Former National Liberal Party leader Charles Jeffers yesterday called on his party to merge with the UBP if it finds itself with negligible support.

He spoke out after it emerged that United Bermuda Party leader Pamela Gordon is meeting NLP leaders to discuss how her party is developing.

Ms Gordon, NLP vice-chairman Graeme Outerbridge and NLP secretary Jamahl Simmons ruled out a merger.

But Mr. Jeffers said the parties should join forces if the NLP finds it has very little support even after a drive to recruit disaffected UBP and Progressive Labour Party members.

He told The Royal Gazette it might be in the country's best interest for the two opposition parties to come together to prevent a repeat of 30 years of one-party rule because voters are skeptical about the opposition.

UBP, NLP merger could work, says Jeffers But he warned the parties would have to decide if they wanted to merge swiftly because he predicts Premier Jennifer Smith will call an election quickly after constitutional changes have been agreed.

He said if the NLP finds it has little support it should "decide whether a merger would create a strong opposition and give people the confidence that there are two parties that could govern''.

He stressed it would need to be a genuine merger, not just the NLP folding and its members joining the UBP.

NLP secretary Jamahl Simmons ruled out any quick merger because of ideological differences.

"People have now realised they can change Government, the bogeyman of the UBP has gone, and we can move forward.

"The last few months we have had a quiet recruitment campaign and we have some very, very impressive candidates including some very vocal supporters of the other two parties.

"The reason why we are not going to merge with anyone at this time is we have our own objectives and ideology. It would take a lot of movement from both parties to achieve a merger.

"We are willing to talk with the UBP and if we agree on some issues we are prepared to work with them if we have elected officials.'' Meanwhile, Ms Gordon said the UBP would change its name and its location if people were bothered.

"If it's image, we are not so entrenched in the past that we can't change,'' she told VSB.

"(We are ) dynamic enough to change in a way so that people can identify with us, that's getting people on board to help us with change so that when the phoenix rises from the flames we'll come up with the name of who we are going to be.

"The foundations of what was good about the UBP, the development of this country, the regulatory framework we put in place -these are all positive aspects that helped Bermuda's success and we are not prepared to get rid of.

"We are prepared to make necessary changes for them to see us as a viable alternative because we know how to govern.''