Bermuda Finance Minister resigns ahead of presentation of national budget
HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC) — Bermuda’s Curtis Dickinson has dropped a bombshell on the ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP) by quitting as the island’s Finance Minister just days before he was due to deliver the annual budget.
The 2022-23 fiscal package is due to be delivered on February 25.
Premier David Burt, who has previously held the Finance portfolio, said he had “reluctantly accepted” Dickinson’s resignation.
“I have today reluctantly accepted the resignation of the Hon Curtis L Dickinson, JP, MP, as Minister of Finance. Bermuda has been well served by Minister Dickinson’s steady and thoughtful hand at the helm of the government’s finances and fiscal strategy,” Burt said in a statement.
He said Dickinson led the financial support response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and invested tremendous personal energy and commitment to ensure that the needs of the island’s workforce were met as people were impacted by the necessary strict public health measures.
“Personally, I know the immense toll that an individual’s public service takes on families and in thanking Curtis for his service I must also recognise the sacrifice of his wife and children during this unprecedented period of economic strain for Bermuda.
“I cannot thank Curtis enough for all that he has done as Bermuda’s Minister of Finance and will continue to support him as the representative of Constituency 21 and will value his advice and contributions from the back bench,” Burt added.
The statement gave no indication of who would take over as Finance Minister, nor did it indicate the reasons for Dickinson’s resignation.
Prior to Dickinson’s appointment, Premier Burt, who is also Tourism Minister, took on the portfolio with Wayne Furbert as the junior finance minister.
Dickinson, 55, a former bank executive, won a seat in the House of Assembly for the PLP after winning a by-election in Warwick North East in June 2018. He was appointed Finance Minister less than five months later.
Bermuda currently has a national debt of three billion US dollars, the pandemic having taken a heavy toll on the British Overseas Territory’s finances.
