Richardson to step down from leadership of OBA
A new leader of the One Bermuda Alliance is expected to be elected in about seven weeks after the announcement yesterday that Jarion Richardson is to step down from the role.
The party said that the politician will continue to serve as the MP for Paget West (Constituency 23), but will no longer be Leader of the Opposition from September 6.
Mr Richardson added: “Leadership is not a reward — it is a commitment, an action and a responsibility. And I’m happy and proud to have served in those ways.
“This resignation is a deliberate handover, giving an aspiring new leadership team the time to form and build on what I built, and what was built before me.”
He said later: “As exhausting of a journey as it was, it was a worthwhile journey. I’m honoured and I’m privileged to have done it.”
In an interview with The Royal Gazette, Mr Richardson said that he made the decision to leave the role after a post-mortem of the Bermuda Budget was completed.
He explained that when he first joined politics, his responsibilities meant he had less time for other commitments, including his family and work.
Mr Richardson said: “It took time away from other priorities in my life — in fact, there was no other priority in my life for five years other than the One Bermuda Alliance.
“I want to get back to those priorities — most especially in my family, but also in my career.
“I wanted to make sure that I left leading the next leadership team with optimism and strength — and this feels like the right time to do that.”
Mr Richardson added that he first faced doubt about his career in politics the day after the October 2020 General Election.
He admitted that he debated leaving politics as a result but stayed because he had “an ultimate goal”.
Mr Richardson said: “I knew there was a mission, so I committed to that.”
The OBA lauded Mr Richardson for leading the party through a process of “strategic renewal”, which included internal reform, better civic engagement and the creation of a national platform.
It added: “His tenure saw the revival of the party’s policy framework, organisational infrastructure and outreach across the island.”
The statement said that the move was a “carefully chosen transition”.
Mr Richardson said: “The next phase of this party’s growth — execution, energy, endurance — requires new leadership.
“I leave not in protest, but with peace.
“My work in public service continues, and I remain committed to governance, accountability and the people of Paget West.”
John Barritt [interim]: May 2011 to September 2011
Craig Cannonier: September 2011 to May 2014
Michael Dunkley: May 2014 to July 2017
Patricia Gordon-Pamplin [interim]: July 2017 to November 2017
Jeanne Atherden: November 2017 to September 2018
Craig Cannonier: September 2018 to October 2020
Cole Simons: November 2020 to August 2023
Jarion Richardson: August 2023 to September 2025
The OBA will host its annual meeting on September 6, when new leadership will be elected, the party said.
It added that Mr Richardson pledged his full support for the transition.
The OBA thanked the MP for his “service, leadership and lasting contributions to the institution of Opposition and to Bermuda’s democratic process”.
Mr Richardson is a former police officer who served in the intelligence and community relations departments.
He also served in the Royal Bermuda Regiment, including on overseas attachments with the British Army, and was once a trainee reporter at the Gazette.
Mr Richardson later moved into the field of regulatory compliance.
He joined the OBA as a senator in February 2020 and became an MP for Paget West in the October 2020 General Election, holding the seat when voters went to the polls in February this year.
Although the OBA was defeated, it did gain four seats from the ruling Progressive Labour Party.
Mr Richardson perceived the result as a springboard to victory next time around.
He said then: “While we may have lost this battle, we are not defeated. We will be back in four years, stronger, more united and even more determined.”
Asked about his political future, he added in the days after the February General Election that stepping down as party leader was “not on my radar”.
He said: “Anybody is welcome to challenge for the leadership.
“It’s a very rigorous, transparent process that requires the participation of the whole party. But Bermuda will never go to bed one night and wake up in the morning and suddenly find there’s a new leader of the One Bermuda Alliance.
“That would only happen if I were to stand down and I have no intention of doing so. There’s still too much work to be done.”
The Progressive Labour Party acknowledged the service of Jarion Richardson to Bermuda as Leader of the Opposition.
Zane DeSilva, the PLP’s deputy leader, said that “Bermuda has learnt through experience that new faces do not mean new ideas”.
He added: “The question now before the people is this — will the next One Bermuda Alliance leader reject the party’s failed and harmful record, or double down on it?”
Mr DeSilva said that before any new OBA leader presented themselves as a “fresh start”, they “must answer for their party’s track record”.
He asked: “Do they stand by the OBA’s Pathways to Status plan, which would have allowed non-Bermudians and the children of guest workers to compete directly with Bermudians for jobs, land and opportunity in our own country?
“Do they agree with the OBA’s refusal to raise seniors’ pensions for four years, only raising them on the eve of the 2017 election?
“Will they defend the OBA’s attempts to slash access to mammograms?
“Do they agree with the OBA’s move to cut scholarships, job training and childcare support for Bermudians?”
Mr DeSilva said: “These aren’t rhetorical questions. These are the OBA’s actual decisions when they held power and the positions they have never repudiated while in Opposition.
“The people of Bermuda deserve to know whether the next OBA leader will continue the same harmful policies that reduce opportunity for Bermudians, or finally admit their party got it wrong.
“The OBA may be changing its leader. But until it changes its values, Bermudians already know exactly who they are.”
Mr Richardson’s election by acclamation as the leader of the OBA was confirmed in December 2023 after he ran unchallenged for the post.
He had been appointed as interim leader when Cole Simons retired from politics in August that year.
After he was sworn in as Leader of the Opposition — a post separate from party leader — he said that the values of the OBA were focused on “inclusivity, integrity and financial prudence”.
Mr Richardson said yesterday that he ultimately wanted to turn his party into a “light” for Bermuda.
He said he wanted to show that “Bermuda can be a place of different people, but there can still be a one version of Bermuda”.
The MP added that he believed his greatest accomplishment was his effect on the culture of the OBA.
Mr Richardson said: “I think that a lot of people have taken to heart the idea and the vision of the One Bermuda Alliance — the aspirations and the hope.
“I think a lot of people — very, very good people — have now agreed that politics in Bermuda can be a better version of itself.
“They’re working towards that version and they won’t tolerate people not working towards that version.”
Mr Richardson admitted that he “undoubtedly” made decisions that, on reflection, he would have changed during his time as party leader.
However, he said: “You make the best decision in every circumstance based on the things you know and the resources you have.
“Not everyone will see the full picture, so even though things will look like a failure externally, it could have been a tremendous victory.
“It’s not the easiest thing to say publicly now ‘I regret this or that’ because some of the things that could’ve appeared to have not turned out favourably were actually what needed to happen at that time.”
Mr Richardson said he wanted his stepping down to be an example of “a civilised, dignified transition of power”.
He said: “It does not have to be a bitter end — you can end on a high.
“There were a lot of high fives and I am so proud and happy to have worked on this team.”
Mr Richardson added: “I can’t wait to see what the next party leadership does.
“I really believe that the One Bermuda Alliance is going to see multiple high performances and be incredibly effective.”
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