The Progressive Labour Party has queried how the island’s newly registered voters went up 50 per cent more in this fiscal year than the forecast figure — with a target of 2,000 new voters for 2016-17.

Marc Bean, the Opposition Leader, declared himself “surprised” that there were 1,000 new voters expected for 2015-16 but the revised numbers went up to 1,500. He suggested the rise in figures could reflect a greater number of voters opting to sign up because they were fed up with the One Bermuda Alliance’s performance as government.

However, Mr Bean speculated that another factor, “much more subtle and dangerous”, might be non-Bermudians being added to the voters’ roll, prompting Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, the Minister of Community, Culture and Sport, to point out that non-Bermudians could not be included in the parliamentary register.

Mr Bean clarified that the spike in numbers could emanate from new status Bermudians as part of the Government’s “anti-Bermudian policies”.

However, Michael Dunkley maintained that the increases reflected more robust work on the part of the Parliamentary Registrar.

“I have been informed that only a small percentage is due to people who have received their Bermuda status recently,” the Premier added.