David Burt, the Premier, has refused to say whether he would serve in a Curtis Dickinson Cabinet if the former finance minister topples him as Progressive Labour Party leader next week.

Mr Burt would also not be drawn on whether he would try to heal PLP rifts by inviting Mr Dickinson back into the Cabinet if he held on to the party’s top job and the premiership.

The PLP leader said he did not accept that there had been “dirty tricks” in the campaign, despite rows over the distribution of the list of delegates who will decide the outcome, and Mr Dickinson pulling out of last Saturday’s leadership debate over claims that he had not been given promised assurances about the format.

Pressed on how he would bring the party back together after next Thursday’s leadership vote, and whether he thought either candidate would serve in the other’s top team, Mr Burt said: “The one thing I am not going to do is speculate on what may happen in the future.

“But I think that what’s a key point … all members of the Progressive Labour Party are committed to executing our platform promises.”

Asked if he accepted there had been dirty tricks in the campaign, Mr Burt said: “I do not.”

Speaking at the launch of a mortgage guarantee initiative, the Premier also dismissed claims by Marc Bean, who led the PLP between 2012 and 2016, and now heads a rival organisation, that the party would lose the next General Election if Mr Burt remains in charge of it.

Mr Burt said: “I would not expect the leader of an opposing political party that was beaten at the last election by the Progressive Labour Party to say anything different.”

The PLP leadership has insisted that the candidates battling for the deputy leadership role, Walter Roban, the incumbent, and Renée Ming, had been given the same questions at the same time for their debate on Wednesday.

The move followed controversy in which Ms Ming told the gathering she had not been given notice of two queries.

A PLP spokesman said: "MP Ming and deputy leader Roban were sent the exact same questions at the exact same time.

“The moderator confirmed that he modified some of the questions without either candidates' advance knowledge.

“Both candidates were treated exactly the same."

Asked how the debate went, Mr Roban, who is also the Deputy Premier, told The Royal Gazette: “I was very happy with it.”

Asked if he thought he would win, Mr Roban said: “That’s not up to me.”

Mr Burt and the former finance minister are due to go head-to-head on Saturday in what would be the only debate of the leadership campaign.

The outcome of the election will be decided by 122 branch delegates and the 30 PLP MPs at a party gathering on October 20.