NDP hasn’t invited me back

Junior Minister for Financial Services, Trade and Economic Development, Lorna Smith, has revealed that she has not been formally invited to rejoin the National Democratic Party (NDP).

With Ronnie Skelton’s Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) now having merged with the NDP, the party has been working to strengthen its base in preparation for the 2027 general election. Reports suggest that several influential former members have already been re-invited to the NDP, but Smith said she has yet to receive such a call.

“Let’s say I have not been invited back. They perhaps are getting to it but I haven’t been invited,” Smith said recently on the Talking Points radio show. She also described herself as an “independent” currently working with the government.

It remains unclear whether the NDP leadership intends to extend an invitation to Smith. She initially entered the 2023 general election as an independent candidate, later joining the NDP before the campaign concluded.

However, following the elections, Smith broke ranks with the party and resumed her independent status, forming a coalition with the administration led by Premier Natalio Wheatley. At the time of breaking ranks with the NDP, Smith contended that she felt the territory was in a state of limbo without a government being formed hours after the elections had ended. 

Her post-election alliance with the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) is widely believed to be a key factor that prevented the existing Opposition from forming the government. Smith is also credited with spearheading the push for a higher minimum wage and for pressuring local banks to improve customer service for both businesses and the wider public.