Ben Smith was sworn in as the new Leader of the Opposition in a ceremony at Government House this afternoon, pledging to dedicate his efforts to securing a better future for the young people of Bermuda.

Mr Smith replaced Robert King, who was earlier removed from the post via a vote of no confidence in a move that shocked his supporters.

After the swearing-in, Scott Pearman, the deputy leader of the OBA and Shadow Minister of Justice, explained the no-confidence process that led to the removal of Mr King.

He said: “As Members of Parliament, we are elected to serve Bermuda, not any particular party but to serve Bermuda as a whole.

“Our Bermuda Constitution provides method whereby the MPs elected by the public must have faith in their leaders.

“And that democratic method was followed … this is democracy in action.”

Mr Pearman said over the past few months, many MPs voiced concerns about Mr King’s leadership style and doubted his ability to unite the party, leading to the vote of no confidence.

He said Mr Smith has the confidence of the OBA MPs, adding: “It will and has united us so that we together can serve for the better of Bermudians.”

Mr Smith said he decided to “heed the call” when he was approached by party members to be Opposition leader.

He said: “The step that I now have to take is that I have to make sure that I unite the party, that I make sure that the members of the party understand that this was something that had to be done so that we could not only unite this party but then be able to be the party that the country wants to represent them.”

He pledged not “to speak poorly” of Mr King, who he noted “remains a member of this team” and refused to explain why the MPs decided to oust him, saying it was an internal party matter.

He said the OBA intends to have open communication with its membership to explain the change of guard at the helm of the party.

It is understood that seven MPs signed a letter of no confidence that was delivered to the Governor. Sources said they were Mr Smith, former leader Jarion Richardson, Mr Pearman, Douglas De Couto, former leader Craig Cannonier, Robin Tucker and Dwayne Robinson. Those not signing the letter were Vance Campbell, Linda Smith and Michael Fahy.

The Royal Gazette also understands that in a subsequent vote on Mr King’s leadership, nine MPs voted against him as leader, with only Michael Fahy, who ran for deputy leader on the same ticket as Mr King, abstaining.

It is understood that Mr King, the MP for Smith’s North (Constituency 10), remains the leader of the OBA, at least for now.

He was chosen by party members when he defeated Mr Smith at an OBA leadership contest in September but he came under pressure from fellow MPs to step down.

Mr King issued a statement shortly after Mr Smith was sworn in.

He said: “I was called to Government House by Governor Andrew Murdoch this morning. He informed me that he had a letter signed by members of the OBA parliamentary caucus asking to remove me as Opposition leader.

“My commitment to my constituency, the membership of the OBA and the people of Bermuda remains unwavering.”

At the swearing-in ceremony, Mr Smith thanked his predecessor “being the Leader of the Opposition up until this moment”.

He added: “I would like to thank my family — without their support, I would not be here. I would really like to give a real, heartfelt ‘thank you’ to my team. The One Bermuda Alliance, the MPs, each and every one of us is important to me, and that’s how we got to this moment.

“That confidence that you have given to me today is what I will cherish, and I will use that for us to do everything we possibly can to help this country.”

Mr Smith added: “This moment is not about individuals, because it can’t be. We as a One Bermuda Alliance have to understand that this is our community — because of it, everything we do from this moment forward has to be about how we’re doing what’s best for our community. People in Bermuda need to have a quality of life.

“The people who have felt that they can’t have that quality of life today have decided to leave our island. That cannot be any longer.

“I devoted my life to working with young people. That gives me the opportunity to see what our future can be. That is what I want us to remember each and every day when we wake up. What we are fighting for is those young people and their future.”

Mr King insisted this morning that he remained steadfast in his determination to support Bermudians.

He said then: “I put my name on a ballot to run as a Member of Parliament in Bermuda because I wanted the opportunity to serve the people of Bermuda.

“That has always been my motivation, and it is, still and will always be so.

“I was elected to represent the people of Constituency 10. For that I am grateful, and I will continue to do so in good faith — representing them and working for them and for the betterment of life for all Bermudians.”

He said he pursued the leadership of the OBA to help renew the party and offer a “strong option” for Bermudians.

Mr King said the island faces serious challenges and pledged to work to address them.

He said he respected the democratic process and affirmed his “strong commitment and regard for the will of the people”.

He thanked his constituents and OBA members who elected him leader of the party.

Gina Ingham, who said she had worked with the OBA since the party’s 2012 election victory, cited her “well-seasoned” record of helping candidates to canvass in Constituency 10. She called the move to remove Mr King “catastrophic” for the party.

“This is something that didn’t just happen,” she said. “Robert King’s leadership has been sabotaged by those individuals who had successfully ousted him, since he won the leadership role.

“This was a personal decision, based on feelings, not what the membership wants.

“Robert King was voted in by the membership in accordance with the OBA constitution.”

Ms Ingham, a social worker, said the OBA stood to lose members over the “planned, schemed” move.

She said Mr King had been frozen out by disgruntled MPs, with e-mails and calls ignored directly after he became leader.

Ms Ingham believed Mr King’s charisma had angered others in the party who felt “entitled to move up in the ranks”, adding that Mr King’s characterisation of the Opposition as “weak” in an early interview with ZBM had been taken personally.

She called the no-confidence vote “laughable”.

She said: “They sabotaged him. The evidence is there to see, and I witnessed it first-hand.”

Ms Ingham said the OBA had handed the PLP a “perfect opportunity to call a snap election, when they have a sweetheart Budget”.

She added that Mr King had taken his removal in stride.

“I really think he is going to be the one that comes out on top here,” she said.