The under-fire chairman of the Progressive Labour Party has hit back at the party’s leadership before an emergency central committee meeting next week.

Damon Wade had a unanimous vote of no confidence passed against him and his resignation was demanded by the party executive after he claimed he was owed a place in a PLP “friends and family policy” at a PLP central committee meeting earlier this month.

The meeting was recorded and posted on social media.

He appeared to refer to a proposal masterminded by himself in the recording, understood to involve an energy project at the National Sports Centre in Devonshire, that he claimed could generate jobs and raise funds for investment in black-owned businesses.

Mr Wade said in an e-mail to PLP members seen by The Royal Gazette that he had been given different reasons for the calling of the emergency central committee meeting.

Walter Roban, the PLP deputy leader, had at first called for the meeting to be held last night, but it was later rescheduled for next Monday.

Mr Wade said that Mr Roban was “fully aware of my responsibilities as it relates to central committee meetings”.

Mr Wade added: “As such, he reached out to me for me to agree to calling an emergency central committee meeting.”

He said that Mr Roban identified a “breach of confidentiality within central committee, including the release of an unofficial recording of the chair’s report to the media and the wider public” as the reason for the emergency meeting.

Mr Wade added that Mr Roban had said that “members of central committee and branch executives are justifiably demanding that the executive provide clarity on these matters”.

Mr Wade said: “However, having already sent out his notice, he is telling me that ‘the purpose of the meeting will be for the executive to provide central committee with a report on the special executive meeting held on Thursday, December 19’.”

He added: “Members should know that this should have been done before they sent the unauthorised response to The Royal Gazette earlier this week and represents yet another example of how he is acting out of order.”

Mr Wade claimed that Mr Roban had “sidestepped the spirit” of the PLP constitution “to peddle the will of the executive and the Premier to further undermine” him.

He added in the e-mail: “Given the holidays are upon us — and many of us are overseas — it makes more sense to me to have the special central committee meeting the same night as the reconvening of the delegates.”

Mr Wade said last night: “I have no comments for the press.

“I have no intention of commenting on our internal matters.

“My position will always be that internal matters are internal matters. They are not for public discussion.”

A PLP spokeswoman said the party had nothing to add to its statement after the row became public.

The statement said: “The PLP has a zero-tolerance policy regarding the exploitation of party office for personal gain.”

It added: “In the PLP, we proudly stand on our legacy of vowing that Bermuda’s opportunities and ingenuity must always be utilised in the public interest and for the greatest good.

“Regrettably, the individual failed to live up to the high moral standard that the officers and members have set for the party and themselves.”

But Mr Wade said the party statement was “misleading and malicious” and that he had been the victim of “incompetence, arrogance and vindictiveness” on the part of Cabinet members.