Problems with “a lack of communication and a lack of trust” beset relations between former Opposition Leader Robert King and his MPs from the start, his successor has insisted.

Ben Smith, who became leader of the One Bermuda Alliance and Opposition leader after Mr King was removed from office, moved to clear the air over the controversy, saying his predecessor’s leadership style failed to reassure his colleagues.

As an analogy, Mr Smith said: “It would be impossible for any business to be able to operate if nobody in the business could communicate openly and honestly with the person running the business.”

He said Mr King had not only failed to articulate specifics of his 100-day plan after taking the helm six months ago, but had failed to communicate with his team on his expectations, to the point that his leadership of the OBA had become untenable.

Mr Smith traced problems with Mr King to the party’s first meeting after the conference last September when he narrowly won the leadership on a promise of being a communicator while taking the party in a new course.

“This was a situation that didn’t happen overnight, and we woke up last Wednesday and said we didn’t want Robert King.”

He added: “There were enough things that happened over a period of time that a majority of people agreed with us that Robert could no longer sit in the leadership position.”

Mr Smith also countered Mr King’s “narrative” that he had been frozen out by colleagues and then betrayed last week by his abrupt removal. “He is painting a narrative and doing it in multiple ways.”

Mr Smith said he and others within the Opposition “knew” that Mr King had proxy commenters posting under news stories.

“Because he’s continued to talk to the press, the narrative has only gone one way.”

Mr Smith said the public ugliness of the dispute was “the real shame”, because such incidents deterred people from involving themselves in politics.

The new leader was joined at the interview by Scott Pearman, the deputy, who said he had given Mr King support and advice, and that “to suggest I was in any way trying to destabilise or not support him” was untrue.

Asked if Mr King stood to face censure for going public with his accusations, Mr Smith said: “My first speech I gave as Opposition leader, I opened the door for Mr King, and I meant it. And the very first speech I gave after the parliamentary caucus vote, I did the same.

“I’ve been trying my very best to stay above going into details. This is not a personal thing.”

He added that he had communicated to Mr King “let’s have a conversation, let’s try to move to this direction — I understand, because I went through this, that it takes time”.

However Mr Smith said Mr King had alienated his team from the start with a lack of engagement.

He added: “The truth is, the reason we said to him right from the beginning that we would prefer it if you resigned is so that we would not have to say anything negative against Robert King.”

While the new leader said he was frustrated that an internal matter had gone public and “broken trust”, Mr Smith said: “He told everybody he was going to communicate more. Did you have an increase in interviews from September until now?” He maintained that other MPs had increased their own activities in response.

“Can anybody here tell me what happened in the 100-day plan?” he said. “We can’t. We didn’t know about the 100-day plan. When we say broken-down communication, that’s what we mean.”

Both leader and deputy said pictures of them in a celebratory group raising glasses of wine that have been rife on social media since Mr King was deposed last week were wholly unconnected to politics or the leadership switch — though Mr Pearman conceded it had not made for a good look.

The Shadow Minister of Justice also scotched any insinuation that there had been untoward intentions in holding the caucus meeting confirming Mr Smith as interim party leader last Friday when the OBA chairman, William Soares, happened to be overseas.

“He was away — the fact that he was away wasn’t known to many people at the time.”

Mr Pearman added he would “completely reject” any suggestion the timing was deliberate. He said Mr Soares had gone on a business trip followed by a family holiday.

The deputy leader said the turn of support against Mr King as leader was “not just some renegade group — this was a groundswell”.

Mr Pearman added: “The MPs’ vote was unanimous, with one abstention, and it was three to one, almost, at caucus.”

Mr Smith, while Opposition leader, remains the interim leader of the party until its next conference. He said the date had not been decided, but would be settled upon soon by the executive committee.

He added: “I would prefer to be in a situation where it is finalised, because then we do not have to have the conversation any more. Otherwise it’s sitting there until September.”

The task now would be of “unifying our team” and securing an atmosphere of trust within the party.

Mr Smith also said there was scope for examining how votes were conducted under the OBA constitution, to come up with a system less likely to spark disputes.

“That’s a conversation we are probably going to have to have.

“The constitution written at the time was combining two entities together,” he said, referring to the OBA’s origins in a political merger. “We’ve reached a point now where we are the entity.”

Mr Smith continued to extend the olive branch for collaboration and cordial relations with the ruling Progressive Labour Party — though both said they would not stand for unethical conduct or bad parliamentary behaviour.

Mr Smith said Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House, had made it clear to MPs that he wanted the temperature brought down.

The interview with The Royal Gazette, also attended by OBA MP Robin Tucker, came after Mr Smith faulted the previous leader in a message to party members for airing internal matters in public, calling Mr King’s move “deeply unfortunate”.

Mr Smith said that the September 6, 2025 leadership contest had brought out 345 attendees. He acknowledged that Mr King had received 17 more votes than him and thus “rightly became the OBA leader”.

However, the statement added: “I applaud MP King for being prepared to stand up and be counted, but unfortunately he was unable to effectively executive what is expected from him as a leader.

“It was the hope of all your parliamentarians and candidates that this week’s course correction could have occurred in a way that was professional and respectful.”

The interim leader said it was “now the past” and called it “imperative that we look forward and focus on the future”. Mr Smith emphasised his pledge to restore party unity to ensure that “we move forward together, to form the next government”.