Former United Bermuda Party leader Wayne Furbert has quit the party in disgust over its failure to reform into an election-winning entity.

The MP, who held marginal Hamilton West at the last election, will sit as an independent but will not contest the next election on his own. And he has not ruled out joining the Progressive Labour Party.

Revealing the background behind his decision exclusively to The Royal Gazette yesterday Mr. Furbert said: "This is one of the toughest decisions I have ever made in my life, especially after more than 40 years of serving it."

Mr. Furbert has held virtually every post from delivering campaign leaflets, to becoming chairman and then leader.

But after its third successive defeat Mr. Furbert declared that time was up for the UBP in its current guise as not enough blacks were willing to support it.

His views got temporary backing from other reformers in the parliamentary group but Mr. Furbert lamented they had deserted him after being promoted.

Asked how fellow reformers would take his resignation Mr. Furbert said: "Some of them will be hurt, but they will find their own destiny and some of them helped me get to where I am right now."

And he doesn't expect his departure will spark a mass exodus. "What they do is up to them. I have given up."

Mr. Furbert had been deeply hurt by a failed attempt to expel him from the parliamentary party after he publicly criticised the selection of Charlie Swan for the Southampton West by-election.

A sombre Mr. Furbert said people had already started to ostracise him and he expected that to get worse.

"I am convinced there will be those who will want evil or harm to come to me, however my family will stand by me."

Probed about the wider effect his resignation would have he said: "I think people will just say 'Good riddance Furbert' and they will try and rebuild from there but I think they will lose Hamilton Parish, that is the major impact. And it's key to winning an election.

"And there will be deeper uncertainty for a longer period."

His resignation, which was due to be announced to party colleagues last night, was not sour grapes said Mr. Furbert who feels relieved after finally taking the plunge.

"I know there are people who will say I am leaving because I lost the leadership, that's not true. I could have walked away a long time ago."

In the end he had no choice. "It has become untenable for me to have a seat in the room. I have been accused of everything every leak in the paper they look at me."

Mr. Furbert said he was falsely accused of campaigning for independent Raymond Davis in the Southampton West Central by-election.

The efforts to suspend him from the whip has hurt Mr. Furbert who said the UBP had endured significant insurrections during its years in Government without booting out members from the group.

Those flare-ups included MPs who rebelled over the choice of Speaker and even openly colluded with the then PLP Opposition, to amend Government bills.

"But leaders then recognised the importance of showing some restraint. This group lacks a little political wisdom."

Mr. Furbert said when colleagues were deciding whether to keep him in the parliamentary group two absent MPs had tried to vote for him to be expelled without even hearing his case. In the end their votes were not counted and he stayed in the caucus.

The former leader said the UBP now seemed to have a vindictive culture, with efforts in recent years to remove Shawn Crockwell when he was chairman, and also former chairwoman Gwyneth Rawlins.

"In 2007 they wanted to throw Kim Swan out." Mr. Furbert would not elaborate on the details.

Asked about his feelings on Mr. Swan, who is now leader, Mr. Furbert said: "He's a nice guy but he's changed from what we knew him as, he used to fight for things. People wonder if it's him or someone else in charge."

Mr. Furbert said things could get even worse for the UBP at the next election as the PLP was traditionally worse at making sure their supporters actually voted.

"If the PLP got all their people out the UBP is history."

Mr. Furbert is expected to elaborate on his resignation in Parliament tomorrow.