MPs have divergent views on whether divorce should be introduced in Malta, Christian Peregin found when he asked some of them as they made their way to Parliament.

A Bill for the introduction of divorce was presented to Parliament yesterday by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, surprising all his parliamentary colleagues.

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant regretted that such an important subject had fallen in the hands of an MP who, he said, was politically and morally 'corrupt'.

timesofmalta.com also spoke to Joe Debono Grech (PL) Beppe Fenech Adami (PN) Evarist Bartolo (PL) Edwin Vassallo (PN) Francis Zammit Dimech (PN) Leo Brincat (PL) Tonio Fenech (PN) George Pullicino (PN) Owen Bonnici (PL) Anthony Zammit (PL) George Vella (PL) and Censu Galea (PN).(see video)

Meanwhile, Marlene Pullicino, Dr Pullicino Orlando's former wife, said he had hinted to her that he was working on a divorce Bill.

“Jeffrey gave me a hint some time ago that he was preparing something but I had no idea when he was going to present the Bill and what it contained,” Marlene Pullicino told The Times.

“I had told him that if he had to do something he should go ahead and to keep in mind that the family unit should be protected,” she said, insisting it was important for the divorce debate to be made in Parliament.

The separated couple are in the odd position of sitting on opposite sides of the House and, while the Nationalist MP is in favour of divorce, his wife has publicly adopted a more conservative stance.

“I am not competent at this stage to say how I will vote on this Bill because I want to hear what experts have to say first,” Dr Pullicino said in what appeared to be a more mellow stand compared to her definite “no” in 2008.

Interviewed in Pink magazine two years ago, she had said she did not think she would “ever be able to vote in favour of divorce”.