David Burt, the Premier, returned Diallo Rabain to the education portfolio he previously held for more than seven years, asking him to take back the job in the wake of Crystal Caesar’s resignation from Cabinet on Thursday night.

Ryan Robinson Perinchief, a lawyer, was made a senator and the Minister of National Security, and the Reverend Emily Gail Dill, will also join the Cabinet, as Minister of the Cabinet Office.

Asked why he made the changes only a few months before he steps down as leader of the Progressive Labour Party, Mr Burt said: “The people of this country expect us to be working at all points in time.

“If I make the judgment that we need a change, to ensure that we can have delivery on the promises which we gave, whether that is four months or four years, the people of this country expect work delivering all the time.”

When asked about the impact this reshuffling may have on the contest for PLP leadership, Mr Burt insisted: “Those decisions played no impact into what I do, at all. None.”

It was also confirmed that Michael Weeks, who was the Minister of National Security, and Wayne Furbert, who had served as the Junior Minister of Finance, are no longer in the Cabinet.

Speaking after a swearing-in ceremony at Government House, Mr Burt admitted the reappointments were “difficult decisions”, but he believed they gave the Government “the best chance to continue to deliver on the legislative agenda”.

He added: “If you look back on my history, in the nine years I’ve been in office, I very rarely changed ministers. It was just a judgment that I thought these changes needed to happen at this time.”

The last Cabinet shuffle under Mr Burt’s leadership happened in February 2025, about a week after the General Election.

Mr Rabain was removed as education minister and appointed Minister of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, while Ms Caesar was placed at the helm of education.

The 2025 shuffle put Alexa Lightbourne as Minister of Home Affairs in place of the now-retired Walter Roban.

Mr Rabain served as Minister of Education for more than seven years after he was appointed to the role in 2017.

Mr Burt told the ceremony: “Education remains one of the most important commitments this Government has made, and the work ahead includes advancing the long-promised Education Authority legislation, which has been the subject of thousands of hours of consultation over many years with a wide array of stakeholders.

“This Government has promised that we will deliver school boards, promised greater parental and community involvement and promised to decentralise authority from the Ministry of Education so our schools are better supported and more responsive.”

When asked why he reassigned Mr Rabain to the position, Mr Burt explained: “Education is a very complex brief and he is not a minister that needs to be ‘learnt up’.

“All the preparatory work on matters related to the Education Authority and education transformation, he knows it, he understands it, and if you were to move in another minister at that point in time, they would have to get learnt up.”

Mr Robinson Perinchief is to take Ms Caesar’s seat in the Upper House. Of the new Minister of National Security, Mr Burt said: “Public safety requires urgency, discipline and confidence.

“I expect the new minister to work closely with the police, customs, Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service, the Royal Bermuda Regiment and other agencies to support safer roads, safer communities and thereby building public confidence.

“Additionally, the Government has long promised cannabis reform, and Mr Perinchief’s experience and background give me confidence that this will be achieved during this legislative session.”

When asked why he appointed the 29-year-old to a senior Cabinet role, despite having no prior ministerial experience, Mr Burt emphasised that Mr Perinchief was “well versed in matters related to government”.

He explained the new minister had worked alongside the Government and the PLP in general as a policy and platform adviser.

Mr Burt said Mr Perinchief also had degrees in criminology and justice, and a speciality in drug policy.

He added: “I have a record of experience, of giving persons the ability to prove themselves.

“We can’t say that we’re going to send our people to school, let them be Rhode Scholars, let them be all these wonderful things, and then tell them to sit on the sidelines when there’s an opportunity for them to come to the forum.”

Mr Burt said Alexa Lightbourne, the Minister of Home Affairs, will add digital transformation to her portfolio.

Mr Burt thanked Ms Caesar, Mr Weeks and Mr Furbert for their contributions. He did not name a successor for the junior finance minister role.

In a candid statement published on social media Thursday, Ms Caesar cited a lack of support from within the Cabinet to make meaningful decisions, “particularly” from Mr Burt, among her reasons for resignation.

At the time, the Premier responded that while she was entitled to her views, he considered Ms Caesar’s comments on her former Cabinet colleagues “surprising and unfortunate”.

After the swearing-in, Mr Burt said: “Good governance requires listening to advice. It also requires decisions.

“We serve in a Cabinet system of government. Ministers bring advice, questions and concerns to the table, but once Cabinet settles the government position, the Government must move forward.

“Fulfilling a Throne Speech commitment is not political expediency. It is delivering on a commitment made by an elected Government to the people of Bermuda.

“The public expects us to finish the promise, and that is what these changes are about.”

Mr Burt said he had not been “caught off guard”, by this week’s developments, saying that he felt it was the right time to make changes.

He added: “I’m not going to comment on the back and forth, but there is no surprise here.

“I have been very clear that we have things we need to deliver and in my judgment, which is the judgment given to me under the constitution of this country, I made the changes and advised the Governor in the best interests of advancing the Government’s agenda.”

When asked if he will take Ms Caesar’s comments constructively, Mr Burt said: “I don’t think there is an issue with the Government’s approach.

“People may have a difference of opinion, but the reality is that the Education Authority working group went through thousands of hours of consultation to arrive at a decision, that was blessed and endorsed by the Cabinet of this country.

“When decisions are blessed and endorsed by a Cabinet, those decisions must be executed.”

He added: “I have learnt in this office that when you’re going to make Cabinet changes, that you allow people the opportunity to resign. I gave that opportunity and I’m not going to get into a back and forth over the former minister’s comments.”