Chief Minister Alf Cannan asked Dr Alex Allinson to resign as Treasury Minister, in a clear quit or be sacked message.
In a letter seen by Manx.News, Mr Cannan made clear that the divisions between the two had grown too far.
He said that he had to ask Dr Allinson to go to “allow for a reset to be undertaken in respect of our approach to the economy”.
The letter indicates a clear rift at the top of government economic policy, with the Chief Minister stating “business has lost considerable confidence in the Government to listen to and understand their concerns”.
He directly linked this to his working relationship with Dr Allinson, writing, “you and I have diverged considerably on a number of policy matters since your appointment and that divergence is now too ingrained to recover ground”.
Mr Cannan added: “This concern is exemplified by the fact that you and I have diverged considerably o n a number of policy matters since your appointment and that divergence is now too ingrained to recover ground.”
He goes on to thank Dr Allinson for his work due the pandemic and during his time in CoMin.