PLP leadership challenger Curtis Dickinson has again railed against “dirty tricks” and “personal attacks”.

With the clock ticking down to Thursday’s Progressive Labour Party leadership vote, the former finance minister hit out at underhand tactics in the contest.

In a message on Twitter, Mr Dickinson said: “Since this campaign started, I've committed to running a clean campaign and have condemned all efforts to divide our party.

“Whoever earns the support of the delegates will have to unify our party. Dirty tricks and personal attacks make that task harder for all of us.”

Twitter

In what could be interpreted as a rebuke for David Burt, his former Cabinet colleague, Mr Dickinson, said that personal ambition should not come ahead of the PLP’s fortunes.

He said: “At this time, we must put the long-term health and unity of our team over personal ambition or personality.

“Each of us who join the PLP recognise the legacy we embrace and all of us in some way pay the price for aligning ourselves with this great organisation.

“I believe that every Progressive Labour Party member has value, has something to offer and should be included whether they joined 40 years ago or 40 weeks ago.

“I believe in leadership that is honest, inclusive, humble, and focused on ‘we’ rather than ‘I’.

“Leadership that does not make excuses and does not try to duck responsibility.

“Our party and our country need change and I hope that with your support and with a unified party, we can all be agents of change.”

The comments come after the only head-to-head debate of the leadership contest when the two contenders traded blows on the economy and honesty in public life.

Mr Burt concentrated on his former finance minister’s background as a Wall Street banker in the debate. Mr Dickinson stressed the need for greater transparency in politics.

The ex-finance minister said that Bermudians were worse off than they were five years ago as he accused the premier of being more interested in fighting for his job than for the prosperity of the island.

Mr Dickinson, who pulled out of the first scheduled debate with only hours to spare, claiming that assurances he was promised about the format had not materialised, said that attacks on him during the campaign had been “outrageous”.

In a counter attack, the Premier suggested that Mr Dickinson did not connect with the PLP grass roots.

Mr Burt also dismissed the notion any dirty tricks had played a part in the campaign.

The former finance minister said at the weekend that messages coming from overseas numbers claiming to back his bid for leadership had nothing to do with his campaign.

As well as the leadership contest, there will also be a vote on whether Walter Roban remains deputy leader, or ex-Cabinet minister Renée Ming replaces him in the role.

That position will also be decided by the 122 delegates and the party MPs.