Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne would not say whether he believed Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s position is still tenable after the arrest of former chief of staff Keith Schembri. 

Instead, when asked about this by Times of Malta, the Health Minister referred to the unanimous vote of confidence Dr Muscat received during a Labour Party executive committee meeting on Tuesday.

“Yesterday, after the parliamentary group unanimously backed the Prime Minister on Monday, he also received a unanimous vote of confidence during a Labour Party executive committee meeting,” Mr Fearne said. 

He spoke to journalists following a visit to a gaming event being held in Ta’ Qali. 

Asked about the current political situation in Malta, following the resignations of former ministers Konrad Mizzi and Chris Cardona and the arrest of former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, Mr Fearne said the country “needs serenity”. 

“The economy must continue to flourish. There needs to be safety on the island. This is my main interest at this moment. It is also what the government and the people want,” he said.

On the investigations into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Mr Fearne said these are still ongoing.

“I am happy that what I have always believed about the police – that they are serious, they take initiative and they know what they are doing – was correct. 
“We have to let the police do their work and we will proceed depending on any other developments.”