Clayton Bartolo is not interested in the needs of the public or the thousands of workers hired in the tourism sector but is only interested in himself, Bernard Grech told parliament on Monday.

Grech was addressing a debate on the tourism budget estimates, a discussion that was overshadowed by the scandal involving the Gozo and tourism ministers.

A recent standards commissioner's report found that Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri abused their power and breached ministerial ethics when Bartolo's now-wife was employed in a job she was not qualified for and did not do.

“If this was a normal country, Bartolo would not be standing in front of us as tourism minister,” he said.

“Instead, the prime minister, who has morality, would have removed him.”

Grech said the two ministers remained in his position because Abela had no courage or power to remove them.

“We have a minister who, for him, qualifications mean nothing,” Grech said, referring to comments Bartolo gave Times of Malta last week as he defended his wife’s lucrative consultancy role.

“It’s true, there are people out there who work hard without any qualifications, who wake up early every day, get stuck in traffic and try to make a living,” he added.

“But the minister is saying we should pay no attention to the fact his wife did not go to work and had no qualifications or experience to do the work she was paid to do.”

Grech claimed the government was dealing with internal disgruntlement and only cared about itself and its "cliques".

The Opposition leader called for the Labour MPs to take a stand about what is right. He said those who supported Camilleri and Bartolo were also accomplices in the scandal.

“You should say that what Bartolo, Camilleri and the prime minister did was wrong,” Grech urged PL MPs.

“Otherwise you are showing how out of touch you are with ordinary people.”