ROAD TOWN, Tortola, BVI — Just over a year ago, Hon. Myron Walwyn appeared to be at the height of his political resurgence.
After helping to form The Alliance alongside Hon. Melvin Turnbull and Hon. Stacy Mather, Walwyn successfully unseated Hon. Ronnie Skelton and was sworn in as Leader of the Opposition in March 2025. At the time, many viewed the move as positioning him as a leading contender for the premiership ahead of the next general election.
Today, however, the political landscape looks very different.
Walwyn is no longer Leader of the Opposition, having been replaced by National Democratic Party (NDP) Chairman Hon. Marlon Penn following the results of the NDP’s internal leadership election.
The change came after months of instability within the opposition ranks. The Alliance, once promoted as a new force in Virgin Islands politics, suffered a significant blow when Hon. Stacy Mather crossed the floor to join the Government, reducing the group’s influence and undermining Walwyn’s position. Reports of efforts to remove Walwyn as Opposition Leader surfaced as early as January, amid growing divisions within the opposition benches.
The political reversal has raised questions about Walwyn’s future and whether he remains committed to the National Democratic Party.
Although Walwyn and Turnbull officially rejoined the NDP as part of a party reunification effort announced in March, uncertainty remains over the long-term relationship between Walwyn and the party’s current leadership.
Political observers note that Walwyn has maintained a noticeably lower profile in recent months compared to his highly visible role throughout 2025 and early 2026. Once among the Government’s most vocal critics, the Sixth District Representative has been relatively quiet on the political front since losing the opposition leadership position.
The silence has fueled speculation about his next move.
Some observers believe Walwyn will remain within the NDP and focus on defending his Sixth District seat while helping to shape the party’s platform ahead of the 2027 elections. Others suggest that his political ambitions and leadership aspirations may ultimately place him on a different path if opportunities within the party become limited.
Adding to the speculation are recent reports of growing tensions within the NDP following the election of Marlon Penn as party chairman. Some political analysts have drawn parallels with the experience of former Minister Hon. Mark Vanterpool. After suffering defeat in internal NDP leadership elections, Vanterpool eventually distanced himself from the party and launched the Progressive Leadership Movement (PLM), creating a new political vehicle after concluding that his vision for the Territory was no longer aligned with the direction of the NDP.
For Walwyn, the challenge may be one of political relevance. After spending much of 2025 dominating headlines as Leader of the Opposition and chief architect of The Alliance, he now finds himself outside the top opposition post, with the Alliance effectively dissolved and the NDP under different leadership.
Yet few in Virgin Islands politics are prepared to count him out.
Walwyn remains one of the Territory’s most experienced politicians, a former minister, former NDP leader, and a proven campaigner with a loyal base in the Sixth District. His ability to rebound politically has been demonstrated before, most notably when he returned to elected office in 2023 after losing his seat in the 2019 election.
The question now is whether Myron Walwyn’s next chapter will be written within the National Democratic Party, through a revived political alliance, or by another political vehicle altogether.
For the moment, one of the British Virgin Islands’ most prominent political figures is keeping his plans largely to himself — and that silence may be creating as much discussion as any speech he could deliver.
Yet history has shown that political ambitions, leadership contests, and shifting alliances can dramatically reshape the Virgin Islands political landscape. The experience of Mark Vanterpool and the creation of the Progressive Leadership Movement serves as a reminder that today’s party setbacks can sometimes become tomorrow’s political realignments.
Whether Myron Walwyn remains within the NDP, seeks to rebuild his influence internally, or ultimately charts a different course may become one of the defining political stories leading into the next election cycle.
Editor’s Note: As of June 2026, Walwyn remains the elected Sixth District Representative and a member of the opposition in the House of Assembly. Publicly, he has not announced any intention to leave the NDP or form a new political party.