AN UNSEEMLY row between two ministers for the business community at which the Chief Ministers of Jersey and Guernsey will talk about the potential for inter-island collaboration has been overshadowed by an unseemly row between two other ministers. Tensions over the last year’s collapse of the joint tender process for ferry services to both islands were reignited by Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel and his Guernsey counterpart Deputy Neil Inder yesterday. Amid claims and counter-claims by both parties, the acrimony threatened to overshadow an event organised by Jersey Chamber of Commerce in St Helier today. Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham, and his opposite number in Guernsey Deputy Lyndon Trott, are set to look at opportunities for the two Bailiwicks to work together, and discuss whether rivalries between the neighbouring jurisdictions had led to missed opportunities. Comments from Deputy Morel made during an interview last week were played on BBC Radio Jersey yesterday, with the minister outlining an approach from a company wanting to set up a new inter-island passenger and freight service and querying the lack of positive response from Guernsey. Deputy Inder, who is seeking re-election when Guernsey goes to the polls in four weeks’ time, said he was “incredulous” that Deputy Morel was “attempting to deflect attention to Guernsey through the media”. Guernsey would be sending a written response to Jersey regarding FerryBridge, the potential new entrant to the inter-island arena, he added. Deputy Morel said he had made comments about inter-island services during a media interview last Tuesday, when he was due to answer an oral question on the matter only for the time allocated for questions to elapse. A written answer had been drafted and was set to be published imminently, he added. Jersey’s ED Minister said he was disappointed by the attitude towards Jersey from the neighbouring jurisdiction in recent weeks. “I think it’s a shame that a Guernsey politician has chosen to make Jersey and our decisions a target for their election campaign, but I have no intention to get involved in Guernsey’s election,” he said. Meanwhile Deputy Farnham was also facing further potential embarrassment on the international stage after another member of his government, Deputy Sam Mézec, launched a strongly-worded attack on a joint communique issued by the UK, French and Canadian governments. Prime Ministers Sir Keir Starmer and Mark Carney joined French President Emmanuel Macron in opposing the expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza, saying the escalation was “wholly disproportionate” and describing the suffering of Gaza residents as “intolerable”. The tripartite statement sparked an angry response from Deputy Mézec. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he said: “As long as you continue to sell them [Israel] arms with which to conduct this genocide, then this statement is more meaningless empty words,masking your complicity in this atrocity.” Deputy Farnham travelled to London on Monday to take part in the summit surrounding a new trade agreement between the UK and the European Union, but has since returned to Jersey ahead of the Chamber of Commerce event this afternoon.