Callister also praised Tynwald President Juan Watterson for chairing what he described as a difficult debate, adding: 'As elected representatives, we can and should do better.'’