Mottley calls for vote

Less than two years after she took over the leadership of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Opposition Leader Mia Mottley is calling all challengers.



Addressing delegates gathered for the BLP’s 71st annual conference yesterday, Mottley announced that the party’s nine other MPs will decide this evening if they still want her as leader of the Opposition.



The surprise move comes against the backdrop of reports of a division in the BLP camp, with one faction said to be ready to put the party’s fate back into the hands of former Prime Minister, Owen Arthur.



According to the party’s constitution, the leader is determined by a vote among its elected parliamentarians.



A recent poll commissioned by the ruling Democratic Labour Party found that among BLP supporters and the wider population; Arthur was the clear-cut choice to lead the opposition party.



Arthur has become more active in recent months.



However, he and Mottley have denied that there is a rift within the ranks of the BLP.



The Opposition Leader has repeatedly blasted the poll as a gimmick by the David Thompson administration to distract Barbadians from the Government’s poor performance.