El James has been reappointed Education Minister and was sworn-in at a ceremony at Government House this morning.

Mr. James lost his portfolio last month after publicly calling for Premier Ewart Brown to resign in the House of Assembly.

But insiders tipped that he was unlikely to remain out of the Cabinet for long and Mr. James himself did not rule out a return, telling this newspaper: “I loved my Ministry. I loved education and I think we were doing a great job.”

A Ministry of Education spokesman confirmed that Mr. James resumed the role today, taking back his old job from Attorney General Kim Wilson, who was caretaker Minister.

In a press release this afternoon, Premier Dr Ewart Brown said: “I welcome Minister James back to Cabinet. Over the course of the last several weeks he and I have been in discussions about his willingness to serve in my Cabinet. We have agreed that there is much work to do and that he should continue with the work in Education that he has started.”

In the release, Minister James added: “I enjoyed being in Cabinet and welcomed the challenge posed by the much needed reforms in education. I look forward to rejoining the team and continuing the good work that was begun during my tenure. The reform of Bermuda's education system is critical to the continued success of our Island.”

Board of Education chairman Mark Byrne said: “The Board of Education was pleased to learn of the reappointment of Elvin James as Minister for Education.

“We have a strong working relationship with Minister James and considerable shared vision. Consistency of vision and strategy is especially valuable at a time when the school system is undergoing change on several fronts. We wish the Minister well with the critical and challenging portfolio.”

See tomorrow’s edition of The Royal Gazette for the full story.