MP Darius Tucker yesterday quit the United Bermuda Party.

Mr. Tucker resigned after being suspended from the Shadow Cabinet for breaking a three line whip by failing to vote in a motion of no confidence against Premier Ewart Brown's Government.

He becomes the second Independent MP in the House of Assembly, following the resignation of former UBP leader Wayne Furbert last December — meaning the UBP now has just 12 MPs left, against 22 for the Progressive Labour Party.

Hamilton South MP Mr. Tucker was due to appear before the party's Caucus Procedures Committee yesterday to explain his decision not to vote. He handed in his resignation shortly beforehand. The former Sports, Youth and Recreation Shadow Minister has not returned calls from The Royal Gazette.

Speaking in the marathon debate on Friday and Saturday, he declared Dr. Brown a go-getter over his handling of the Guantánamo Bay affair which has provoked anger among the Progressive Labour Party front and backbenches and led to large scale public demonstrations.

Mr. Tucker announced he was going to go against the motion, but then went to the coffee room as the vote was made and the UBP went down 22 votes to 11.

Opposition MP Mark Pettingill, who was also suspended from the Shadow Cabinet after abstaining from Saturday morning's vote, last night said he has no plans to quit at this stage as he awaits the result of a disciplinary hearing.

UBP leader Kim Swan said in a statement: "It is with extreme disappointment that I learnt this afternoon of Mr. Darius Tucker's resignation. "Less than two years ago, Mr. Tucker was elected as a United Bermuda Party Member of Parliament by the people of Hamilton South, Constituency 7. Mr. Tucker's resignation has violated that trust.

"I want to assure the people of Hamilton South that the United Bermuda Party will not abandon them. Mr. Tucker was scheduled to appear before the Caucus Procedures Committee [yesterday] afternoon to explain his failure to vote on the no confidence motion on Saturday morning, which was a breach of the party's constitution.

"That he resigned prior to that meeting without giving his colleagues the benefit of a thorough explanation of his actions was disrespectful. I want to assure the public that nothing will shake the United Bermuda Party's focus on the issues that matter most to people — reducing crime, improving education, protecting the public purse and ensuring the Government plays by the rules.

"We have a very talented team — strong men and women who love this Island and who are committed to making Bermuda better for all its citizens. That work continues regardless of any setbacks."

Mr. Tucker was among a group of UBP MPs said to be pushing for reform, including Mr. Furbert, Mr. Pettingill, Shawn Crockwell and Donte Hunt.

Last night Mr. Furbert said he had joked on the floor of the House on Saturday morning that Mr. Tucker may be joining him as an Independent soon. But he said Mr. Tucker had not mentioned to him that he might quit. "This shows the United Bermuda Party needs to really focus on what it's going to do. It's becoming non-viable," Mr. Furbert told this newspaper. "He was frustrated. He was part of the group that wanted change. I won't be surprised if there are more to come."

On the UBP's current standing, Mr. Furbert said: "They are not an effective party any more. They have come out the worst of this no confidence vote."

Mr. Pettingill said: "Mr. Tucker has experienced his own frustrations with the party and obviously felt strongly about it to make this decision."

Asked if he would quit, the former Shadow Attorney General said: "I'm not on that page at this stage. I'm going through the party process. I did what I did on the basis of my integrity."

He has previously stated he could not vote for the motion because it was instigated by PLP MPs attempting to use the UBP to force out Dr. Brown. Mr. Pettingill said he did not believe reform-pushers would quit the party, as they had shown support by backing the motion. He said the UBP should not try to take comfort from the fact the PLP bounced back after once being down to six MPs, explaining: "It's not a healthy attitude to have that we can afford to keep losing people that have been significant members of the UBP."

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