The Shadow Minister of Home Affairs said a government newspaper advertisement addressing the cost of living in Bermuda was a “masterclass in political deflection and empty rhetoric”.

Michael Fahy also said the full-page advert in The Royal Gazette yesterday, which features Alexa Lightbourne, the Minister of Home Affairs, was “an insult to every Bermudian struggling to pay their bills”.

He called out the minister for “performative empathy and policy paralysis disguised as progress”.

In the newspaper advertisement titled “Fairness, progress and the work of good governance,” Ms Lightbourne said since her appointment as a minister, she has advanced reforms to tackle drivers of the cost of living in Bermuda.

She said: “I live your reality; I rent, buy groceries and pay the same bills.

“My priorities are grounded in delivering tangible relief in the areas of electricity and connectivity ensuring that they are advanced with fair pricing as preconditions for customer dignity.”

She said each week she is asked “What is actually changing?” and her reply is “the work is ongoing and so is the resistance to change”.

However, Mr Fahy called for “action, not excuses” as he noted that Ms Lightbourne earns “triple the median Bermudian salary while delivering no relief”.

He said: “The Minister claims to ‘live your reality, but on a salary of $196,323 plus healthcare and a number of other perks like a government car and seemingly unlimited travel, that statement is as hollow as it is offensive.

“The median Bermuda income is approximately $70,000, so she does not share the same reality — she’s insulated from it.”

Mr Fahy accused Ms Lightbourne of deflecting responsibility by blaming vague “resistance to change” rather than owning the ministry’s “slow progress”.

He said: “The minister blames invisible enemies for her own lack of results. Instead of delivering relief, she delivers excuses.

“Bermudians deserve competence, not creative writing.”

He also noted Ms Lightbourne’s pause on energy reforms which he said she described as a “policy reset”.

He said it “was a thinly veiled admission of failure whilst also shifting blame onto her predecessors”.

In the advertisement, Ms Lightbourne said after she recognised the Government’s role in policy, she became aware of its energy policy was “out of date”.

She said: “Noting the aggressive transition, devoid of the implications on the people it seeks to serve, in August, I recommended to the regulator, a pause.”

Mr Fahy said: “You pause when you’ve lost control. This government’s energy policy is outdated because this minister has failed to modernise it.”

The use of slogans such as “people-first policies” and “fairness as a national value” in the advertisement, he said, meant the “absence of any concrete measures to reduce costs”.

He added: “The ad was filled with nice phrases — but no numbers, no timelines, and no policies. Bermudians can’t pay their Belco bills with buzzwords.”

Mr Fahy said the opposition stood for “good governance, accountability and measurable outcomes — not self-congratulations”.

He said: “Good governance means transparency, delivery, and responsibility.

“It means you don’t spend taxpayers’ money on self-praise when families are choosing between groceries and electricity.”

Mr Fahy said the advertisement “revealed a government out of ideas, out of urgency, and out of touch.

“This is the luxury of delay from a minister who can afford to wait.

“Ordinary Bermudians can’t. They need leadership that delivers, not language that distracts.”

“The opposition reaffirms its commitment to restoring good governance, prioritising affordability, and delivering real, immediate relief for Bermudian households.”

The Government was approached for comment.