The newly appoined shadow finance minister highlighted the Government had delivered a Budget deficit after it promised a surplus.

Patricia Gordon-Pamplin also said she was concerned by a plan to increase capital spending by $20 million while the island’s debt continued to grow.

Ms Gordon-Pamplin added that a claim by Curtis Dickinson, the finance minister, that the Civil Service had shrunk over the past few years was wrong and claimed numbers were forecast to increase to more than 5,000.

Ms Gordon-Pamplin, who returned as the One Bermuda Alliance’s finance spokeswoman yesterday after the resignation of Nick Kempe, said: “They boasted loudly about a projected $7 million surplus, but somehow oversaw a $14 million deficit.

“The OBA has no problem on spending on capital projects, but we do not think the money should be borrowed unless there are returns that justify the borrowing.

“Instead of reining in capital spending to help balance the Budget, they actually overspent.”

Ms Gordon-Pamplin also singled out a $20 million increase in spending on professional services. She said: “There were opportunities to balance the budget, but they were ignored.”

She was speaking after Mr Dickinson said that the number of people on the Government payroll had dropped from 4,470 in December 2016 to 4,446 in December 2019.

Ms Gordon-Pamplin argued the number of civil servants had increased and highlighted the number of “full-time equivalent employees” listed in the Budget book for 2020-21.

She said: “In 2016-17, the actual number of government employees was 4,707; 2017-18 it was 4,764; for 2018-19 the number is 4,806; for 2019-20 it is 4,942 and for 2020-21 they are forecasting 5,076 employees.”

Mr Dickinson did not respond to a request for comment yesterday on the difference in the numbers in the Budget Statement and the Budget book.

Ms Gordon-Pamplin said that the Budget had failed to take measures to resuscitate the economy and that there were no plans to help the struggling retail sector.

The Paget West MP added: “The minister blames retail for being antiquated and tells them to modernise, but Government itself has not modernised and simply hires more people to try and solve problems.

“People are becoming angry — people wanted to hear a Budget that gave them hope, that would stimulate the economy and create jobs.”