Bermuda's new Premier, Alex Scott, was sworn into office at a Government House ceremony yesterday.

Before revoking her appointment as Premier, Governor Sir John Vereker paid tribute to Jennifer Smith who he said was a "diligent, hard working and effective leader" who had served the country well.

In a brief speech immediately after the ceremony, Mr. Scott indicated that running the country will not be business as usual under his leadership.

And he later told The Royal Gazette that he would be looking to include the United Bermuda Party in some of Government's programmes.

"This is a momentous occasion. I am provided with an awesome responsibility," he told about two dozen friends, well-wishers and newly elected parliamentarians in attendance.

"That's probably the last time you will hear me say `I' because `we' are going to go forward together," he added to spontaneous applause.

"And of course that `we' refers to the Progressive Labour Party and the Progressive Labour Party Government. But more importantly that `we' refers to all of us here in Bermuda. The new Bermuda has not run its course. We are just going to go further down that path. And down that path I hope we can take all of us here in Bermuda. We as a government, I as a leader of that government, will be working in the interest of everyone."

Mr. Scott said that his party had emerged united after its "frank discussions" over the weekend about the future of its leadership.

"I wouldn't characterise it as acrimonious debate," Mr. Scott said. "I would say frank discussion and out of that frank discussion came a constructive way forward. And that frank discussion came very definitely a united PLP. You can just look around the room here, you can sense the feeling from the party. But most significantly it has allowed me as now Premier to focus more on uniting the resources that we have here in Bermuda - the business community, bring them together with those social conditions we need to address. Black and white, tall and thin. I said earlier we might even cross the floor and ask Grant Gibbons to assist in one or two projects. Because I think Bermudians have Bermuda's interests at heart. That's what has come out of the experience we have had over the past few days. If we, in the Progressive Labour Party can put our differences aside and come out united, I'm sure the same can be said for Bermuda and Bermudians."

Affordable housing and seniors issues were two areas he thought the PLP could work with the UBP, he said.

And he said he had selected his Cabinet, which is "not as large as it was, but it's not probably as small as one would anticipate for full time Ministers as probably reflected with Premier Smith's suggested Cabinet a few days ago."

He would not reveal who he had selected as Cabinet Ministers but said that the new Cabinet would be representative of youth, experience, men and women.

"But of course you will see a group of dedicated individuals each pledging to do their utmost in serving the voters who put us in office in the best way we possibly can," he said.

The Cabinet will be sworn in today.

On the Opposition charges that Government had been won by `fraud and deceit', he said : "I've heard that and it meant that Dr. Gibbons wasn't aware of the history of the UBP. He forgets how they were founded. Independent individuals back in the `60s saw the formation of the PLP and lo and behold what did they do? They formed a party. They didn't go back to the individuals that they had probably promised they would be independents and they would give robust representation as independents. They formed a party without going to the voters - after fighting against party politics. That could have been seen as fraud and deceit. But we don't look back at that."

The public should "judge us by our works now", he said. "In fact I pull one out of their deck : I'm not responsible for what has happened in the past but I will be responsible for what happened in the future. This is the new Alex Scott, not the old Alex Scott. Trust me."