The Progressive Labour Party was founded in 1963 by Wilfred Mose Allen, Hugh Ryo Richardson, Albert Peter Smith, Edward DeJean, Walter N.H. Robinson, Austin Wilson and Dilton C. Cann.

These seven had earlier met in Richardson's garage, before holding the first formal meeting of the PLP on 10 February 1963 in Robinson's office in Hamilton.

Appealing to working-class voters, the first election platform called for equitable taxation, an end to racial discrimination, economic parity and welfare programs, as well as housing, educational and electoral reform.

In the 1980 general election, the party ran 40 candidates and won 18 seats and 46% of the votes, just three short of the number needed to form government.

Smith immediately set about establishing her mandate for the party with an agenda to get the organisation ready for the next general election, due to be held no later than October 1998.

In addition, the PLP entered into an aggressive fundraising campaign, expanding its appeal to not only traditional supporters but also the business sector.

[3][4] The party having achieved the goal of the founding fathers and reached the pinnacle of electoral success set about the mission of building 'A New Bermuda.'

On 18 August 2000, Premier Jennifer Smith tabled a paper, proposing constitutional amendments, including the establishment of single-seat constituencies.

On 11 October 2002 the House of Assembly passed the Boundaries Commission Report which included recommendations for 36 single seat constituencies.

In November 2002, Premier Jennifer Smith tabled a motion in the House of Assembly that the Government empower a Committee to examine the Parliamentary Election Act with a view to making recommendations about the wider questions of the voting franchise in Bermuda.

On 28 February 2003, an Order-in-Council was made at Buckingham Palace ratifying the recommendations of the commission to the Governor and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

The Order came into effect in mid-March 2003 setting the stage for the next General Election, with a single seat constituency system established in Bermuda.

The paper was consistent with the party's long-standing commitment to examine the larger question of reform of Bermuda's voting system.

The two factions agreed to a compromise candidate, Alex Scott, to become Premier of Bermuda, while Brown would hold the deputy premiership.

The natural disaster devastated much of the island but the quick and effective response by the Government was praised by all quarters of the community.

The Premier noted that it was time for us to ensure that development in this country is sustainable in order to provide a foundation for a better quality of life for everyone, now, and for generations to come.

The Throne Speech delivered 4 November 2006 pledges the Government would implement new, strong and significant programmes to address housing, education, healthcare, the quality of life for our youth and our elderly, alcohol and drug abuse, crime and race relations.

On 2 November 2007, to the surprise of many, just hours after the Throne Speech, Premier Brown announced that he visited the Governor and requested he prorogue the Parliament in order to hold a general election dated Tuesday 18 December 2007.

The six weeks leading up to the election was filled with a great deal of energy and sometimes-confrontational rhetoric between the completing parties.

[5] Brown quit elected politics in October 2010 and he was succeeded as party leader and Premier by Paula Cox.

[6] Widely blamed for worsening the effects of the 2008 global recession through ineptitude and corruption,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] on 17 December 2012, the party, which had also angered many Bermudians through its stoking racial division while in Government,[17][18] narrowly lost a general election to the One Bermuda Alliance; Cox lost her own seat and resigned as party leader the following day.

[19] However future Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, was elected to parliament in December 2012, representing the party in the constituency of Sandys South Central.

[20] On 15 February 2013, Terry Lister announced his resignation from the party, and his intention to continue to sit in the House of Assembly as an Independent.