The Government must tell the people of Bermuda more about its plans for constitutional reform, the new Leader of the Opposition said at the weekend.

Cole Simons of the One Bermuda Alliance asked: “Where are the details, and what is the end game?”

Mr Simons was speaking after last Friday’s Throne Speech, delivered by John Rankin, the Governor, set out government’s plans for the new legislative session.

Mr Rankin, who read the speech on behalf of the Progressive Labour Party government, said the island’s “economic fortunes depend now more than ever on the ability to be nimble and free to seize international opportunities unencumbered”.

He added: “Having been invited by Her Majesty’s Government to identify areas for constitutional reform, the Government’s recommendations for necessary changes will focus on achieving a revised constitutional model that provides the Government with the flexibility needed to best advance Bermuda’s economic growth.”

But Mr Simons said the address provided “no framework, it was very vague and did not provide details to the country about what their ultimate aim is when it comes to constitutional reform”.

Mr Simons, sworn in as Leader of the Opposition last week, added the Throne Speech was “divisive”.

He highlighted the “Covid crisis” and the island’s battered economy.

Mr Simons said: “The government of the day should be encouraging the people of the country to work together for a common cause.

“We are a multicultural society now, and government must refrain from its divisive behaviour and comments.

“Divisiveness pulls the country apart, and serves no one.”

Mr Simons added that Bermuda’s past included the slave trade and economic disparity between white people and black people.

But he said: “We learned from our history, we know inequities took place, but we are here today to build a more equitable society for everyone.

“If we work together, we will get more positive results for the community of Bermuda.”

Mr Simons, who will be the shadow Minister of Finance as well, also took aim at the Government’s proposals to further regulate the financial, banking, and healthcare industries – including a proposal to set the maximum prices that pharmacies can charge for often prescribed medicines.

Mr Simons said: “Government must get rid of its ‘I know best’ attitude. I think they have overreached.”

He appealed for “a more collaborative approach”, which he claimed would produce “better outcomes”.

The veteran Smith’s South MP questioned the Government’s plan to allow first-time homebuyers dip into a portion of their pension funds to cover a down payment on a house.

Mr Simons said it was “short-term gains for long-term challenges”.

He added: “What happens in 40 years’ time when you are ready to retire? What do you have?”

Mr Simons added that a proposed Education Authority and public guardian legislation were included in the Throne Speech.

He said: “Both issues were high on our agenda for quite some time.”

Mr Simons added that there was “no mention of what they will do for sports in this country”, and that “little was said” about international business.

He also tackled the Government’s plan to revise the permanent residents certificate policy.

Mr Rankin said the new policy would “require those granted the right to live in Bermuda to make economic investments in the island or to invest in the new Bermuda Trust Fund, which will be set up to benefit those who have not had the benefit of historic, inherited wealth”.

Mr Simons said the policy was “a back door to commercial immigration and endorses commercial immigration”.

He highlighted that when Michael Fahy, a former OBA Government minister, brought up commercial immigration, the PLP was “vehemently against it”.

Mr Simons said: “It is interesting to see that they’ve come full circle a number of years later.

“Our ideas weren’t bad at all.”