Britain has given its say for the island to go ahead with changes to its Bermuda Constitution Order 1968, provided that the process is “cross-party, inclusive, transparent, proportionate and consultative”, MPs heard this morning.

David Burt, the Premier, updated the House of Assembly on reforms and amendments that were described in February by Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General, as a “critical advancement”.

Mr Burt told legislators: “This process of modernisation will be the result of careful, considered change to a constitutional framework that has served Bermuda for almost six decades.

“Changes will not be made without scrutiny by this honourable House, meaningful participation by the people of Bermuda and ultimately the agreement of the Government of the United Kingdom.”

Bermuda’s last significant constitutional amendment was an overhaul of the electoral system agreed in 2002, with the move to single-seat constituencies.

However, the Premier said in the years since, “Bermuda and the world have changed socially, legally and technologically”.

“The time has therefore come to consider constitutional modernisation in a serious, structured and inclusive way,” he added.

The move to electoral and constitutional reform was announced in the March 2025 Throne Speech.

Mr Burt said that the Opposition leader, Chief Justice, Senate president, Speaker of the House and “other relevant heads” had been sent “draft recommendations for their consideration” — with a “proposed five-phase pathway” for bringing the document up to date.

The Bermuda Bar Council has also been invited to take part.

Mr Burt said that the island was in the first stage, gathering “informed feedback” and “formally initiating the process following the approval of the United Kingdom”.

Step two entails putting in place groups including a constitutional reform commission and an executive steering committee.

Mr Burt said awareness and engagement would come next, including “opportunities for community submissions on constitutional priorities”.

That would be followed by a “locally designed and led constitutional conference” to deliberate on top-ranking reform items and produce draft recommendations.

Mr Burt said the final stage would come with securing local approval and submitting recommendations to the UK.

He acknowledged that the topic might prompt concerns that reforms were “a pretext for something larger, something more fundamental, that has not been put to the people”.

However, Mr Burt called it a “reasonable and overdue” modernisation, in which Britain had pledged last year at the Joint Ministerial Council in London to engage with “each Overseas Territory whose democratic will is to revise its constitution”.

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Burt on Constitutional Reform

• To read the ministerial statement in full, see Related Media