Patricia Gordon-Pamplin has denied her rapid promotion to the high-profile Home Affairs brief was a political favour for backing Grant Gibbons in the United Bermuda Party's (UBP) leadership race.

Ms Gordon-Pamplin, who previously held the Youth and Sport brief, said the leadership voting had been done by secret ballot.

She said: "I don't do deals. The leader has asked me to perform a function and I will do the best job I can but it would almost be an insult to the leader to suggest he did this in exchange for my support."

And she dismissed the move was made to bring some racial balance to four heavyweight posts of Home Affairs, Tourism, Finance and Education - all of which were held by whites before the reshuffle.

She said: "We are going to deal with that issue for time immemorial. As long as we have different races we are going to have the same criticism.

"I would hope the choice to put me in that particular ministry was based on the leader's belief that I have the ability to do the job. There comes a time when we have to stop making excuses for who we are and the colour of our skin. I don't think I am the token black in a group of whites because I certainly don't feel that way. While it's true we have a majority white membership in the House of Assembly I have never felt I was a token person in there." The 51-year-old chartered accountant said she is very close to the person in the street which would help her in the new role speaking on matters of immigration, crime and labour issues. I think it's almost a natural fit. I am really pleased to have taken on this ministry."

She said more should be done to stem the flow of drugs into the Island.

and she attacked the policy of relaxing Customs controls on board cruise ships.

"That was a chronic error. We need to beef that up as a practical measure. Drugs are a major, major issue."