Updated 2pm

Joe Brincat, the former Labour Party deputy leader and MP, has died at the age of 80.  

A lawyer by profession, Brincat was a Labour activist since his youth and twice served as the PL's deputy leader for party affairs. He also enjoyed a long career as a member of parliament and briefly served as a minister.

Brincat first contested for a parliamentary seat in 1971, later winning in a casual election. He was elected in 1976 but had to contest a causal election to retain his seat again in 1981. 

In Labour's 1976 general conference, Brincat was elected to be the party's deputy leader for party affairs for the first time, a position he held until 1980. 

He also served as a representative to the Council of Europe Assembly between 1971 and 1979, from 1982 to 1983 and 1986 to 1995. He was appointed the assembly's vice president in 1978. 

From July 1979 to December 1981, he served as minister for justice, lands, housing and parliamentary affairs. 

While Labour was in opposition in 1987, Brincat was made shadow minister for justice. 

In 1992, Brincat made a bid for party leadership but was unsuccessful in the race ultimately won by former prime minister Alfred Sant. 

In 1995 he quit Labour's parliamentary group but was soon back in the fray again, with Brincat being elected as the party's deputy leader for party affairs once again. 

Brincat was successfully elected again in 2003 and served as the PL's spokesperson on the environment and national heritage. He later failed to get elected in the 2008 general election. 

Born in Gżira in 1944, Brincat studied at the Seminary and the Lyceum, later joining the Friars Minor to study philosophy and graduating with a BA in Latin, Philosophy and English Literature. 

He later left the order to become a teacher but subsequently departed to join the civil service in the customs and port department. In 1966, he was promoted to a higher clerical officer at the law courts, where he served as a deputy registrar. 

During this time he pursued further education, earning a BSc in Economics in 1967 and later an LL.D in 1970. 

That same year he married his wife Rose Buttigieg and they have two children, Antonella and Stefan. 

Tributes flooded social media after news of Brincat's death, with Prime Minister Robert Abela praising his enormous contributions to the Labour Party. 

"His voice in favour of the carriage of justice and his strong socialist values shone through him," Abela said.

"I always admired Joe's honesty and tenacity in his profession, where he was a formidable opponent in the courtroom, but always loyal. You always learned from and you always knew where you stood." 

Former Times of Malta editor Ray Bugeja said he always admired Brincat.

He recalls, especially, his dignified presence at the funeral of slain PN activist Raymond Caruana.

"He was there with his two young children, in what was a very, very hostile environment," Bugeja recalls.

"I wanted to show them what hate can do," Brincat told Bugeja and fellow reporter Michael Testa when approached for a comment. 

Opposition leader Bernard Grech also paid tribute to Brincat, saying he was a politician who involved himself in everything with great determination.

"We did not agree on several matters, but we surely always agreed that we should be of service to everyone, both as lawyers and as politicians," Grech said. 

Former prime minister Joseph Muscat shared several anecdotes about Brincat’s career, noting that despite being ill, his mind remained sharp and he continued to dispense advice. 

Muscat recalled the challenges Brincat faced when he was arrested overseas in the 1990s.

Brincat was arrested by Italian police on suspicion that he had helped a client smuggle valuables, but he was released due to a lack of evidence. 

“Joe went through his own martyrdoms as well, the most well-known was when he was unjustly accused overseas. In the end, he won that battle after several years,” Muscat said.

He also recounted a time when, as minister responsible for housing, Brincat had gathered together a group of people who had allsked to skip the queue for social housing. 

Muscat also recalled how Brincat had been the person to convince him to remove the statute of limitation on prosecuting corrupt politicians. 

“This way, no politician on whom evidence of corruption is uncovered can ever hide away,” he said. 

“There were those on both sides who tried to convince me not to do it. I’ve never regretted listening to him and I did it. Because as he told me the last time we met, both of us sleep soundly at night.” 

In a statement, President Myriam Spiteri Debono offered her condolences to the Brincat family who she said "undoubtedly played a crucial role in his commitment to public service".