James Cochrane has confirmed he will stand as an independent candidate for Middle in September’s House of Keys general election.
Cochrane, who lives in Glen Vine, was educated at Rushen and Castle Rushen High School before training as an aeronautical engineer.
He co‑founded a technology company, grew it to more than 20 staff, and now runs a data and technology consultancy. He also sits on the Department for Enterprise’s AI Advisory Group and holds an Executive MBA from Warwick.
He says his decision to stand follows years of analysing long‑term pressures facing the island. “I’d rather be corrected in public than comfortable in private. That’s the standard I’d bring to Tynwald,” he said.
Before declaring, he published a series of explainers on issues he believes need clearer public discussion, including hospital discharge delays, the island’s flat economic growth since the late 1990s, and a visual breakdown of ten years of Government accounts.
Cochrane is focusing on four themes: acting on long‑standing health review recommendations; tackling local cost‑of‑living pressures; making Government spending easier to follow; and building a clear mandate for government through costed scenarios put out for public comment.
“We’re a community,” he said. “We don’t need to shout across a chamber to get business done.”
