Newly appointed Cabinet Minister Walter Roban called his lack of portfolio an "advantage", allowing the youngest member of Premier Ewart Brown's Cabinet the chance to fill in as Acting Minister for his colleagues when needed.

"I will have the opportunity to see firsthand what responsibilities they have," said the 42-year-old, who was named Minister without Portfolio at a Tuesday ceremony at Government House. "I see it as a learning process for me."

Mr. Roban learned of his new role over the weekend, following former Culture and Social Rehabilitation Minister Dale Butler's shock resignation over the detainee controversy.

"I was sad," said Mr. Roban of the resignation, noting that Mr. Butler was once his teacher and a "sterling advocate" of the importance of culture and history. "He is gone but his impact will be left."

Mr. Roban was a vocal defender of the Premier's Uighur decision during Friday's vote of no confidence motion in the House of Assembly.

He also spoke out last week after the first anti-Ewart Brown demonstration, posting an essay on the PLP's website calling a Facebook group set up in the aftermath of the Guantánamo detainee resettlement "another right wing pseudo fascist organisation".

He called the Bermuda Against Terrorists group, which has been renamed Bermuda Against Government Corruption, the "Bermuda affiliate of the British National Party" in his essay.

He did not back down yesterday when asked if he stood by his assertion that the group was connected to the BNP, a far-right, whites-only party in the UK, or whether he was trying to be humorous.

"People can take what I said for what they feel it may have meant," he said, noting that he attended last Tuesday's first rally and wrote the essay afterwards. "I wrote the letter representing the feelings that came out of the event for me."

Mr. Roban attended his first Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, alongside Neletha Butterfield, who was appointed to Mr. Butler's former position as Minister of Culture and Social Rehabilitation.