Labour leader Joseph Muscat said today it was 'difficult if not impossible' for the introduction of divorce to be approved in the forthcoming referendum, but he would continue to speak in favour of divorce while the PL would allow its supporters to vote according to their conscience.

Dr Muscat said at a political conference that he did not give much importance to opinion polls carried in newspapers but it was clear that it was difficult if not impossible for divorce to be approved.

For him, the issue of divorce was linked to tolerance and he therefore preferred to speak out, without making any calculations about votes.

He was in favour of the introduction of responsible divorce because he felt that one should not decide for somebody else. A new chance to start afresh should be given to those people who were suffering in their marriage.

This, Dr Muscat said, was not a political issue and should not be turned into one. The PN, therefore, was wrong to try to impose its confessional views on the people.

Dr Muscat also referred to the increase in ministerial pay through the addition of the parliamentary honoraria and an extra €6,000 per year allowance. This, Dr Muscat said, was not a 'case closed' as the government was making it out to be, but a case which was wide open.