Vance Campbell defects to One Bermuda Alliance
A former Cabinet minister who was elected in 2020 as a Progressive Labour Party MP is to cross the aisle and join the One Bermuda Alliance.
Vance Campbell’s move was announced during a press conference yesterday by OBA leader Jarion Richardson.
Mr Campbell, who said at the address that the PLP was “not fit to govern”, resigned as Minister of the Cabinet Office this month.
That happened at the same time as Kathy-Lynn Simmons stepped down from the role of Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Reform. She has since quit as an MP.
A PLP statement said Mr Campbell’s “decision to defect” came as “certainly a disappointment to the countless PLP volunteers” who worked in his constituency on the party’s behalf during the last General Election.
In front of media at his Smith’s West constituency this morning, Mr Campbell said: “Our children are Bermuda’s future. Our children must make their way in the world that we leave behind. So I entered politics because I wanted that future to be better for all our children, and I wanted to be part of a team that delivered that better future.
“In 2011, I believed that team to be the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party.”
He added that his experiences since then left him with “much to evaluate”.
Mr Campbell said: “Sadly, today, in 2024, in assessing the years between 2011 and now, the conclusion that I kept coming to was that the political party that I joined many years ago, the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party, no longer presents the best option for securing a better future for Bermuda.
“I can no longer visit my constituents’ homes and say to you, in all honesty, that I still have faith in the PLP.
“I can no longer ask you, my constituents, to support me as a PLP MP.”
He added: “In politics there are some who put their own personal agenda before our country; they place the interests of the individual before the interests of the island.
“That is not who I am, not at all.”
Asked if he believed the PLP was electable with David Burt at the helm, Mr Campbell said: “In my opinion, in their present state, the PLP is not fit to govern.”
The MP said he no longer supported PLP policies but would not elaborate on specifics.
Mr Campbell said that he would focus on constituency matters as well as “bigger picture” topics, including the island’s infrastructure, education, healthcare and addressing the state of the economy “in a real way, not with small token items”.
Mr Richardson said that when the House of Assembly returns on September 20, Mr Campbell will “cross the aisle from the government benches, and sit with us, the Opposition”.
He added: “This is historic, and radically changes the political momentum and landscape of Bermuda and in Bermuda, to the benefit of all Bermudians.
“MP Campbell was in the Progressive Labour Party for over 13 years, serving in roles as varied as delegate and treasurer, and when the PLP won the government, MP Campbell eventually served as a Cabinet minister.
“This decision could not have been easy, and I have no doubt that this news will lead to attempts to demean, demoralise and devalue MP Campbell.
“Vance, I want you to know, we, who have faced these political bullies, will not let you stand alone.”
In January
Vance Campbell wrote an opinion piece in The Royal Gazette in response to comments made by Vic Ball, who accused the Progressive Labour Party of creating a greater class divide in Bermuda.
Mr Campbell centred his article on reminding the public what the PLP was fighting against in the One Bermuda Alliance, saying the PLP was a party that fought for the benefit of all of Bermuda, not just the “elite and privileged”.
He apologised on behalf of the PLP for making mistakes and not communicating effectively but assured “we will do better”.
He said: “That is why we have renovated 77 units for additional affordable housing for Bermudians in spite of the objections of the OBA and its friends in the private sector. We are not afraid to take them on to deliver more housing for you.
“That is why, when the OBA and its backers complained, and fought against the introduction of an hourly minimum wage for Bermudian workers, we stood firm and pushed it through.
“When the OBA caucus and candidates were opposed to improving workers’ rights and the modernisation of our labour laws, we stood firm and pushed forward for you.
“We are holding firm on protecting Civil Service jobs despite the OBA’s repeated demands that our fellow Bermudians be forced into unemployment.”
In February
Mr Campbell clashed with the OBA and gave an endorsement of the ruling party in the wake of Jarion Richardson, the Opposition leader’s delivery of the Opposition’s Reply to the Budget in the House of Assembly.
After Susan Jackson, the opposition MP, challenged the PLP on its achievements in government, Mr Campbell rose to list off continuing investments ranging from infrastructure and education to healthcare and affordable housing.
He told members across the aisle: “We were able to do these things while presenting a balanced budget because of the fiscal prudence, sound debt management of the Bermuda PLP. I know you do not like that, but that is what it is.”
Mr Campbell highlighted declining inflation, which he attributed to government policies that “played a part in slowing the cost of living and reducing the impact of global inflation here at home”.
He added: “So, we are protecting our most vulnerable and we are looking after the workers of this country.
“Does any of this sound like mismanagement of the economy? What an irresponsible statement for the OBA to make, while claiming to want to lead this country as a government. No. It is not mismanagement. This PLP government is a responsible government. Do not take my word for it. Let’s hear what some of the rating agencies, the experts, independents have to say about that.”
Mr Campbell quoted the island’s ratings and asked the House: “When you contrast this assessment by these independent experts, with that of the assessment of the One Bermuda Alliance, I ask the people of Bermuda, which assessments will you trust, the experts or the amateurs of the One Bermuda Alliance?”
He insisted that the PLP government’s record spoke for itself “no matter how the Opposition slices it, no matter how the Opposition dices it”.
Mr Richardson said that since the 2020 General Election, the OBA had deeply examined its purpose, values and activities.
He added: “We have rebuilt, forged a new organisation from the ashes of the old, clear in purpose, values and mission.
“We have attracted people of integrity, vision and resilience. We are ready to bring about Bermuda’s renaissance.”
Mr Campbell ran in Smith’s West for the PLP in 2012, but lost to the OBA’s Trevor Moniz.
He was appointed to the Senate in 2017 and became the constituency’s MP in 2020 after a contest against Vic Ball, of the OBA.
The MP was appointed Minister of Tourism in April 2022 and then took control of the Cabinet Office during a ministerial shake-up in October that year.
Mr Campbell assumed oversight of the Department of Planning during a shuffle of ministerial responsibilities last November but was no longer responsible for tourism.
He said that his decision was not influenced by the announced retirement of Walter Roban, the Minister of Home Affairs and Deputy Premier — who said on July 1 that he will not contest the next General Election — and any position that may not have come his way as a result of his government colleague’s departure.
He said: “My decision to resign from the party had nothing to do with what happened in C15.
“In fact, my original letter of resignation was typed up and signed on July 1, dated July 2, with the intent to take it to Cabinet to hand it in.
“I decided to hold off and see how things progressed for about another month and then I typed a new letter of resignation and handed it in on [July] 31.
“I no longer supported the policies of the PLP.”
Asked whether he has aspirations to join the Shadow Cabinet, Mr Campbell said: “I am here to serve, and if the leaders and executives see fit to ask me to do so, I would gladly serve in that capacity.”
On that issue, Mr Richardson added: “It is a bit too early to say but there is definitely a lot of work to be done and few hands to do it.”
The PLP vowed to “continue to push back against the OBA’s anti-Bermudian agenda” on immigration policy, social programmes and government services, and said it remained “focused on our mission”.
The party echoed Mr Campbell’s remarks in the House of Assembly in February as MPs debated the Opposition’s Budget response, in which he came out in support of the PLP’s fiscal responsibility — and hit back at the OBA’s criticism of its management of the economy.
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