A throne speech will not be delivered before the Progressive Labour Party has elected its new leader, MPs heard today.

David Burt told the House of Assembly that it was “always the plan” to wait until he was about to resign from the post of Premier before discontinuing parliamentary business.

It is at the opening of a new session that any Speech from the Throne would take place.

Mr Burt’s successor as leader of the PLP and, in turn, premier, will be elected at an annual general conference — postponed as a result of court action.

He conceded today that his plan for the prorogation of Parliament “may be delayed”.

The Premier’s comments came after Vance Campbell, a former Cabinet Office minister with the PLP Government who later defected to the One Bermuda Alliance, asked whether the Premier had considered postponing the throne speech “thereby allowing, wherever possible, his successor to shape the legislative agenda over the next year, so that it better aligns with their vision for the Bermuda”.

Mr Burt told the House that there is no throne speech unless the legislature is prorogued, or discontinued.

He added: “I have no intention of proroguing the legislature until we are done with our work.”

The Premier said: “A throne speech is not required. A throne speech only happens at the opening of a new session after a prorogation.

“A prorogation is done under our constitution by the premier, and what I will do is, I will prorogue the legislature prior to my resignation from this post to enable a new premier to go ahead and call in a new session of legislature.

“That was always the plan and that will be the plan.

“It may be delayed but it was always the plan.”

The PLP annual conference was expected to be held at the end of October, with Mr Burt having stated his intent to visit Government House and resign on November 2.

Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, and Curtis Dickinson, a former finance minister, are in the running for PLP leader.

On September 4, Mr Dickinson launched an injunction against motions put to a party central committee meeting on August 24, which would withhold automatic PLP membership to people who had campaigned against the party in the past two general elections.

Another motion proposed that members for less than a year would be ineligible to be party delegates in the leadership contest.

Mr Burt defended the moves, telling The Royal Gazette that concerns had been raised over new membership lists that included people from the OBA, and who had run against the PLP.

The PLP said this month that the court proceedings concerned matters directly affecting membership and delegate eligibility.

“Until those issues are resolved, the party cannot responsibly finalise the membership and delegate process upon which the remaining conference timetable depends,” it added.

The party said: “The substantive hearing is scheduled for October 1 and 2.

“Given that timetable, it is no longer practicable to complete the remaining constitutional and administrative requirements ahead of the conference originally scheduled for October 28 to 30.”

The PLP constitution states that its annual conference should take place between October 15 and November 15 every year but the central committee can decide to postpone it to another date.

It also allows “any aggrieved branch” to discuss the postponement during a special delegates conference as long as the postponed conference is held no more than 15 months after the previous annual conference.