The Nationalist Party on Thursday called on the government to further help people and businesses after official figures showed inflation continuing to rise, despite it dropping in the euro area.

The National Statistics Office said on Wednesday that inflation in December was 7.3%, up marginally from November.

In the euro area, the annual inflation rate was 9.2% in December 2022, down from 10.1% in November.

The PN said it was concerned that the only people who seemed unaffected by rising prices were those close to the government who were feeding off thousands of euros in phantom consultancies, direct orders and salaries which were higher than the prime minister's. 

The statement was signed by MP Albert Buttigieg.