The United Bermuda Party has vowed to carry on the fight for a Constitutional Conference despite being defeated by Government following a marathon 24-hour House of Assembly debate which ended on Saturday morning.

Government voted down a UBP amendment to have a Constitutional Conference whose recommendations would then by ratified by a referendum.

Shortly after 10 a.m., MPs passed a Government motion requesting the British Government allow a Boundaries Commission to draw up single-seat constituencies and reduce the number of MPs from 40 to an unspecified number between 20 and 40.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Dodwell said yesterday that the UBP wanted an official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London to listen to the full debate in the House.

The UBP also intends to send its amendment to Overseas Territories Minister Baroness Scotland through Government House.

The Opposition hopes to persuade the Foreign Office -- which must recommend Government's Boundary Commission plans and forward them to the Privy Council for a final decision -- that there has not been proper consultation.

Mr. Dodwell told The Royal Gazette last night: "We do not see this debate (in the House of Assembly) as the end of the appeal to the British Government to have a Constitutional Conference.

"By no means have we given up, and our efforts will continue to be as strong as before.

"It is our intention to take Friday night's proceedings and find a way to communicate them to Baroness Scotland and the UK Government.

"We want the British Government to have a tape, or synopsis of the proceedings, as well as the amendment we put down to show we would like a Constitutional Conference.

"There is a general sense that it would be appropriate for someone at the FCO to be instructed to listen to the tape of the debate and produce their own synopsis of it.

"The FCO have said they wanted to see a demonstrable evidence of concern in Bermuda.

"There is this tape, the ongoing dialogue, the letters to the Editor, and the petition. We see the debate as one step, albeit a significant one, in the overall process of assessing what Bermuda thinks.'' The UBP's amendment, which was rejected by MPs, would also have made it mandatory for any future constitutional changes to be agreed by two-thirds of the House of Assembly and the Senate, then ratified by a majority of voters in a referendum.

During the all-night sitting, PLP MPs accused the UBP of scaremongering and playing up to "white fear'' of change.

But Mr. Dodwell retorted that concern about change was felt among many black PLP supporters as well.

Former Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson said as a result of Bermuda's racist history, listening to the UBP complain of unfairness was like hearing the Mafia calling for the end of crime.

PLP backbencher Delaey Robinson said single-seat constituencies and electoral reform were needed as a preparation for Independence.

Claiming the UBP had gerrymandered the Island's seats on race grounds, he said the former Government had always stood in the way of progress.

"When the Opposition say the `old oligarchy is dead,' it isn't buried, and that's what we're here to do today,'' he said.

UBP to fight on Shadow Health Minister Kim Young said Government was setting a "dangerous precedent'' which would allow future governments to change the constitution "willy nilly''.

Premier Jennifer Smith ended the 24-hour debate by defending the level of discussions about the changes after she tabled the motion in August.