Labour Whip Godfrey Farrugia would not comment on his voting intentions when Parliament debates a no confidence motion on Konrad Mizzi this evening.

“I will not comment for the time being,” Dr Farrugia told the Times of Malta yesterday.

The lack of a clear answer is telling because the government Whip is tasked with ensuring all MPs toe the party line. He did not elaborate, but his reaction came two days after not attending the Labour Party’s Workers’ Day mass meeting in Valletta.

Dr Farrugia intimated last month that Dr Mizzi should have resigned from Cabinet in the wake of the Panama affair.

The no confidence motion was tabled by the Whip’s partner, former Labour MP Marlene Farrugia, now an independent.

Dr Farrugia said he would have resigned had he been in Dr Mizzi’s shoes, a position shared by Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and former Labour leader Alfred Sant.

But Mr Bartolo in a post yesterday he and Dr Mizzi had mutual respect. This morning he uploaded another vaguely worded post saying people should apologise for their mistakes, without mentioning anyone.

Tonight’s debate will start at 4.30pm and end with a vote at 9.30pm. Last month, the government defeated a motion of no confidence presented by the Opposition.

Today’s motion specifically targets Dr Mizzi for opening a company in Panama while holding public office.

In a Cabinet reshuffle last week, Dr Mizzi was retained as Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Sunday Times of Malta reported that the majority of Labour MPs wanted Dr Mizzi to resign but were likely to toe the party line, not to destabilise the government.