The Throne Speech has been rewritten over the weekend to reflect the change of Government as Ewart Brown prepares to be sworn is as Premier this morning.

At 11 a.m. today Dr. Brown is due to meet with Governor Sir John Vereker to be officially sworn in as leader of the Country at Government House where he is expected also to reveal who has been appointed to his new Cabinet.

At the same time the final touches to this year's Throne Speech are being made. The document underwent a rewrite over the weekend following Dr. Brown's delegates' conference victory by 107-76 votes on Friday night to assume leadership of the Progressive Labour Party from Premier Alex Scott.

"The Throne Speech is being re-written it is almost completed at this time. It was being amended so as to better reflect the direction that my Government is going to take," said Dr. Brown last night. The outcome of the leadership contest and margin of victory surprised many observers.

Dr. Brown believes the biggest factor that helped him was "taking the time to get with the delegates personally and added to that was the impact of the speech. I think the speech is what helped to take it over the line".

The impact of the speeches Dr. Brown and Mr. Scott gave immediately before the casting of votes at the Devonshire Recreation Club is also viewed as a factor by Party Whip Ottiwell Simmons.

He said: "If you were to judge by the responses to the presenters and their speeches — and the type of applause they received — you get the impression the speeches did have an influence."

Younger delegates may also have played a factor in tipping the balance towards challenger Dr. Brown.

PLP spokesman Scott Simmons said: "At a glance there appeared to be elements of youth at the delegates conference and not only their voice but their impact was felt. "The delegates showed they are comfortable with change and are looking for a new beginning. There is no sign of disunity."

The make-up of the new Cabinet was being kept a guarded secret over the weekend leaving observers to speculate.

Dennis Lister sat with Dr. Brown throughout the leadership vote, talking closely with him, and can very likely expect to walk into a Cabinet position. He served as Youth and Sports Minister and later Environment Minister in the first PLP Government but, as one of the 11 rebels who plotted in 2003 to overthrow Dame Jennifer Smith, was kicked out when Alex Scott became Premier.

Asked on Friday if he thought he would be handed a Ministry, he said: "I'm prepared to work in whatever position my new leader, the new Premier, wants to put me."

Community Affairs Minister Dale Butler said: "Dr. Brown will look at those people who came out publicly and took a risk to support him. I don't know if I'll be part of the group. I'd be delighted to continue."

Minister of Drug Control Wayne Perinchief, who along with Cabinet colleague Randy Horton spoke in favour of Dr. Brown, said he would be happy to carry on with his portfolio.

Outspoken backbencher Renée Webb criticised Dr. Brown in recent weeks but said on Friday she was happy with the Dr. Brown/ Paula Cox team. Yesterday she was unusually tight-lipped on her own ambitions or whether she had been asked to join the Cabinet.

Terry Lister resigned as Education Minister for personal reasons last month and, despite being a supporter of Dr. Brown, said nothing had changed and he still planned to take two years out of frontline politics.

Senator David Burch views himself a likely casualty of any shake-up and does not expect to remain Works, Housing and Tourism Minister.

After his victory Dr. Brown hinted he may resume responsibility for the Tourism portfolio.

Meanwhile, concern about Dr. Brown's leadership style has been expressed by United Bermuda Party Leader Wayne Furbert.

"We see him as a divider not a uniter who has repeatedly sought political gain by pitting Bermuda's racial groups against each other," he said. "There are too many times when Dr. Brown's actions have left people questioning whose interest came first, his own or that of the country."

And Mr. Furbert claimed the PLP had failed to provide good governance because of disunity within its ranks, something he said Alex Scott had alluded to and something he claims Dr. Brown is accountable for.

For his part Dr. Brown pledged during his leadership challenge speech to relegate the UBP to history.

He received a standing ovation from more than 500 Party faithful at the PLP banquet held at the Fairmont Southampton on Saturday and said: "I hope you realise I put all of you on the line. Because in my exuberance I promised the PLP would wipe out the UBP in the next election. Pardon me for committing you, but I felt licensed and felt I was expressing what you already feel. The phrase we used was that we would relegate the UBP to irreversible obscurity."

He said the Party must carry through its enthusiasm and energy from the Conference to achieve that goal.