Shawn Crockwell quit as Minister of Tourism Development and Transport yesterday, telling The Royal Gazette he has lost confidence in the One Bermuda Alliance under Michael Dunkley.

Last night, Mr Crockwell launched a stinging attack on the Premier and his party’s leadership, saying their lack of understanding of the black community has resulted in the tense demonstrations and industrial activity of the past week.

He and many party colleagues had forewarned that unrest was brewing, Mr Crockwell said, but their advice had not been acted upon.

He further accused Mr Dunkley of failing to rise above political posturing.

The Southampton West Central MP added that he would stay with the OBA because he feared for the stability of the country if the ruling party loses numbers.

He said: “This issue is reflective of the inability of the Government to listen and to appropriately gauge the temperature of the community, to understand the frustration and lack of trust that has been created.

“Time and time again, it’s not just the decisions that have been made but the manner in which they have been made, and the inability to communicate appropriately with the black community in particular, to bring them along and get them to understand what we have to do.”

Mr Crockwell said his colleagues had also shown an “inability to put aside the political pride, listen and make the required adjustments”.

He continued: “Our community has challenges when it comes to race and political trust. With the slim majority that the OBA has, we have not done a good job in navigating some of the difficult issues. So, as a member of Cabinet, if I feel that the leadership is not doing what it should be doing, if I lose confidence in its direction and methodology, then it is my responsibility to step aside.

“I have tried to lend my voice on certain issues in the room. More often than not my voice has been heard but it has not been adhered to.

“That is fine, but I felt that I could no longer serve under Premier Dunkley and the direction in which he is taking this country.

“We have a budget to pass. If the budget does not get passed, people do not get paid, Government cannot pay its bills, and that will bring about instability.

“I do not want to see this government or Bermuda destabilised, but this impasse that we are seeing right now could and should have been avoided.

“The Premier and others couldn’t even see it coming despite the fact that many of us did.

“When it came, it could have been resolved quickly, but it wasn’t. So we are now on the brink of civil unrest because of the management style of this government. And this is just one issue. There are many other issues that could and should have been avoided. And so for that I felt compelled to resign.”

Explaining why he will remain with the OBA, Mr Crockwell said: “If the OBA starts to lose numbers then you have an unstable government. You may not have a government at all. So it’s important that we have continuity and move forward, but I cannot support the direction and leadership of this government.

“I am very concerned and feel as if we are going backwards. This is 2016 and this issue is clearly divided along racial lines. The challenge is that we have a majority black electorate and they want to feel as if their government is listening, has empathy and is going to respond to what they are saying.

“I am concerned that we are being torn apart as a community and we can’t continue down that road. We are seeing a manifestation of racial undercurrents that have not been addressed. And they need to be addressed.”

“From an economic position, I think the Government has done a fantastic job in turning the economy around. But it makes no sense turning the economy around when there is social unrest.

“For the first time in history, our government could not get into parliament. That shows you the gravity of the matter. If you cannot gauge how the people are feeling, then you cannot lead them.”

Late last night, Mr Dunkley said that Mr Crockwell had informed him of his decision to step down, and that he had accepted the news “with regret”.

The Premier added: “I am disappointed with this development, as Shawn was an effective minister who progressed the Government’s agenda to restore workplace jobs and opportunity for Bermudians across the island, from the formation of the Bermuda Tourism Authority, the Gaming Commission and the imminent development of a new hotel in St George’s.

“I will be calling the Governor [George Fergusson] shortly for a new appointment to the Cabinet so that we can continue the work to restore opportunity and prosperity to Bermuda.”

•A colourful political career

Shawn Crockwell defected from the former United Bermuda Party in 2009 to form the Bermuda Democratic Alliance.

The BDA merged with the remnants of the UBP to form the One Bermuda Alliance in 2011, and was part of the OBA team that ended 14 years of rule by the Progressive Labour Party in 2012.

Mr Crockwell was appointed to the portfolio he held until yesterday in the first OBA administration, but his time as a minister was not without controversy.

He, along with Mark Pettingill, the former Attorney-General and a fellow UBP defector to the BDA, became embroiled in the row surrounding the Jetgate controversy that cost Craig Cannonier his job as the fledgeling OBA’s first Premier in May 2014.

Mr Crockwell and Mr Pettingill were part of the Bermuda Government delegation that travelled to Washington with Mr Cannonier in March 2013 on a private jet owned by American developer Nathan Landow.

It later emerged that Mr Landow and a group of US business associates, in the run-up to the party’s 2012 General Election victory, had donated about $350,000 to an account set up by the Bermuda Political Action Club, an OBA-lined grassroots organisation.

Both Mr Crockwell and Mr Pettingill denied any wrongdoing.

The money was aimed at mobilising voters in a grassroots campaign, although the party executive, including party chairman Thad Hollis, was unaware of the fund’s existence until 18 months later.

Mr Hollis resigned his position after conducting an investigation into Jetgate.

Although Mr Cannonier was forced to resign over the Jetgate affair, Mr Crockwell and Mr Pettingill continued as ministers.

Mr Crockwell was the lead minister when Venezuelan-based Desarrollos Hotelco was appointed to spearhead the construction of a new hotel on the old Club Med site in St George’s.

The Government signed a memorandum of understanding with Desarrollos in May 2014, with Desarrallos and Mr Crockwell announcing in December that year that the firm had been chosen to develop the five-star St Regis Starwood hotel in the East End.

Mr Crockwell was elected to Parliament in 2007 in Pembroke West and won the Southampton West Central seat in December 2012.

A qualified lawyer, he was educated at the Bermuda Institute Seventh-day Adventist School.

He graduated magna cum laude from the Seventh-day Adventist-run Oakwood College, now Oakwood University, in the US with a degree in history and political science.

He went on to get a law degree from the University of London and qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales at the DeMontfort University in Leicester.

•Additional reporting by Raymond Hainey

• To read the Premier’s statement on Mr Crockwell’s resignation, click on the PDF link under “Related Media”