'Fake news': PN denies Bernard Grech is planning to resign
Nationalist Party said Labour made up and spread the rumour
A rumour that Bernard Grech is planning to resign in the coming days is "fake news", the PN said on Friday.
Rumour spread among Labour and PN circles on Thursday and Friday morning that the party leader might be planning an exit over the weekend or next week.
But in a reply to Times of Malta on Friday, the party shot down the claim, saying the rumour was made up and spread by Labour.
"This is nothing but fake news," the party said.
"PN leader Bernard Grech is continuing his work as he has always done and is looking forward to the PN having another successful fundraising telethon at the end of this week, which will continue to help strengthen it as an alternative government."
"It is shameful that the Labour Party is inventing and spreading these rumors to hide the divisions it has within it."
The PN is holding a fundraising telethon on Sunday. It is a key event for the party, as it seeks to bolster its financial resources in its battle to win back Castille come next election.
But the numbers do not look so rosy for the once-mammoth political force.
Despite gaining significant ground in last year's MEP and local council elections and subsequent opinion surveys, latest polls indicate the PN might be declining in popularity again as Labour gains ground after a somewhat rough period last year.
Labour won the MEP election with just over 8,400 votes last year, losing one European Parliament seat in the process. But by early this year it had already regained significant support.A Times of Malta poll last February revealed the governing party would win a general election again with almost 19,000 votes.
Speculation over whether Grech should lead the party into the next election has also been rife in PN circles. Several believe a party led by Roberta Metsola would stand a better chance at winning government, although the European Parliament President has yet to hint at a return to local politics.