The Labour Party cannot be "used" for compromises with the truth, Robert Abela declared repeatedly on Monday in an interview on One TV.

Reacting to the European Parliament election results which saw his party win with a sharply reduced majority, the prime minister promised reforms within the Labour Party and the government and major policy decisions which "will be guided solely by the truth, without compromise".

He also warned people down the government structure that they could not expect a cushy job. He also warned those who were not serving the people in their legitimate pleas to "move on" before the decision was made for them.

The people, Abela said, had expressed confidence in the Labour government, but also called for change, for a new version.

He promised he would be "authentic" in what he said and did, without fear of possibly disturbing some "small faction".

The government, he said, had improved living standards and as a result, the people’s expectations had been raised. The government was determined to continue to reach those expectations.  

Tough decisions that had been pending for years needed to be taken, he said, citing in particular the construction sector and its impact on people’s lives and the environment, as well as other areas such as population, foreign workers and others.

“The overarching principle of our decisions needs to be to defend the truth and not to compromise, and everyone knows what we mean,” he said.  

Abela also insisted that the government in all its structures needed to be sensitive to justified and legitimate pleas by the people.

“We have the commitment and ability to reform and stay humble and in tune with people’s realities," he said.

Asked about the purpose of a meeting later on Monday of Labour’s executive and parliamentary group, he said its purpose was to chart the future for the party and the government. It was not a matter of taking a vote of confidence.

That, he said, was requested by those who wanted to extend their presence artificially, insisting he was not "glued" to his chair. He still had his profession and when he felt his time was up, he would be the one to decide to go, he said.