The Progressive Labour Party has come under attack for promoting party leader and Premier Ewart Brown's private stem cell research venture on its website.

Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson says the PLP should not be seeking to gain political brownie points from Dr. Brown and wife Wanda's partnership with American company Stemedica Cell Technologies.

The Premier announced the link-up in his role as president of Bermuda Healthcare Services at a press conference last month.

Reacting to the news, an item on the party website's blog, submitted by "PLP", states: "Dr. Brown is creating hope.

"The ultimate hope. Hope for millions who suffer from dibilitating (sic) illnesses."

Mrs. Jackson likened the move to the United Bermuda Party advertising Leader Michael Dunkley's dairy, or her own dance school, on its website.

"Suppose we started doing that?" she said. "It's something we would not do.

"If I were the Premier of the Country I would not go and start putting on the United Bermuda Party's website that the Jackson School of Dance is wonderful and everyone should go there.

"It's bad practice and inappropriate to put the Premier's business interests on the party website."

The clinic, named Brown-Darrell after the Premier's parents, will be on the site of the former Winterhaven property in Smith's, which is owned by Dr. Brown and currently undergoing refurbishment.

It will be staffed by physicians from Bermuda Healthcare and Stemedica and is expected to eventually treat one or two stem cell patients a week.

Last month's press conference was told how the initiative could lead to scores of patients a year flying to Bermuda to receive revolutionary treatment for illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries.

The Premier described it as one of the most exciting developments in healthcare on the Island in recent times.

On this point, the PLP website article states: "Moving stem cell research forward is not only good for Bermudians, it's good for humankind.

"As the US National Institute of Health noted, 'Given the enormous promise of stem cells therapies for so many devastating diseases, NIH believes that it is important to simultaneously pursue all lines of research and search for the very best sources of these cells.'

"This research holds the key to a cure to a number of diseases."

It then adds in bold type: "Dr. Brown is making sure that Bermuda makes a contribution to this medical revolution."

Last night in response, David Burt, the PLP's party chairman, said all the language refers to "Dr. Brown" ¿ in reference to his role as a private citizen, not his role as Premier. "You'll notice that elsewhere on the site, we almost always refer to him as 'Premier Brown', said Mr. Burt.

He said the blog post links twice to The Royal Gazette story that clearly identified it as a private venture of Dr. Brown's. He said the blog post also took an excerpt from The Royal Gazette article that says the initiative was done in Dr. Brown's role as a private citizen.

The article also refers to Dr. Brown as the Premier.

Mr. Burt added: "The UBP has no problem talking about Dr. Brown's private life when they talk about his son ¿ why should the PLP be barred from talking about the good things Ewart Brown does? The fact is that he is working for a better Bermuda in his private and public life.''

On Monday, in an article in The Royal Gazette the UBP chairman Shawn Crockwell, referred to Dr. Brown's son being incarcerated in the US.

"Stem cell research is groundbreaking and potentially lifesaving. I'm shocked that the UBP would choose to politicise a positive step taken by Dr. Brown and the PLP's attempt to help increase public awareness surrounding Bermuda's participation in groundbreaking scientific research that has the potential to save countless lives worldwide," added Mr. Burt.

"The UBP has sunk to a new low. Attacking the PLP for creating awareness around an effort to help find a cure for scores of debilitating diseases? It's telling that the best line of attack they can come up with is to attack the PLP for creating awareness around lifesaving stem cell research."

Mr. Burt was asked three other questions by The Royal Gazette:

* Don't you believe that Dr. Brown's role as Premier and leader of the PLP are so well known in Bermuda that it does not matter that a posting on the PLP website (which obviously and correctly refers to him as the Premier on countless occasions) does not refer to him in his political capacity?

* Why have notable achievements or efforts of other Bermudians not been highlighted on the PLP website in the same way as the posting for Dr Brown's private stem cell research centre?

* Why highlight the last line in the blog posting?

Mr. Burt replied: " No further comment as I think this whole story is much ado about absolutely nothing."