The launch of a new party by an Isle of Man businessman could transform the political landscape if his bid proves successful.

Mitch Sorbie, who owns Just Pizza and Pasta in Douglas, says he has ‘put his head above the parapet’ in a bid to shake up politics on the island.

He has announced he is setting up the Isle of Man First party and he has published an 11-point manifesto addressing the likes of health, education, tax reform, technology and housing.

But he aims to get 13 Isle of Man First candidates into the House of Keys which would represent a majority within the House of Keys and introduce meaningful party politics for the first time.

While there already are the likes of Liberal Vannin and the Manx Labour Party, Tynwald has never operated in a system of party politics.

Mr Sorbie feels that has led to a rudderless ship which has left the civil service with too much power while the newly appointed Chief Minister spends the part of his tenure putting together a Council of Ministers.

Mr Sorbie insists the current political system just isn’t working.

‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,’ he said.

‘There are 24 people in the House of Keys all with a different agenda which means little is achieved.

‘My aim is to have 24 candidates standing - one in each constituency - and ensure they have the island at the heart of things and not just be there for their own self-interest.

‘We need to have 13 candidates voted in which means we will have a majority to make the difficult decisions.

‘If we don’t change things now, I believe the island will have a devolved parliament with a north west MP representing us as part of a wider constituency.’

Turning Manx politics on its head and creating a party-political system all within a year sounds somewhat ambitious.

But Mr Sorbie said: ‘There is a lot of interest at the moment and we are sifting through that. We need to go through the legal stuff to get the party recognised.

‘There are a few serving MHKs who have expressed an interest as well. There are some incredible MHKs but just a few voices cannot do anything meaningful.’

There are other rumblings around new parties and movements and Mr Sorbie is willing to speak to them.

‘We cannot have a situation of divide and conquer,’ he said. ‘We need to talk to each other and see who else wants to form this party and what common ground we have.

‘But people recognise this is a situation that needs to be rectified. We need strong individuals to make it happen.’

Mr Sorbie feels the island’s civil servants currently have too much sway.

‘I think the civil service has too much power and drives policy, but it is the MHKs that get the stick,’ he explained.

‘The ministers seem to be alone when facing their own departments but if we have 12 other MHKs onside who have their back then it will be totally different.

‘Party politics is the only way we will accomplish anything on the island.’

He says he does not feel even getting seven or eight Isle of Man First MHKs will be enough to affect meaningful change.

Mr Sorbie says he felt compelled to act after seeing the industry he is in struggling.

‘I am concerned about how the island is run and I fear in another couple of years hospitality will be dead due to the minimum or living wage rise,’ he warned.

Mr Sorbie says his motives are not self-serving and that he is launching the party to help improve the island. While he hails from Scotland he says he is very proud to live in the Isle of Man.

He said: ‘I am immensely proud to be Scottish so to say I prefer the Isle of Man is a big thing for me.

‘All I want is for this island to be phenomenally successful. I want it to a place people want to lie and work while also keeping more money in their pockets.’

Mr Sorbie also believes there needs to be a technology first approach but is at pains to point out he does not want digital ID cards but a centralised system for which means people only need to alert the government to personal detail changes once.

Mr Sorbie aims to fund the policies through a sovereign wealth fund which he said could be swelled by selling assets and looking at natural resource, such as gas.

‘The government has a lot of buildings and land that could be released to help set up the fund,’ he explained. ‘I don’t believe this is selling the family silver.

‘We cannot rely on borrowing and tax receipts to fund government services. There are assets out there but even the government does not know how many.’

Mr Sorbie is also keen to improve food security and use produce provided by local farmers and says only around six per cent of food consumed is produced locally.

The next priority for Mr Sorbie is to get the message out there and build momentum.

‘I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder,’ he said. ‘I have had encouraging feedback, but it is early days.

‘We need to build up membership and vet the right candidates. I want to have them largely in place by the end of January. But they need to be vetted to ensure they have the island’s best interests and heart and are not just in it for themselves.

‘We aim to have a candidate in every constituency, but I would prefer 14-15 really good candidates than 24 that are mediocre.’

He also accepted he would be tarnished by having previously been a member of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and even stood for the election back in Scotland. He has not addressed the issue of immigration in the manifesto.

‘People brand me a racist for being associated with UKIP but it was not a racist party and that has never been who I am,’ he said.

‘But we do need to look after our four walls. At present, we do not know who is coming in and off the island. There will be some undesirables.

‘Immigration is important but those coming over here need to be net contributors.’

You can read more on Isle of Man First’s manifesto by visiting the website at: https://isleofmanfirst.com