The Premier's visit to the Playboy mansion led to accusations yesterday of him "tarnishing" the country's reputation and morally corrupting its youth.

Opposition MP Louise Jackson launched the attack in the House of Assembly, claiming Dr. Ewart Brown was "jeopardising Bermuda" and betraying his position as a role model for young Bermudians by attending an event where naked women were present. She also accused him of wasting taxpayers' money on the visit to "Hugh Hefner's bunny house".

The Shadow Minister for Health and Seniors even went so far as to suggest moral deterioration could lead to nude sunbathing on Bermuda's beaches, to which the Premier replied: "Let yourself go."

He concluded the debate by declaring: "And I'll go back again!"

The row erupted following Dr. Brown's visit to a celebrity poker tournament at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles last month. The Premier's visit was to support the Urban Health Institute, a charity founded by his eldest son Kevin, and the beneficiary of the event on May 17.

As part of a silent auction, Dr. Brown, as Minister for Tourism, handed out prizes of trips to the Island in partnership with Elbow Beach Hotel.

In a statement last month, the Premier's Press Secretary Glenn Jones said: "The Bermuda Department of Tourism was a sponsor for a charity silent auction during the celebrity poker tournament.

"These types of sponsorships afford Bermuda an opportunity to do public good in communities around the United States while also promoting the Island as a travel destination of choice - particularly among affluent travellers."

However, the Opposition and even some PLP supporters have criticised the use of taxpayers' money at the event. PLP blogger Jonathan Starling described the visit to the Playboy mansion as a "scandal" and "embarrassing" on his 'Catch a fire' website.

Last night the controversy raged on in the House, with Mrs. Jackson raising the matter during the Motion to Adjourn.

She said: "I regret to have to bring this matter to the House but I have received several pictures taken at the Hugh Hefner mansion, where this Government spent thousands of dollars of taxpayers' money in May of this year."

Minister of Culture and Social Rehabilitation Dale Butler responded: "There are no dates on these pictures. They could have come from any web page, therefore they should be inadmissable."

Mrs. Jackson replied: "Even without the pictures, knowing the situation and what the situation was, I think every woman in this country should be outraged and I think every woman in this House should be outraged.

"I think they should return every dollar spent at this affair to the coffers of this Government."

She said: "At Saltus Grammar School's graduation I understand the Premier spoke about the Cox family of which the Deputy Premier (Paula Cox) is a member. I wonder whether he would have invited the honourable member to that affair?"

The Premier replied: "I would have loved to have invited the honourable Deputy Premier as I had my wife with me at the same time."

Mrs. Jackson then said: "Having seen the pictures and understanding what happens at Hugh Hefner's bunny mansion, I would be shocked and embarrassed if the Cox family with their high achievement and high moral standards would have attended this event. Is this Government's idea of Faith Based Tourism?

"How dare the Premier, the representative of our country, associate Bermuda with the sexual exploitation of women at this event at Hugh Hefner's bunny house. I want the people of Bermuda to know this kind of behaviour is soiling our reputation. These pictures are of body-painted nude women.

"Are our children to accept this as morally appropriate behaviour, because if they do, surely there is something wrong with their values."

Mrs. Jackson then claimed the Department of Tourism had a booth at the event, although this was refuted by several Government MPs, who said: "There was no booth."

She said: "This to me is becoming an almost impossible situation to ascertain, that we have honourable members like Derrick Burgess who feel this is proper behaviour."

Mr. Burgess, Minister of Works and Engineering, interjected: "That is improperly using my name in this. She should be ashamed of herself. I want her to withdraw the remark."

Mrs. Jackson said: "I will withdraw the remark but he said it. Mr. Speaker, there is collective responsibility in this Cabinet. You mean to tell me you all in the Cabinet sat there and assisted that amount of money. This to me is scandalous.

"This sort of event has reduced and tarnished our reputation. We have laws in Bermuda against nudity."

Dr. Brown then said: "It didn't happen in Bermuda."

Mrs. Jackson replied: "The Premier is saying it didn't happen in Bermuda. The next thing is we will probably have nudity here on our beaches."

Dr. Brown retorted: "Let yourself go."

"Now the Premier is saying 'let yourself go'," said Mrs. Jackson. "This is showing just where we are at with the morality of this country.

"To sexual exploitation of women like that, I feel very sorry for the women in your Party. You obviously don't get it.

"I will fight you to my grave before I will let you take this country to a place where we are a part of an event hosting naked drunken sexual permissiveness and all night raves.

"Our youth are exposed to so much inappropriate behaviour through television and magazines. Now you want to send a message that they can attend such a party, and touch and feel. What kind of role model are you?

"You have hundreds of young men and women watching your every move, and you represent us. But you have sent a message that this kind of behaviour is appropriate.

"You are jeopardising Bermuda. This has to be the lowest behaviour as a role model to our sons and daughters that I have ever seen in a leader."

Mrs. Jackson added: "If you want to do this in your own spare time that is fine. But you were spending taxpayers' money. The Bermuda tourism booth or whatever you had, was advertising Bermuda, and if this is the kind of advertising to the kind of high-end tourist you are attempting to reach, then this is a self-serving attempt.

"The next time you do it, do it on your own dollars, not the taxpayers' dollars. As far as I know there were thousands of dollars spend on this junket."

Dr. Brown then said: "There is something that needs to be made clear. The only money that was spent by the Bermuda Government at this event was the sponsorship, in collaboration with Elbow Beach Hotel, on two trips to Bermuda. No money spent on attendance of this event or otherwise was taxpayers' money."

Mrs. Jackson said: "I repeat - money was spent. Taxpayers' money was spent on tickets or whatever.

"The next time this country is represented at such a sordid event, I certainly hope there are members of this Cabinet who will stand up and say this is not the kind of event to represent Bermuda, and not the kind of leadership role model we should display for our young boys and girls."

Speaker Stanley Lowe said: "I didn't see the Premier in any of these pictures."

But Mrs. Jackson replied: "He was there. Taxpayers' money was spent. Case closed.

"There is no way you can get around it. Our money was spent. Next time spend your own dollars."

Dr. Brown replied: "And I did."

Mrs. Jackson said: "Are we now going to have our own young girls painted nude with advertisements for Bermuda? Is this going to be the next step? Will our young people working over the summer be expected to attend such events?"

Dr. Brown replied: "We'll see."

Mrs. Jackson said: "The Premier was there. There were naked women who were body-painted. There is no one who could have been there and not seen that. He knew there were nude women there and he saw them."

Government Whip Glenn Blakeney then said: "It really astounds me that this member would be so hypocritical. Those members on the other side were among some of those who passed the Stubbs Bill (the Bill legalising homosexual sex)."

As the heckling tailed off, the Premier said: "And I'll go back there again."