United Bermuda Party Education spokesman Neville Darrell says Michael Dunkley doesn’t have what it takes to lead the party to victory.

He said he hoped the party would not leave the Dunkley/Gordon-Pamplin leadership ticket as a done deal and would look at others with the group.

Mr. Darrell had come out strongly for Maxwell Burgess who has since announced he is not running for the job and is indeed standing down at the next election.

And Mr. Darrell was also full of praise for Patricia Gordon-Pamplin as deputy.

But he added: “We are looking for a leader who has broad national appeal. I have serious doubts that Michael Dunkley has that appeal. It is nothing personal at all. But we’re looking for leader of the country, not in fact a leader of the party.”

Mr. Darrell said he had a lot of support for publicly speaking his mind on the leadership issue when he backed Mr. Burgess.

“No one was engaging in the discussion. We have created a lot of anxiety.”

But Mr. Darrell would not say who he favoured as leader given the candidates who had ruled themselves out.

One Opposition MP feared Mr. Dunkley would move the party to the right.