The Cabinet is the 'strongest ever', Abela says

The cabinet and parliamentary group appointed after the general election are the “strongest” the Labour movement has ever had, the prime minister said on Sunday. 

Robert Abela was addressing delegates and activists at a ‘Kick-off reception’ before the Labour Party’s general conference convenes this week to confirm the leader and deputy leaders.

Abela thanked the delegates for all their work during the electoral campaign, helping the party achieve an unprecedented fourth consecutive election win.

He said the new cabinet and parliamentary group were the strongest the movement has ever seen and he was proud to see them ready to hit the ground running to implement the measures promised in the party’s ambitious manifesto.

“We wrote this manifesto together, a manifesto which sets several priorities and targets which are not easy to reach, but they are our priority as we want to keep ourselves accountable and transparent with you all,” he said. 

He went over the various reforms which are a priority to the party and which he plans to implement in the first few days of the legislature. 

The reforms include changes to improve access to IVF, amending the legal framework to make 16 more medical conditions eligible for PGT-M genetic testing. He said Malta already provides free IVF services and medication, but more can be done to ensure couples can be given the chance to become parents.

Another reform the party plans to implement is a planning reform to ban construction works while a permit is being contested before a tribunal or courts. 

Abela also mentioned other reforms in the equality sector, which will ensure that Malta will once again continue to push forward in civil rights and once again rank at the top of the ILGA-Europe ranking.

Earlier this year, Malta dropped to second place in the European index that measures LGBTIQ protection and human rights.

Abela stressed that one cannot have a strong government without a strong party, and he asked delegates to back the whole leadership at the conference.  

Speaking on the upcoming budget, Abela said it would be "progressive and expansionary".  

"We will deliver another budget that will take care of parents, youths, students, businesses, the self-employed, first-time buyers and pensioners," he said.

"It will be a progressive one and continue to improve the quality of life and well-being of our country."

The general conference and voting will open on Tuesday. The conference will close on July 2.