Curtis Dickinson has branded David Burt a liar in an extraordinary attack as delegates prepare to vote tonight on which man should lead the Progressive Labour Party.

The former finance minister took the gloves off as he warned Bermuda is “on the brink” and that the Premier was not telling people the truth about the scale of its economic problems.

In a hard-hitting campaign video, Mr Dickinson said the Premier was taking a “dangerous gamble” with $125 million of taxpayers’ money on the Fairmont Southampton refurbishment and either did not know what he was doing, or did not care as he was desperate for a PR win.

He forecast that the PLP would lose the next General Election on its existing path with Mr Burt as leader.

Mr Dickinson said Bermuda was “on the brink” with a “collapsing” health service and a declining economy that puts pensions at risk.

He also hit out at the PLP leadership for not allowing him to address delegates tonight and insisted a vote for him was the only way to save the party and the country.

He said: “We stand at the crossroads of history with an important choice – stay on the current path or redirect our course to save our party and our country.

“Bermuda is at its most perilous point. Our problems are far greater than be we are being told.

“Some will dismiss this as an attack on our government and our leader.

“There are those among us who know that these criticisms are based on fact not fantasy, and on reality not personality.”

Mr Dickinson took a direct swipe at Mr Burt’s premiership since 2017.

He said: “Five years ago we came into government after five years of OBA policies that were ill-conceived and benefited far too few.

“Sadly, the track record of the past five years under our party leader has not only failed to reverse that damage, but compounded it.

“Tough times are here. And there are tougher times ahead.

“The suffering of our people is only going to get worse as our economy declines, our pensions become more at risk and our healthcare system continues to collapse.

“I do not exaggerate when I say we are on the brink.”

Mr Dickinson accused the Premier of telling lies.

He said: “During this campaign, the party leader has tried to characterise me as somehow less PLP than he is … demonise me as an out-of-touch, profit-over-people banker; a conservative; and a Johnny-come-lately to Alaska Hall.

“When he knows that these are all lies.”

In another swipe at the Premier, Mr Dickinson said the country needed “honest” leadership as “we cannot lie our way” through problems.

He said: “The party, the Government, and the country need honest, informed leadership to get us through one of the most perilous times in our history.

“We cannot lie our way through it. We cannot manipulate our way through it. We cannot save our country if we only tell you what we think you want to hear.

“After five years of dictating his desires, the party leader is now fighting to save his job and seems willing to do anything and say anything to keep it.

“Our future isn’t going to be built on lies; our future isn’t going to be built on political tricks; our future isn’t going to be built on things that sound good today but don't change much of anything for our people tomorrow.

“Our future isn’t going to be built on the wisdom and experience of one person, but our future will be built on the collective power and wisdom of all of us.”

Mr Dickinson described the Premier’s sweetener deal for the $376 million Fairmont Southampton revamp as a “dangerous gamble”.

“My political colleague and competitor would have you believe the way to get out of this problem is to give away $125 million of Bermuda’s dollars to overseas developers.

“This is a dangerous gamble.

“Those who refuse to learn from the OBA failure at Morgan’s Point are doomed to repeat it at the Southampton Princess.

“The lack of transparency around this deal and the urgency to get it signed regardless of the consequences suggest that either our party leader doesn’t know what he’s doing, or he is so desperate to cling to power that he would gamble with all our futures for a public relations win.

“Or, he patronises us by thinking we could’t possible understand what is at stake for us, our children and future generations of Bermudians.

“Our party leader has asked us for more time.

“But do we believe that more time would change the prevailing view of our people that the PLP are arrogant, out of touch, and not doing enough to improve our collective lot in life?”

Mr Dickinson accused the Premier of treating PLP members who disagreed with him as the “enemy” as he went about “silencing, ostracising and banishing” them.

He said Mr Burt was taking the PLP to defeat at the next election.

“We have more political power than ever before, but has that stopped the flood of Black Bermudians leaving for other countries?

“The path that we are on is a movie we've all seen before … a movie entitled ‘Election 2012’. And we all know how that one ended.”