Sanctus – The executive board of the Sanctarian Conservative Party today announced that Party Leader and Deputy Leader, Kate Cruz and Noreen Islington, would be temporarily standing aside from their duties as the Sanctarian Federal Police continue to probe the party’s finances. The SCP’s Homeland Security spokesperson, Julie Chrisintim, will take over as acting Party Leader in the meantime.
The SCP’s executive board today stressed that Cruz and Islington, both of whom had some responsibility for party finances, continued to have their “full confidence” but that stepping aside temporarily would “allow them to focus fully on cooperating with the Sanctarian Federal Police to bring this situation to a swift close”. Neither Cruz nor Islington were available for comment.
Speaking to the press after her designation as acting leader, Chrisintim said that her focus would be on “ensuring the party apparatus continues to work as it should” as well as “continuing to hold the Government to account”, confirming that she would also be taking over as acting Leader of the Opposition, and taking Cruz’s place in the weekly Leaders’ Questions. She declined to comment on whether or not Cruz and Islington retained her personal confidence, and instead said that “they have been excellent leaders of this party, and we all wish them well in this and hope it comes to a speedy conclusion, as the Executive Board said”.
Julie Christintim has been an MP since the December 2000 election, and served in Mark Kindle’s government initially as Agriculture Secretary, and latterly as Commerce Secretary. She is not considered a close confidant of either Cruz or Islington, but has been on Cruz’s front bench since she became leader in 2018, initially as Devolution spokesperson and appointed as Homeland Security spokesperson after last year’s election. Her appointment as acting Leader is a sign from the SCP that they have wide pool of experienced politicians who can lead without necessarily having the potential tarnish of being close to Kate Cruz, should the embattled incumbent have to vacate the post permanently.
GWEN COPLEY, Political Correspondent
