18/09/2026
PUP FIGHT BREAKS INTO THE OPEN: Espat vs. Briceño
The latest public clash between Prime Minister John Briceño and Cabinet Minister Julius Espat is raising questions about the division inside the People’s United Party government.
Espat recently spoke about the PUP’s trade-union and social-justice roots, highlighting his close alignment with Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde and suggesting that not everyone in the party shares the same social-justice outlook.
Briceño did not take the comments lightly. Appearing on the Love FM Morning Show, the Prime Minister publicly rebuked Espat, saying he “vehemently” disagreed with the suggestion that only Espat and another minister stood for social justice.
Briceño went further, pointing to Minister Michel Chebat’s role in the electricity issue and telling Espat that he was not the one who brought the GST-relief proposal to Cabinet. He also referred to Espat as the “king of social media.”
But politically, the exchange has put the spotlight on something the public cannot ignore: who is really calling the shots inside the PUP government?
With tensions becoming increasingly visible, questions about competing personalities, influence and political direction are now taking center stage.
If the PUP cannot agree among themselves on what their party stands for, how can Belizeans expect them to agree on how to move the country forward?
