The One Bermuda Alliance will be launched today with John Barritt at the helm after a mass walkout by seven UBP MPs and two UBP Senators.The shock resignations have paved the way for the formation of the OBA as the politicians are now “free to act as individuals” and bypass the interim court injunction.A bundle of resignation letters from seven out of nine UBP MPs were delivered to the party headquarters prompting UBP leader Kim Swan to also resign as Opposition leader.John Barritt, Trevor Moniz, Cole Simons, Bob Richards, Louise Jackson, Grant Gibbons and Patricia Gordon-Pamplin all quit agreeing “it's time to move forward.”Mr Swan then e-mailed Governor Sir Richard Gozney yesterday morning to formally tender his resignation. He was left little option but to stand down without the support of his MPs.Senators Michael Dunkley and Suzann Roberts-Holshouser, having been selected by Mr Swan, then followed suit and turned their backs on the 47-year-old party.The nine former UBP members are all expected to sign on the dotted line as members of the new Opposition party today. They can legally do so as they are no longer associated with the UBP and the new party will no longer be a party merger.It leaves UBP chairman and Senator Jeanne Atherden and two rebels Kim Swan and Charlie Swan as the only ones flying the flag for the UBP.Mr Barritt will be sworn in as interim leader of the OBA at Government House at 10am today, pending a leadership election.Then, at a press conference, Bermuda Democratic Alliance leader Craig Cannonier will be named as OBA's deputy leader and Senator, BDA deputy Kathy Michelmore will be given a Senate seat and Michael Fahy will be chairman.As soon as the OBA is up and running, the BDA can then officially dissolve and start to wind up its business matters.Sir Richard said: “I confirm that Mr Kim Swan has resigned as Leader of the Opposition. I received his resignation early on Monday.“Having seen that most of the opposition MPs have pledged their support to him, I plan to swear in Mr John Barritt as the new Leader of the Opposition.”The former UBP members agreed it was regrettable they had to resign, saying it was the last thing they had initially planned to do.They said they had no choice as their “hands were forced” by the temporary court injunction. They said “just sitting still and doing nothing” was not an option.The former UBP members added that it was what the people of Bermuda wanted as it was “more of a step forward than a step down.”The temporary injunction, spearheaded by both Mr Swans, prevented them from signing the merger papers as members of the UBP. They argued that the merger process was flawed, as the proper procedures to wind up the UBP had not been followed.The former UBP members will team up with the three BDA MPs Shawn Crockwell, Mark Pettingill and Donte Hunt, who split from the UBP in 2009, to form the new opposition party. It means there will be ten MPs in the House of Assembly under the OBA banner.The resignation letters of seven UBP MPs were delivered to party chairman Ms Atherden on Friday afternoon. But Mr Swan, who was overseas at his father-in-law's funeral, did not learn of the resignations until Sunday evening.Mr Moniz said: “We always intended to join the new party, but the injunction threw a spanner in the works.“But it's the nature of the beast, this is politics.“We are now happy about the prospect of a unified Opposition. It's been clear for some time that the people of Bermuda want a unified opposition. They want a new day.”Ms Gordon-Pamplin said she no longer wanted to be “tangled in a web of judicial confusion” and suggested the court would determine the court action as nothing more than “frivolity.”She said: “I trust that we can now get on with the people's business and not allow this unfortunate distraction to be the focal point.”Mr Richards said resigning hadn't been an easy decision to make, but it had been essential to “move the process forward.”He said: “We really didn't want to do it this way, this wasn't part of the plans, but our hands were forced.“Anything that was an impediment to us had to be put behind us.”Mr Dunkley's resignation letter to Mr Swan, which was leaked to The Royal Gazette, stated that it was with “great sadness” that he left the UBP.He said: “I know first hand how difficult a challenge it can be to lead a party with the legacy of the one you lead.“In spite of all the good things that the party has done in the past, it is very clear to me now that the old political structures are failing the people they are supposed to serve. It's time to move beyond the politics of the past and in a new direction with a new beginning and a fresh start.“We must focus on change that puts people over party. Change that brings solutions to our island's very real problems. Change that will put an end to our rising level of violent crime and to end our spiralling debt. Change that above all can restore peace and prosperity to our island and restore faith in our Government and ourselves. That's not just change it's change for the better.”Ms Roberts-Holshouser wrote to Mr Swan resigning as a Senator at about 3.30pm yesterday. She said she saw it as a “stepping stone” as she had been an MP and a Senator and wanted to be a member of Government next.Ms Roberts-Holshouser said: “It was politically correct that I resign because the new leader has to select new Senators. Change is always difficult but it's a necessity.“Because of the legalities, things haven't gone as smoothly as we'd hoped which is a pity. But people should be excited about the new energy and what the new party will bring. These are young and new people who believe in Bermuda.”Senator Atherden said: “I am the party chairman and that's where I am staying. Right now I have a mandate for the party, I'm not going anywhere.”All the former UBP MPs are expected to be at this afternoon's OBA launch at 12.30pm in the Vasa De Gama Club on Reid Street.BDA chairman Michael Fahy said: “Seven MPs from the UBP resigned from the UBP in anticipation of the launch of the One Bermuda Alliance.“In accordance with our agreement the BDA will be dissolved upon the launch of the OBA today.“The BDA formed to effect real change in Bermuda. Today marks the real beginning of the change Bermuda needs and desires. It will be a New Day.”The Royal Gazette contacted all those who had resigned from the UBP to give them the opportunity to comment.