Former DLP heavyweight Lashley flocks to Bees, seeks City nod 

Veteran politician and defence attorney Michael Lashley has launched his bid to become the Barbados Labour Party’s candidate for The City of Bridgetown, signalling a dramatic realignment in national politics just days after sitting MP Corey Lane confirmed he would not contest the next general election, expected to be called imminently.

Flanked by supporters at the Pondside Bar on Wellington Street, Lashley thanked Lane for his contribution to the constituency before announcing his intention to seek the nomination.

He said: “As you know, Corey Lane has resigned, and I must say, let me pay respect to the contribution that he has made to the constituency. I didn’t go out there and do anything; I only came out now after he has resigned, because I guess he wanted to respect the will of the people and to respect the process, basically, and so I want to thank him for his contribution to the constituency thus far. Today, I just want to announce my intention to contest the nomination on Saturday. And of course, I would ask for the full support of the people of The City.”

Lashley, who under the Democratic Labour Party banner represented St Philip North for 15 years – several of which he served as a government minister – said he intended to bring strong representation and outlined plans to tackle the pressing issues facing the urban constituency, particularly housing.

“I must say that as a minister of housing, I recognise that housing still is a problem. I can say that I have actually engineered the land acquisition at Whitepark Road, where you can see (finished) units and people have moved into them. Also, Tweedside Road is out of The City, but I was also responsible for that too. I must also say that I actually started the acquisition process at Mason Hall Street. We had Town Planning approval for the units. I think there were 84 units to be built. I have spoken to the prime minister quite recently, and that project would now have the attention of the National Housing Corporation. So I think that is the first, basically, phase of my entrance into the political arena in The City.”

He pledged to address challenges related to waste collection, youth unemployment and education, and proposed reintroducing a school breakfast programme, creating projects for the elderly, and establishing mobile libraries and youth sports groups.

“Sometimes we have to put aside our differences. It’s all hands on deck to work for the betterment of the country and for the betterment of The City,” Lashley said.

Henderson Williams, who ran as the DLP’s City of Bridgetown candidate in the 2018 general election but later joined the BLP, endorsed Lashley’s candidacy.

“Based on the needs of The City, the constituents and the environment, he has indicated that he is going to put a council in place, because this one person attempting to manage the city cannot work because it is such a diverse place now,” Williams said.

“Everybody and every other parish comes into The City for some kind of support, and it puts a tremendous amount of stress on the environment. So Michael is committed to ensuring that all-hands-on-deck approach and we utilise the strengths to ensure that we improve on what we have in the City of Bridgetown, and that is commendable.”

The nomination meeting for The City will be held on Saturday.

Political observer Devaron Bruce said Lashley’s move deepens the BLP’s bench while further weakening the DLP’s national profile.

“This is really a reflection of where the Democratic Labour Party stands nationally, if they’re losing what would have been one of the few previous MPs that people would have seen as viable in an upcoming election,” Bruce told Barbados TODAY.

He added that Lashley’s experience and reputation strengthen the BLP’s urban strategy without disrupting existing seats.

“You now have the Barbados Labour Party capturing one of the very few DLP figures who has a national persona and identity in both the legal and political realm,” Bruce said. “Having him now positioned in The City of Bridgetown is certainly strategic on their end. 

“They don’t need to disturb sitting constituencies or move people around in a way that creates division. From a party management standpoint, that’s a clean transition.”

With Lane stepping down, Bruce said the shift clears a path for a high‑profile candidate and signals a further erosion of the DLP’s electoral roster.

“You have Corey Lane stepping aside, which allows Lashley to take the reins in Bridgetown,” he said. “From a party management standpoint, that’s a clean transition.”

Bruce concluded that the contest now favours the former Cabinet minister over the DLP’s prospective candidate, Dale Rowe.

“You’re talking about someone who has been elected to the House [of Assembly] on three occasions, a well-known attorney, versus a first-time candidate,” he said. “It would be difficult to see that not favouring Lashley.”