A Progressive Labour Party MP said that the “time is right” as she announced her bid to become deputy leader yesterday.

Tinée Furbert, the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, said that she had told party members on Monday of her intention to run for the role.

The Royal Gazette understands that Zane DeSilva, the Deputy Premier, who won a contest for deputy leader in March 2025, earlier told members that he would also seek re-election.

However, when contacted yesterday, Mr DeSilva would not confirm whether he will stand again. He added that he expected to make an announcement “soon”.

Former Cabinet ministers Michael Weeks and Lawrence Scott have confirmed that they will contest the deputy leader post.

Ms Furbert announced her candidacy at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort and Spa.

“I believe leadership should stay close to people,” she said.

“I have learnt responsibility before I ever had a title.”

Backed by supporters, the St George's South MP said that the deputy leader of the party supported the leader, stepped in when needed, stayed connected with the branches and helped to keep members informed and engaged.

She said they also brought steady counsel to the leadership table.

Ms Furbert added: “That role is essential and I am standing for it because our members and our country deserve leadership that is already doing the work required of it.

“Bermuda is asking real questions right now … seniors are asking whether they can age with dignity in the country they helped build.

“Families are stretched between rising costs, care giving, childcare and uncertainty … young people are asking where they fit in.”

Asked why she chose to run for the post at this time, Ms Furbert said: “The time is right … we are going for a leadership challenge.

“Members within the party have confidence in me and they have expressed their confidence in me to put my name forward.

“Also, I love serving the people of Bermuda. It is a passion of mine. I work hard at it and I will continue to work hard at it.”

Ms Furbert said that in her clinical career she had worked with people with disabilities, seniors, vulnerable adults and children.

“That work taught me to listen carefully, to look beyond what is immediately visible and to understand that people’s lives are rarely simple,” she added.

The MP said she took the experience to Parliament and her ministry, and was able to take “serious work forward”, with the support of staff, community partners and colleagues.

She spoke of her involvement in several government projects including the Plan to End Homelessness, the Dementia Integrated Care Pathway, which was advanced with the Bermuda Health Council, and the launch of the Disability Register.

Added to her record was the launch of the Rental Support Hardship Fund and the unveiling of Astor House as temporary housing for men leaving prison or under community supervision.

“That is my record and it can be checked because it has been done,” she said.

Ms Furbert said that she had earlier served in an acting capacity as PLP leader and as branch chairwoman and secretary.

“I am asking the delegates of this party to look at the record,” she said. “Verify it.”

A campaign spokeswoman said that Ms Furbert was the first female to run for the deputy leadership of the PLP in a decade.

Ms Furbert entered the political arena in 2016 when she served as a senator for the PLP.

She secured a seat as an MP in the 2017 General Election, gaining more than 60 per cent of the votes in her constituency.

Three years later, in the 2020 General Election, Ms Furbert held her House of Assembly seat with about 74 per cent of St George’s South votes.

She was sworn in as the Minister of Social Development and Seniors and pledged to bring “change where it is needed the most” for the island’s young people and seniors.

In 2022, Ms Furbert said she was motivated to enter politics to get “a foot in the door” to help vulnerable people.

She said she gained valuable experience in the field because she worked in psychiatric hospitals and with disadvantaged children when she was a student in the United States.

Ms Furbert added that her fire was stoked after she returned to Bermuda and stepped into the political arena.

The governing party faces a major shake-up in October at its delegates’ conference, when David Burt steps down as leader.

Mr Scott, who served as transport minister for two years from October 2020, said last week that he had signed up to seek election to the role.

The MP for Warwick South East was sacked as the Minister of Transport in October 2022 only days after Mr Burt, the Premier, saw off a challenge from former finance minister Curtis Dickinson for the party leadership.

Mr Weeks, who was the Minister of National Security until a Cabinet shuffle two weeks ago, confirmed over the weekend that he was contesting the deputy leader post.

In April, Mr Dickinson announced his intention to succeed Mr Burt as the next leader of the PLP.

The backbencher formally put his name forward after Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, announced his bid for the leadership position at the party’s Founders Day event in February.

At the time, Mr DeSilva noted his support for Mr Hayward and told attendees that his decision came as part of his commitment to support younger party members.

Asked yesterday whether she fancied herself working on the side of Mr Hayward or Mr Dickinson, Ms Furbert said she would leave it to the leadership election process set out by the party.