Works Minister Alex Scott is now the Leader of the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) and will be named Premier of Bermuda at a Government House swearing in today, the culmination of a tense stand-off between supporters of Jennifer Smith and a group of 11 dissident PLP MPs headed by Ewart Brown.

“Now we are going to roll up our political sleeves and do the job that we were elected to do July 24,” said Mr. Scott. Transport Minister Ewart Brown, who also made a bid for the leadership of the party, has landed the deputy leader post and will be Deputy Premier.

The decisions were made by acclamation at a special delegates' conference at Devonshire Rec Club last night.

In his speech to the delegates urging them to vote him Leader, Dr. Brown apologised to the party's supporters for the dissidents' actions and decision not to join the revellers at Court Street following the election night victory - which left many feeling betrayed.

The 11 had come together because “we could no longer stand idly by and watch our beloved Bermuda list in the sea like a ship with no rudder”, Dr. Brown told the delegates. The pair agreed that the party was stronger now after the period of infighting which divided the parliamentary group and dismayed supporters.

“We had a challenge over the past few days, we have managed it, came together. That's politics and now we put this behind us and the work ahead of us,” said Mr. Scott. “I told the delegation this evening - a champion team is not one that always wins, a champion team is one that can lose and come back to its championship form. We're back to our championship form. Dr. Brown said he felt “great” despite not having been successful at landing the top job.

“The truth is that we did resolve our difficulties and that is the strength of the Progressive Labour Party - we are able to disagree and pull ourselves together much to the disappointment of our political opponents.”

Asked whether the outcome was worth the risk of dividing the party, he said: “Absolutely. It was temporary, it was transient, it was not permanent. That is how you work out disagreement in politics. It may be described by others in more vivid terms but all we had was political differences and we settled it. I think the PLP has grown in leaps and bounds through this exercise.”

He agreed that the party had been fractured in the past as a result of similar disagreements but said that he and the ten other dissidents had determined that they would not allow that to happen.

“The 11 of us were determined that the ultimate result in this issue would not be a break-up of the party with expulsion of members or anything else like that.”

He was not willing to discuss the issues that led to what amounted to the overthrow of Jennifer Smith.

And Mr. Scott confirmed that Ms Smith would be approached with regard to how she can serve in the Cabinet.

He said the party still stood behind everything in the party platform.

“It was filled with excitement, passion, emotion but ultimately it ended with resolution,” said party spokesman Walter Roban immediately after the meeting.

Feelings ran high outside the club house as the dozens of delegates deliberated for four hours on who should lead the party just three days after its General Election victory.

Mr. Scott and Dr. Brown had emerged as the only two contestants for the leadership after hours of meetings of the 22 general election victors.

The new parliamentarians then put the two names forward for last night's delegates' conference to decide.

Jennifer Smith who has to formally resign her Premiership today told the conference before heading off home that of the two candidates she preferred Mr. Scott as her successor.

About an hour later the delegates agreed with her endorsement and Mr. Scott and Dr. Brown were declared party leader and deputy leader respectively by acclamation.

Dr. Brown was nominated for the deputy leadership by Mr. Scott.

The 22 PLP parliamentarians had been evenly split over whether Ms Smith should continue on as Premier. And the 11 dissidents refused to serve in her Cabinet or indicate to the Governor that they had confidence in her - making it impossible for her to be appointed Premier.

The strategy could have resulted in the Governor ordering another General Election. But the Premier decided to have the party decide the issue of leadership at the special delegates conference which started Friday.

Ms Smith agreed to resign for the good of the country, and the conference asked the parliamentarians to meet and come up with a compromise before adjourning.

When it resumed last night, the two names were put to the conference.

The PLP still has to resolve differences over whether the Party Leader should also be the Premier when it is in Government as provided for in the Constitution.