The rising cost of the PLP government’s political staff

Since winning its third term in office in February 2025, the PLP Government appears to have more than doubled the taxpayer cost of political hires within its Ministries.

Based on the latest March 2026 Personal Staffs report (below), tabled by Premier David Burt in the House today, up to an extra million dollars has been spent compared to last year’s report.

Bermuda Broadcasting reported in April that the latest published list of Government salaries included several new personal staff roles, with some hitting salaries above 140-thousand-dollars.

A Government spokesperson subsequently told us that it is not a real-time staffing record, but reflects “historical or budgeted posts, and should not be interpreted as confirmation that those roles are currently filled, newly created, or active at this time.”

We were also told that detail on such roles will only be provided in the established reporting cycle.

Fast forward to today, and that established personal staffs report has been published, with names and gross annual remuneration received.

The report indicates that more than $1.78 million dollars has been spent on personal staff for the Premier’s Office, Minister and the Opposition Leader.

Some roles appear to have received a salary increase, while three roles in the Premier’s office, and three Minister’s advisors, earned between 120 and 145-thousand for the year.

The Ministerial Code of Conduct allows for Cabinet Ministers to appoint up to two advisors, and the appointments can be expert or political in nature.

For the latest report, and with the last two personal staff reports, only two roles are listed as ‘expert’ – the Assistant to the Opposition Leader, and the Premier’s Housekeeper.

It was this Progressive Labour Party Government that, in 2019, tabled amendments to ensure the annual publication of the functions and remuneration of personal staff.

The first report for fiscal year 2019 to 2020 was published in December 2020, showing four staff for the Premier, four political staff for Ministers, one administrative role, and a part-time assistant to the Opposition Leader.

Two of those ten people are now Cabinet Ministers, one was a PLP election candidate, and another is a current candidate and PLP chair.

There were no more published reports until the 27th of March this year, and that report included staff names and remuneration for Budget years 2023-2024, and 2024-2025.

Speaking to the delay, Premier David Burt said in March that there had been changes to the public officers involved in gathering the information, and that “this is not a matter of the government attempting to duck responsibility, but it is clearly not the Premier who puts these particular reports together…”