Updated 3.21pm

Labour backbench MP Etienne Grech has resigned from parliament, the Labour Party said on Wednesday, amid rumours that former minister Justyne Caruana is also planning to quit politics. 

Grech, a doctor by profession, was first elected to parliament in 2013. In a brief statement, the PL said he was resigning for "personal reasons", thanked him for his work and said it would be co-opting his replacement into parliament in the coming days. 

His resignation is the second in two weeks for Labour, following that of former prime minister Joseph Muscat two weeks ago. 

A third - that of former Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana - is likely to follow in the coming days, Times of Malta is informed.   

Caruana had resigned as minister back in January after Times of Malta reported that her husband, former deputy police chief Silvio Valletta, had an intimate friendship with alleged Daphne Caruana Galizia murder accomplice Yorgen Fenech.

She subsequently returned to the Labour backbench, serving as an MP, and was made a consultant to the Lands Authority. 

Caruana has now informed close colleagues that she plans to leave the political arena in the coming days, Times of Malta is informed. That would represent a significant change of heart for her: following her resignation in January, Caruana had said that she intended to continue in politics and run as a candidate in the next general election.

"I am still 45 and still have a lot to offer to the people and to the country," Caruana had said at the time. 

The two resignations could mean Labour will soon have three new faces in parliament, after former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat also resigned his seat earlier this month. 

Who could the new MPs be?

One of the new faces is likely to be Andy Ellul, a former police officer who is a criminal lawyer and government policy advisor.

He wrote on Facebook that he was "ready to offer my services" and shared a picture with Prime Minister Robert Abela.

Times of Malta first broke the news last week that powerhouse MEP Miriam Dalli is among the possible candidates to replace the former prime minister.

While Dalli has declined to comment on speculation linking her to a return to Malta, the odds of her being co-opted into parliament increased this week after none of the 2017 general election candidates eligible to replace Muscat submitted their names for a casual election which closed on Monday.

Labour sources say the party is keen for Miriam Dalli to quit as an MEP and enter Malta's parliament.Labour sources say the party is keen for Miriam Dalli to quit as an MEP and enter Malta's parliament.

Robert Abela mulls reshuffle

Meanwhile, party sources have said that Prime Minister Robert Abela is considering a reshuffle of his group.  

Several ministers contacted by Times of Malta in recent days said that while the matter had not formally been discussed in Cabinet, internal discussions among ministers and colleagues had speculated on rumours of a possible Cabinet overhaul.  

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