Swan resigns as Opposition leader, two UBP senators resign

UBP leader Kim Swan today (Monday) tendered his resignation as Leader of the Opposition to Governor Richard Gozney.

Mr Swan quit after seven of his nine MPs – as well as two UBP Senators – resigned from the party.

The Bermuda Sun broke that story earlier this afternoon. 

The shock resignations left Mr Swan and MP Charles Swan as the sole UBP members in the House of Assembly.

A UBP insider said: “He had little option but to resign — he clearly did not command the support of Opposition MPs, given what’s happened.”

Mr Swan could not be contacted for comment.

UBP Senator Michael Dunkley also quit the party on Sunday night and is expected to join the new One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) alongside the seven MPs tomorrow.

And fellow Senator Suzann Roberts-Holshouser is expected to have handed in her resignation by the end of the day.

Senator Jeanne Atherden, who is also chairman of the UBP, however, is expected to remain chairman until a legal battle launched by a group of rebel UBP members to halt the formation of the new party is resolved.

She said: “I am chairman of the party and I’m still here. I’m not in a position to say anything further at the moment.”

The UBP’s John Barritt is set to take over as interim leader of the OBA pending a leadership election. He will be sworn in at 10am on Tuesday at Government House.

It’s understood one of the conditions attached to the role of interim leader is that the holder will not be eligible to stand in the leadership election.

Mr Dunkley’s resignation letter — leaked to the Bermuda Sun — thanked Kim Swan for the chance to serve in the Senate.

It said: “This was not an easy decision for me. Public service is very important to me and a noble calling for those for those willing to serve their country.

“I know first hand how difficult a challenge it can be to lead a party with the legacy of the one you lead.

“In spite of all the good things that the party has done in the past, it is very clear to me now that the old political structures are failing the people they are supposed to serve.

“It’s time to move beyond the politics of the past and in a new direction with a new beginning and a fresh start. We must focus on change that puts people over party.”

Mr Dunkley did not return calls from the Bermuda Sun.

MPs Trevor Moniz, Bob Richards, Cole Simons, Grant Gibbons, Louise Jackson, Patricia Gordon-Pamplin and Mr Barritt have all resigned from the UBP.

Mr Barritt is expected to become interim leader of the new party tomorrow after being sworn in by the Governor tomorrow. The OBA is expected to be officially launched that afternoon.

Kim Swan and Charles Swan were prime movers in winning an interim injunction to halt the merger of the UBP and the BDA, which broke from the UBP in 2009.

They argued that party branches had not been consulted properly and that the entire process had been “deeply flawed.”