Bermuda premier faces party leadership challenge

By Don Burgess

HAMILTON, Bermuda (Reuters) - Bermuda Premier David Burt faces the first major challenge to his leadership of the British island territory's ruling center-left Progressive Labour Party (PLP) after his former finance minister said he would contest the role.

Curtis Dickinson sent a letter to the PLP on Wednesday stating, "Earlier this morning, I advised the Party Leader of my intention to put my name forward to run for the office of Party Leader at the Annual General Conference."

The party leader will be the premier of Bermuda.

Dickinson abruptly resigned from Cabinet in February, a week before he was due to make the annual budget presentation.

Among his disagreements with Burt was the amount of a $50 million guarantee promised to Gencom, the company that manages the 593-room Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda's largest hotel.

The hotel, which had employed more than 2% of the island's workforce, closed in 2020 during the pandemic and never reopened.

The PLP Annual General Conference is set for October 19-22. At the last general election, the PLP won 30 of 36 seats against the One Bermuda Alliance.

(The story corrects final paragraph to say PLP won 30 of 36 seats in the last general election, not 30 of 26 seats.)

(Reporting By Don Burgess; editing by Richard Pullin)