PLP Platform Launch: a fairer, more stable, affordable Bermuda
A “people-centred” election platform released by the Progressive Labour Party comes with a pledge for public dialogue on reforms “including a reduction in parliamentary seats”, and introducing “absentee voting for eligible overseas students”.
Other standout promises in the document include:
• Changes to census and data collection to determine the numbers of Bermudians who emigrated from the island before 2024 — thus far an unknown figure
• Striking a balance for “safe, responsible adult cannabis use” under limitations on the drug imposed by Britain
• A commitment to “appropriate fiscal guardrails” for the corporate income tax, as recommended in the Tax Reform Commission’s forthcoming report
• Dropping the termination of pregnancy from the island’s criminal code — along with requirements for a medical committee’s approval to obtain an abortion
• A “pause” in establishing marine-protected areas under the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Plan, until an agreement on the expansive conservation measures can be reached with the island’s fishermen
• A timeline for removing fees for the holiday rental certificate, introduced in 2023, once “housing market conditions improve”
• Putting more government information online, including financial information, to ease the burden of requests for public access
• Encouraging companies to commit to employing more Bermudians in management through “streamlined work-permit processes”, along with introducing policies for “greater pay equity between Bermudians and expatriates”
• Expanding services offered under FutureCare and the Health Insurance Plan
Other items laid out in the February 2025 platform cover everyday issues, such as the launching of a “digital grocery price tracker” to promote transparency among the main supermarkets on essential goods — and introducing a scheme to raise the legal tinting permitted on vehicles.
Some commitments touch on matters from recent news.
The timing of the announcement last month of February 18 for the General Election drew protests from students overseas on the island’s lack of absentee voting.
The island’s rules for permitting women to proceed with an abortion came up for discussion in September last year after Arianna Hodgson, a former government senator, spoke out in the Upper House on women’s right to choose after she got word of a couple getting turned down for the procedure.
The platform calls for “replacing” the ageing Tynes Bay Incinerator, which has been repeatedly highlighted as being in danger of failing.
Converting the former Bermudiana Beach Resort into affordable housing, announced last year after the business model was deemed unworkable, is included as a priority.
The platform commits the party, if returned to government, to “introducing speed cameras within the new CCTV system” — a topic raised publicly several times in recent years — as well as “fast-tracking” improvements to the island’s roads, after widespread potholes emerged last year as a frequent point of frustration for drivers.
Some old pledges resurfaced, such as phasing out single-use plastics, a move that was set for 2022 under the 2018 Throne Speech.
The new platform speaks of “finalising a ban” on their use.
The document reiterates the PLP’s commitment to implementing universal healthcare, but lists other measures to come, “while we work” towards putting it in place, such as banning industrially produced trans fats and restricting flavoured vaping products
The party’s last platform was issued in September 2020, shortly before the General Election in which the PLP secured 30 of the island’s 36 seats in the House of Assembly.
The 2020 platform’s reference to a Bermuda Trust Fund makes a comeback, along with items from the 2025-26 Pre-Budget Report such as a sovereign wealth fund and a series of tax cuts.
The latest version also comes with items that have surfaced elsewhere.
The campaign platform for the independent candidate and former PLP MP Renée Webb called for both reducing the number of MPs and extending housing lottery opportunities, while the One Bermuda Alliance has also pledged to introduce absentee voting if elected.
Under legal reform, described by the PLP as a “cornerstone” of its governance, the platform highlights “amending consent legislation to equalise the age of consent, regardless of sex or gender”.
Immigration has stood out as a sharp point of difference between the PLP and the OBA, with the former insisting this week that the General Election would boil down to a choice between protecting Bermudians — or the Opposition extending opportunities such as Bermuda status to foreign workers, which the party has denied.
The PLP platform states the party’s commitment to consulting on amendments to the island’s constitution so that “naturalisation as a British Overseas Territory citizen does not automatically grant persons unlimited property ownership rights in Bermuda”.
Overseas workers are mentioned with the platform’s call for pay transparency to promote equity between expatriates and Bermudians — but the topic of immigration does not feature in the document.
• For the full PLP platform, see Related Media
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