Joey Hew announced as new Progressives leader for next election

Progressives leader Roy McTaggart will be handing over the reins to his deputy Joey Hew, who will lead the party into the next election.

The announcement, presented as a smooth transition of power, was made at a party national council meeting at the Seafarers Hall in Prospect on Saturday.

Hew said he was humbled to be selected as McTaggart’s heir apparent and vowed to lead the party with integrity.

The decision is expected to be confirmed through a full vote of the membership at the party convention in January.

An alternative candidate could theoretically challenge for the leadership but Hew has the backing of all elected MPs and there was no suggestion of any other challenger.

McTaggart indicated he will step down as leader of the official opposition at the next meeting of Parliament and support Hew as his successor in that role. He said he had chosen to put “our islands and our party” above “personal ambition” and will remain part of the Progressives team that contests the next general election.

He said, “All the Progressives elected members support this transition. Joey has the ideas and vision we need to drive the country forward.”

Hew, taking to the lectern immediately after McTaggart, said he was thankful for the confidence shown in him and the trust and support of his fellow MPs.

“I commit to leading with dedication and integrity, striving tirelessly to serve our party and our country,” he said.

Party chairman and current Speaker of the House, Sir Alden McLaughlin, endorsed the selection of Hew as leader, describing McTaggart as a “big man” for recognising that the time was right for a younger person to move the party forward.

McLaughlin, who led the country from 2013 to 2021, said the party would seek to run candidates in all 19 constituencies.

He said he would be putting his shoulder to the wheel to help Hew take the party back to power.

Hew, a former Chamber of Commerce president, was first elected in 2013 and served as a councillor in the Ministry of Tourism and Transport before taking a post in Cabinet as Minister of Planning, Commerce and Infrastructure after the 2017 election.

He was deputy leader under McTaggart going into the 2021 election and is now one of six remaining Progressives MPs in Parliament.