Mitch Turnbull Tipped For Opposition Leader
Sources say Honourable Melvin 'Mitch' Turnbull met with MPs Ronnie Skelton and Marlon Penn and was offered the Leader of the Opposition position after Honourable Stacy Mather joined the VIP Government. The moves are reported to be aimed at preventing Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn from joining a UK delegation for upcoming constitutional talks.
Reports reaching BVI Live indicate that Honourable Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull was approached by Honourables Ronnie Skelton and Marlon Penn and offered the position of Leader of the Opposition. The meeting reportedly took place at a popular Road Town bar hours after Honourable Stacy Mather announced he had joined the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government on December 22, 2025.
According to sources, both Mather’s defection and the overture to Turnbull were intended to change the composition of the opposition bench so that Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn would be unable to travel to the United Kingdom with the Premier’s delegation for planned constitutional discussions.
Sources also confirm Walwyn was informed of Mather’s move moments before the public announcement. The sequence of events marks a rapid shift in the small but consequential political Alliance that was formed on January 30, 2025. That Alliance initially brought together Honourables Myron Walwyn, Stacy Mather and Mitch Turnbull as an alternative parliamentary grouping.
Mather’s decision to join the VIP Government and the subsequent reported approach to Turnbull have raised questions about the Alliance’s future and the balance of parliamentary representation in the House of Assembly. The Leader of the Opposition holds a prominent role in representing alternative views domestically and often plays a part in discussions with the UK on constitutional matters affecting the Territory.
Any change in who holds that post could therefore have practical consequences for how the BVI is represented in talks with the UK and for the internal coordination of opposition strategy at home. Inquiries to Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn were unanswered at the time of publication.
There has been no official confirmation from Mitch Turnbull, Ronnie Skelton, Marlon Penn or the VIP Government about an offer being made or accepted. For residents, these developments are significant because they may affect who speaks for the BVI on constitutional issues and how the local opposition is organised in the lead-up to those talks.
BVI Live will continue to monitor the situation and report on any official statements, confirmations or changes to the composition of the Opposition and government delegations.
Primary source: Guavaberry