A row has erupted in the Progressive Labour Party over access to a list of delegates who may vote in next month’s party conference if there is a challenge to the leader, or deputy leader.

A senior PLP source claimed that the names of delegates who attended last year’s conference and may be again selected to vote on potential contenders at the three-day gathering which begins on October 19, had been withheld.

David Burt, the Premier, could face a threat to his leadership at the event, and Lawrence Scott, the Transport Minister, has revealed to The Royal Gazette he is considering a bid to replace Walter Roban as number two in the ruling party.

A senior PLP source told The Royal Gazette: “Premier and party leader David Burt came under fire at the party's central committee meeting held last week, with MPs and party members questioning the fairness of the Premier having access to the list of delegates from the 2021 delegates conference, while other MPs mulling a leadership challenge have to date been denied access.

“In a heated meeting that went well into Tuesday morning, MPs demanding access to the list of delegates were met with opposition from members of the cabinet and central committee members believed to be loyal to the Premier.

“As it stands, the PLP executive has not ruled on whether the 30 MPs on the government benches should, or should not, have access to the list which the Premier has been accused of using to launch his leadership re-election campaign.

“With no resolution to this dispute, the conflict spilled over into the party's Wednesday caucus meeting where attendees loyal to Premier Burt raised the issue of MPs being in arrears with their party dues, and questioning if they should be allowed to participate in the October leadership vote.

“As it stands, the delegates allocated to each PLP constituency branch determined by the number of party members closed as of midnight August 31.

“Over the next month PLP constituency branches will be electing branch officers and the all important delegates who will determine Premier Burt’s fate if he is challenged by one of the other 29 PLP MPs.

“In all my years in the party I have never seen such division, and such a desperate attempt by a leader to cling to power.”

“Most of the MPs are hearing that long standing members are expecting, if not demanding, a change, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.”

Asked why the current list of delegates was not being released to members, a PLP spokesman told The Royal Gazette: "The delegate election process for the 2022 Progressive Labour Party annual general conference has not yet commenced.

“All declared candidates vying for a role on the PLP executive will have access to the delegates once they are elected."

A second source with close links to the party said: "David Burt is not sharing with his colleagues the list of delegates for the October conference - I have never heard of anyone that would so conspire to maintain power.

"My explanation is that Mr Burt does so because he must protect himself from what he believes is his greatest threat, and whom he feels will take the lid off the can.

“That threat is Curtis Dickinson, who resigned because he could no longer support the Premier's actions.

"In my view, the PLP is about to go through that inevitable implosion that they are known for. It's that bad at the moment.

“That implosion, unlike those in the past, leaves the country in a quandary. If they implode, what are they to be replaced with?”

Mr Dickinson quit as finance minister just days before the economically keynote Budget address in February after a bust-up with the Premier over incentives to developers Gencom for the planned $376 million Southampton Princess Hotel revamp project.

Transport Minister Mr Scott announced he was thinking of a run against Mr Roban, stating: “I told colleagues that I was considering it.

“That’s all it is — a consideration.”

Pressed on whether it was true he had announced his stance at a Cabinet meeting in a move that reportedly left Mr Roban “speechless”, Mr Scott said: “I’ve said it multiple places. I can’t talk about what is said at Cabinet.”

Under party rules, Mr Scott must declare whether he is standing at least 21 days before the conference. If he was successful in his challenge, he would become deputy premier as a consequence.

Speculation has been rife all year that Mr Burt could face a challenge for the leadership at the gathering.

Mr Burt faced resistance at some recent party meetings with PLP grass roots.

Elections for the leader and deputy leader can only occur every four years under the PLP constitution.

Party branches elect delegates depending on how many PLP members they have and they then get to vote in any contest. The women’s caucus and youth wing also get one delegate each.

This story has been amended to include a response from the Progressive Labour Party.