Premier's Swearing In Ceremony

Your Excellency, Honorable Ministers, Members of Parliament, distinguished guests, friends, family, members of the media and the people of Bermuda.

Good morning, and thank you for joining us on this important day as we swear in a Cabinet prepared to serve you and help us to build a fairer, more stable and affordable Bermuda.

Today marks a new beginning for the Government, one that we enter with renewed focus, strengthened resolve, and humility.

We come to this moment following a decisive election filled with healthy debate and differing

visions for our island's future. Voters were presented with a plethora of choices as to whom they wished to represent them in the legislature.

However, the outcome of this election was clear, and now this Government has a duty to govern for every Bermudian, no matter their party or preference. Our top priority will be to deliver on the mandate the people of Bermuda have given us that reflects your hopes as well as your concerns.

Thanks to the work of our legislative team prior to the most recent election, we have made some progress.

We reduced taxes for workers, increased seniors' pensions, increased affordable housing stock, expanded and increased childcare assistance, and implemented Bermuda’s first minimum wage.

Those vital milestones could not have been achieved without the tireless work of the 34 women and men who proudly represented the people of Bermuda, and I thank all of them for their service.

I would also like to again pay special homage to the former Deputy Premier, the Hon. Walter Roban and the Hon. Lt. Colonel David Burch, as they begin their lives outside of politics and governing but who devoted decades of service to our island and our people.

Today, with a combination of new and experienced members of the legislature, we continue with our work to build a fairer Bermuda and, with this new team of 30 women and men, address the issues that matter to Bermudians.

You have told us loud and clear that too many families are stretched thin by housing costs, utility bills, and everyday essentials.

So, in response to that, the Government will establish a new Cabinet team designed to deliver results more effectively and cohesively. Through a reconfiguration, each ministry now has a clearer mandate, ensuring fewer overlaps and faster action.

First, let me announce the Ministers who will continue to serve in Cabinet to maintain continuity in areas that are foundational to Bermuda’s stability and progress:

I will continue to serve as Minister of Finance, and the responsibilities of this ministry will remain essentially unchanged, with the exception of taking on responsibilities for Land Valuation, which previously came under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Minister Kim Wilson, JP, MP, will continue to serve in Cabinet as Minister of Health. Her Ministry will retain its structure, driving universal healthcare initiatives and ensuring that neither an illness nor an injury leads to financial hardship for Bermudians.

Minister Tinee Furbert JP, MP, will continue serving in Cabinet as the Minister of Youth, Social Development, and Seniors and will continue the vital work of protecting our most vulnerable, championing inclusivity, and driving initiatives that benefit the next generation.

Minister Michael Weeks JP, MP, will continue to serve in Cabinet as Minister of National Security as we continue to implement and execute the National Violence Reduction Strategy and strengthen our uniformed services.

Minister Jason Hayward JP, MP, will continue to serve as Minister of Economy & Labour, fostering continued economic growth and strengthening protections for workers. The Ministry of Economy & Labour will also take on responsibilities for the Registry General and Intellectual Property, previously under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Minister Owen Darrell JP, MP, newly elected to the House of Assembly as the representative for Constituency 15, will continue to serve in Cabinet as Minister of Tourism & Transport, Culture and Sport.

Minister Diallo Rabain JP, MP will continue to serve in Cabinet but will now take on the responsibilities of the Cabinet Office & Digital Innovation.

Minister Crystal Caesar will continue to serve in Cabinet as a member of the Senate and will be the new Minister of Education, continuing our work on education reform.

Minister and Attorney General Kim Wilkerson JP will continue to serve in Cabinet as the Leader of the Government’s Senate team and progress the Ministry of Justice’s crucial mission of legal reform, rehabilitation in our prison system and robust justice for all.

I thank these Ministers for their continued service and look forward to working with them again as we begin our new term in office.

Before I announce the new ministers, I would also like to thank members of the House of Assembly who will no longer serve in Cabinet.

MP Wayne Furbert has devotedly served, most recently as Minister of Transport, where he oversaw the implementation of digital fare media through the Shorelink app, helping to modernise public transport and returning year-round service from United Airlines for the first time since 2016.

I am grateful that MP Furbert has agreed to continue serving by returning to the Ministry of Finance, where he will serve as Junior Minister and support the Government as we transition to a new financial structure that includes Corporate Income Tax.

Now to our new ministers…

Housing is one of the most vital issues our island faces today. Given its importance, this

Government will dedicate a full ministry to housing, emphasising how critical affordable housing solutions are to Bermuda’s future.

This Ministry will be responsible for housing policy and oversight, the Bermuda Housing Corporation, and Bermuda Land Management Corporation.

In addition, it will also hold responsibilities for municipalities and empower local governance to work hand in hand with housing policy to develop livable, thriving communities. I have asked MP Zane DeSilva to return to Cabinet and serve as the Minister of Housing and Municipalities.

To effectively address the cost of living, the Government must have clear oversight of the financial and regulatory issues that impact the prices that Bermudians pay. To that end, we have decided to consolidate Energy, Telecommunications, Regulatory Authority, and Consumer Affairs into a single ministry with a cost‐of‐living focus.

This ministry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, is now directly responsible for addressing the high cost of essential utilities, ensuring that energy providers cannot indiscriminately pass along fees, and guaranteeing that any duty reductions on essentials actually benefit the consumer.

I have asked MP Alexa Lightbourne to join Cabinet and serve as the Minister of Home Affairs.

To ensure a more sustainable and well-maintained Bermuda, we have restructured the Ministry of Public Works to include a greater focus on climate resilience, creating the newly styled Ministry of Public Works & Environment.

This newly aligned ministry will lead infrastructure development, waste management, and environmental transition — recognising that a modern, efficient Bermuda must also be a greener, more climate-resilient one. I have asked MP Jache Adams to join the Cabinet as the Minister of Public Works & Environment.

Congratulations to the new Ministers…

Alongside this strong cabinet team, the government will need a strong Senate team to deliver on our promises to the people of Bermuda. Under the leadership of the Attorney General Kim Wilkerson, I have asked the following persons to continue to serve in the Senate and serve as Junior Ministers:

Ms Lindsay Simmons, Senator & Junior Minister for Youth, Social Development and Seniors, Home Affairs, and National Security.

Mr Mischa Fubler, Senator & Junior Minister for the Cabinet Office & Digital Innovation, and Public Works and Environment.

As mentioned earlier, Minister Crystal Caesar will join them. In addition, the newest member of the Senate team will be...

Mrs Lauren Bell, Senator & Junior Minister for Health, Economy & Labour, and Housing & Municipalities.

The Constitution allows for two appointments from the House of Assembly for Junior Ministers. As mentioned earlier, MP Wayne Furbert will serve as Junior Minister of Finance. I have also asked MP Dennis Lister III to serve as Junior Minister for Justice in the House of Assembly.

MP Lister won, for a third time, a seat held by the UBP and then the OBA for many years. MP Lister’s re-election as MP for Constituency 28, in difficult circumstances, underscores his hard work and dedicated service to the people of Warwick West and the people of Bermuda. It is clear that he has a bright future, with many more years of public service ahead of him.

I am proud to recognise his hard work with this appointment today as Junior Minister to speak on critical matters regarding justice reform in the House of Assembly.

Our PLP 2025 Platform is about building a fairer, more stable and affordable Bermuda. To do this, we must acknowledge that we do not have the luxury of complacency because the people of Bermuda want and deserve action.

My hope—and my expectation—is that every Minister and Junior Minister embraces this reconfiguration as a mandate to act promptly and effectively to deliver on our promises. I am confident that we will deliver.

At the same time, I want to express my gratitude to each civil servant who will help implement these changes on the ground. A reconfiguration is not just lines on an organisational chart; it means new workflows, new teams, and new accountability measures.

I salute your flexibility and dedication. You are all invaluable to our mission, and we are counting on you to translate policy into the results felt by households across Bermuda.

Together, over the next five years, this Government will work tirelessly to ensure that Bermuda is not only more affordable and more stable but more united than ever through the execution of our platform, and the points in our are not merely policy bullet points but commitments that will lower financial strain on ordinary Bermudians and lay the groundwork for long‐term prosperity.

We achieve them through collaboration with every segment of society—unions, private industry, churches, charities, civil society groups, and even the Opposition and other parties—because no government can solve these issues alone.