Two government ministers stormed out of a press conference yesterday before The Royal Gazette was able to finish asking a number of questions.

Owen Darrell, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and junior finance minister Jaché Adams, brought the conference to an abrupt end after being bombarded with questions about the news that Michael Fahy had been selected as a One Bermuda Alliance candidate for the upcoming General Election.

Mr Darrell later issued an apology admitting that the press conference “did not end up in the way that it should have”.

The two ministers called the press conference to highlight the Government’s achievements in assisting the island’s youth.

But Mr Darrell began by issuing a blistering attack on the Opposition’s appointment of Mr Fahy, describing the nomination as “shocking”.

Mr Fahy served as the Minister of Home Affairs for three years when the OBA was in office between 2012 and 2017, and was instrumental in drafting a Pathways to Status policy that would give status to foreigners who had been resident in Bermuda for 20 years or more.

Reading from a statement, Mr Darrell said that Mr Fahy’s nomination meant that the February 18 poll would centre on “what it means to be a Bermudian”.

He added: “This is a choice that the OBA has made and by making this choice it is now clear that the OBA — or UBP — has not changed.

“This election has now changed. This election is now about what it means to be Bermudian. If you want to protect the opportunity in the future to stop Pathways to Status 2.0, vote solidly PLP on February 18.”

Mr Darrell and Mr Adams then read out prepared statements highlighting initiatives that the Government had introduced in support of Bermuda’s youth.

However, after inviting questions from the media, they were quizzed solely on Mr Fahy’s candidacy.

In response to one early question, Mr Darrell said that Mr Fahy had “sent this island into a tailspin on December 2, 2016”.

That was a reference to the day that anti-OBA government demonstrators attempted to shut down Parliament in protest at a public-private partnership deal to build a new airport. Police used pepper spray to break up the demonstration, injuring dozens of people.

Mr Darrell said: “There are vivid memories that are etched in the minds of this country as to what Michael Fahy put Bermudians through on the morning of December 2, 2016.

“I cannot possibly sit here today and allow us to gloss over the fact that the One Bermuda Alliance has the audacity to take this country back to one of the darkest times in history.

“We can move forward and we can forgive but there were people who can never forget what that gentleman and that government put this country through on that day.”

The ministers were asked to explain why they believed that Mr Fahy was responsible for protesters being pepper sprayed.

Mr Darrell said: “Michael Fahy was a prominent member of the One Bermuda Alliance Cabinet on that day and the decisions that the government made on that day continue to resonate a dark cloud over what people in this country still feel to this day.”

Mr Darrell and Mr Adams were repeatedly asked why the OBA’s Pathway to Status initiative would “open the floodgates” to mass immigration, as the PLP had claimed.

Mr Adams said: “Historically we understand how immigration was weaponised in Bermuda. It is an emotive topic, it is a field to discuss.

“But we recognise that for many people in this country, this 21 square miles is all we have so it is not something that we will jeopardise and promote. We cannot sit there and allow a pathway to then dilute what it means to be Bermudian. We felt that and we have historically fought that and we will continue to fight against that.”

When pressed, Mr Adams insisted that the electorate had opposed Pathways to Status and that the Government was simply following the will of the people.

Mr Adams was also repeatedly asked to explain how immigration policy differed between the PLP and the OBA.

He acknowledged that the parties agreed that the working population needed to increase by several thousand for the economy to grow.

However, he added: “Where we differ is how we go about doing it. There’s an absolute fundamental difference in ideology and we believe the way the OBA went about it is totally incorrect. This is the people of Bermuda who objected to this.”

When pressed, he repeated his original answer.

He said: “Again, it’s how we go about doing it. It’s accepting that things have to change, things have to progress. We are not in a space where we want to regress from where we are.

“What I am simply saying is, yes we want to achieve more people into the country. How we go about doing it and ensuring that Bermudians are protected is at the upmost front of our position.

“I’m simply saying we have a fundamental difference in how we go about approaching and retaining new people into the country.”

Mr Darrell was asked if the PLP had objected to Pathways to Status in 2016 because it did not understand at that time that the island’s workforce needed to expand — or may have used the emotive issue to “fire up its voter base”.

He responded: “I take great exception to anyone that will say that the PLP Government does not understand the economy.”

The Royal Gazette did ask one question relating to Bermuda’s youth — would the timing of the election disenfranchise many young people who will be at college overseas on February 18?

Mr Darrell dismissed that question as “disrespectful”, before hurriedly wrapping up the press conference.

In his apology, Mr Darrell said: “Today’s PLP press conference did not end up in the way that it should have, and on behalf of the Progressive Labour Party, I apologise for the abrupt ending.

“Regardless of how they are received by the party or its candidates, it is important to address questions from the media. I unreservedly apologise and will continue to represent the PLP and the residents of Constituency 15 to the best of my ability.”

A PLP spokeswoman added that the party fully supported the apology.

“We stand behind the commitment to ensuring positive interactions with the media and the public,” she said.

“As we move forward, we remain dedicated to upholding the highest standard of engagement in all interactions, particularly during this election season.”