Paula Cox became a Progressive Labour Party MP in 1996, representing Devonshire North until 2003, and Devonshire North West since then.

When the PLP became Government in 1998, Ms Cox, still in her 30s, was given the Labour and Home Affairs Ministry, where she drafted controversial legislation restricting work permit stays; she also tackled a succession of crises at Westgate prison and tabled a law granting greater rights to hundreds of non-Bermudians.

She moved to the Education Ministry in late 2001 and, following the 2003 election, had the Attorney General portfolio added to her responsibilities. Ms Cox replaced her father Eugene Cox as Finance Minister when he died in January 2004, becoming Deputy Premier as well in 2006.

Her widespread popularity took its only real hit earlier this year, when she described herself as a "cog in the wheel" unable to turn down Ministers' requests for more money, and delivered an unpopular tax-raising Budget. Accomplishments listed on her website include:

• introducing increased pension benefits, a prescription drug financing facility and eliminating land tax for seniors, and stamp duty exemption for some families;

• signing 21 Tax Information Exchange Agreements;

• increasing Bermuda Government Scholarship funding;

• abolishing annual voter registration;

• vice chair of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Steering Committee of the OECD Global Forum;

• providing tax breaks to hotels, restaurants and taxis and duty free housing materials for the poor;

• setting up the Economic Empowerment Zone in North East Hamilton, creating BSBDC Small Business Construction Incubator programme and funding development of the Outside Vendor Market;

• introducing the Alternatives to Incarceration programme with late Health Minister Nelson Bascome;

• introducing the Bermuda Education Strategic Team (BEST) initiative and plan and legislation improving protection for the small investor in cooperative enterprises.

Outside politics, Ms Cox is a corporate counsel with ACE and has previously worked as vice president and senior legal counsel of Global Funds Services at Bank of Bermuda.

She is also a former journalist who worked as press officer for the PLP in the 1990s, and is a member of Bermuda Bar having trained as a solicitor in the UK.