Updated 5.50pm

Former Nationalist leader Simon Busuttil is the new party spokesman for good governance while Adrian Delia has taken on the justice watchdog's role as the team's portfolios were reshuffled.

Simon BusuttilSimon Busuttil

Dr Busuttil has been vociferous on corruption and good governance ever since being elected party leader in 2013.

Dr Delia started summoning members of his parliamentary group to meet on Friday evening, as talk of an imminent shadow cabinet reshuffle picked up steam. 

Dr Delia's meeting with MPs continued on Saturday morning.

In a statement, the PN said the portfolios would reflect Dr Delia's clear policy of being a positive and strong party.

The PN leader said: "We know our targets. We will arrive there by strengthening the fight against corruption but we will also dedicate the same energy to tackle the needs of families and the vulnerable."

Who will be assigned what?

Chris Said, who Dr Delia pipped to the leadership post last year, is the party's shadow minister for Gozo.

Jason Azzopardi was handed the environment portfolio, with Karol Aquilina put in charge of shadowing Julia Farrugia Portelli's portfolio of reform, citizenship and bureaucratic simplification portfolio. 

Former party deputy leaders Mario de Marco and Beppe Fenech Adami were named finance and home affairs spokesmen respectively. Sources said Dr Fenech Adami was initially offered the energy sector.

Kristy Debono will oversee the economy portfolio while Hermann Schiavone will be party spokesman for social dialogue.

The full portfolios are as follows:

Adrian Delia: Opposition leader and justice.

David Agius: deputy leader for parliamentary affairs and energy and water management.

Robert Arrigo: deputy leader for party affairs and tourism.

Clyde Puli: general secretary and education, human development.

Robert Cutajar: whip and local councils, communities and EU funds.

Frederick Azzopardi: deputy whip, education and social affairs.

Karol Aquilina: public service reform, citizenship and process simplification.

Jason Azzopardi: environment, maritime affairs, green initiatives.

Ivan Bartolo: social accommodation, fight against poverty, social exclusion.

Toni Bezzina: transport and infrastructure.

Simon Busuttil: good governance

Claudette Buttigieg:equal opportunities, civil liberties and rights, and deputy speaker

Ryan Callus: youths, sports and the fight against obesity.

Therese Comodini Cachia: media, culture and national identity.

Mario de Marco: finances.

Kristy Debono: economy, financial services and innovation.

Maria Deguara: active ageing, disability and the fight against habits.

Beppe Fenech Adami: national security and the fight against criminality.

Mario Galea: mental health, dementia, community care, diabetes and animal rights.

Karl Gouder: Employment and industrial relations.

Claudio Grech: family, social solidarity, pension, rights of the unborn child.

Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici: foreign affairs and promotion of commerce.

Marthese Portelli: capital projects, planning and property market.

Chris Said: Gozo and constitutional reforms.

Hermann Schiavone: social dialogue, civil society and contact with the public.

Stephen Spiteri: health.

David Stellini: EU affairs and Brexit.

Edwin Vassallo: self employed, SMEs, cooperatives, agriculture and fisheries.

Only two weeks ago, Dr Delia said that he was in no rush to appoint a shadow cabinet.

“The current shadow cabinet is working well. If I see that there is a need to better the cabinet, I will make the necessary changes,” Dr Delia had said when questioned on the matter during a visit to the revamped Is-Suq in Valletta.

Speculation that changes were in the pipeline stem from the fact that the current shadow cabinet is the one which had been appointed by his predecessor Simon Busuttil, despite the fact that Dr Delia has been at the helm for four months.

READ: No rush to appoint shadow cabinet, says Delia

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