Labour deputy leader Daniel Micallef has resigned, he confirmed on Tuesday.

Micallef said he took that decision two years ago and that Labour leader Robert Abela knew that he would be stepping aside after the MEP election, he claimed in a Facebook post.

"I'm not saying I took the decision two years ago to shy away from responsibility over Saturday's result," he said, adding that voters sent a message which must be understood and decisions taken on it.

He also hinted at the decision being mostly motivated by his personal life circumstances.

Micallef, who previously served as Labour Party president, is an architect by profession and has been deputy leader for party affairs since 2020, having taken over from Chris Cardona.

Times of Malta is informed Micallef announced his decision on Monday evening during a meeting of government MPs and the Labour Party's executive members at the party headquarters.

The decision, however, came less than 24 hours after it was confirmed that the PL's voter majority had plummeted dramatically.

On Sunday, the party saw its seemingly unassailable lead cut down to size, winning the MEP elections by under 8,500 votes, in a shock result that stunned PN and Labour officials alike. 

The party also lost the fourth MEP seat it had won in 2019. 

Labour insiders who spoke to Times of Malta say that things could be even more bleak come the weekend, as they fear the party might do even worse in the local council elections.

Throughout the day on Sunday, Micallef, Labour president Ramona Attard and other PL officials refused to provide an official estimate on the size of the gap between parties.

They all said it was premature to speculate on the figures but assured the media the party had won the election comfortably.

Micallef has a long history of involvement in the Labour Party, serving as the president of its youth wing for five years, before becoming Labour Party president after the 2013 general election.