Cabinet Minister Randy Horton flies back today to face controversy surrounding his branch’s decision to dump him as Progressive Labour Party candidate which one party source has described as a “stitch up”.

It was claimed last night that the “unprecedented” dropping of a sitting Minister by their local branch was a power play carried out by a small group people while Mr. Horton was off the Island and unaware of the meeting.

But other party insiders said Mr. Horton had taken the seat for granted and had not performed well as a minister.

Mr. Horton lost out heavily to Somerset Bridge Recreation Club (SBRC) president Marc Bean but one highly-placed PLP source said only nine or ten people had attended the meeting while the PLP membership in Southampton West was several times that.

When contacted last night Mr. Horton said: “I don’t know anything about a vote.”

Declining further comment he indicated he will speak about the matter when he returns from his cricket trip. Mr. Bean, who works as a consultant in Government, served on the Bermuda Independence Commission and is highly regarded in the party.

Former Premier Alex Scott, who stressed he was not endorsing Mr. Bean, said: “He’s very bright and articulate and communicates very effectively.”

Party bosses have been quick to stress that Mr. Bean’s selection is not a done deal as it must be ratified by both the candidates committee and the central committee although already different factions are arguing over the process.

While some members were in shock at the dumping of Mr. Horton others said it was no surprise as he had been seen little in the seat as he lives in Hamilton Parish and was too busy with his Cabinet work.

But the vote presents a dilemma for Premier Ewart Brown as Mr. Horton is a vocal supporter who risked his career as a minister to back Dr. Brown’s leadership run.

Mr. Horton ran as Dr. Brown’s deputy in the October leadership election but was trounced by Finance Minister Paula Cox.

PLP supporters said it is a tricky issue for the Premier — whether to let Mr. Horton fall by the wayside which could appear disloyal given Mr. Horton’s prior support or to force the branch to backdown which could appear heavy-handed and stir up resentment in the party.

The party is making use of phone polls to gauge the popularity of potential candidates which could be used to bolster Mr. Horton’s support.

But one PLP candidate selected elsewhere said: “Polls cover ten percent of the constituency — you cannot put a significant weight behind them.”

And the source said polls favoured well known candidates who might not necessarily be the best choices to represent the people.

“If you drastically change the process people will not be happy. Ever since the PLP was started significant weight is put on what the branches say. If you drastically change the process you are opening yourself up to a significant problem.”

Another senior PLP MP confirmed: “The Premier has his challenge.”

However one option to avoid an embarrassing clash would be to put Mr. Horton in the Senate.