Updated 3.30pm

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech assigned his predecessor Adrian Delia the health portfolio and promoted Darren Carabott to home affairs spokesperson, in a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet on Saturday. 

The changes come exactly a week after Prime Minister Robert Abela reshuffled his cabinet of ministers and a year to the day from the last time the Opposition reconfigured its team. 

Robert Cutajar was kept as whip with no changes in his responsibilities, with Paula Mifsud Bonnici remaining his deputy. David Agius, who will contest the June MEP elections, remains as deputy speaker. 

The PN reshuffle sees significantly more MPs reassigned to new duties than Abela's exercise a week ago. Some MPs have been assigned altogether new briefs, while others retain part of their previous responsibilities while having others switched. 

Delia, who spearheaded the party’s successful legal campaign to have contracts to privatise three state hospitals annulled, has been given responsibility for leading the party's health portfolio. 

That leaves no room for Stephen Spiteri, who will now serve as party spokesperson for social policy.

Spiteri's new brief is likely to overlap with the family and social services brief handed to Albert Buttigieg, who previously served as spokesperson for cost of living issues. 

Jerome Caruana Cilia will no longer lead the finance portfolio and has been tasked with shadowing the economy brief instead.

The post he vacates has been filled by Graham Bencini, who previously served as spokesperson for sports and public broadcasting.

Ivan J Bartolo, previously the party’s economy spokesperson, will be responsible for representing the party on employment issues and the creation of new economic sectors.

His namesake Ivan Bartolo will keep his social housing portfolio but will also be responsible for pensions. 

The reshuffle also sees Darren Carabott, who previously managed the local government and public administration briefs, get a significantly bigger role: he will now be the PN’s home affairs spokesperson as well as continuing to chair parliament's powerful Public Accounts Committee.

Carabott's new home affairs brief was previously led by criminal lawyer Joe Giglio, who will now be responsible for infrastructure.

Ryan Callus, the previous infrastructure spokesperson, will serve as PN spokesperson for energy and research, while Mark Anthony Sammut moves to transport, replacing Delia.

Claudette Buttigieg will speak for the party on issues concerning public administration, public broadcasting and diabetes. She previously oversaw the civil liberties portfolio which now moves to Graziella Attard Previ.

Rebekah Borg, previously responsible for shadowing the lands and consumer rights portfolios, will now be the PN’s spokesperson for the environment.

Eve Borg Bonello retains her climate change brief but also gets the added responsibility of shadowing the public cleansing portfolio.

Janice Abela Chetcuti retains the animal welfare portfolio but also gets consumer rights.

Ivan Castillo keeps maritime affairs and also gets social dialogue and the cost of living added to his portfolio.

Aside from serving as deputy speaker, David Agius will serve as party spokesperson for EU funds and sport. 

Chris Said remains spokesperson on the quality of life but has local councils added to his portfolio. Stanley Zammit is given research and innovation besides his planning and construction brief. And Carm Mifsud Bonnici is given the added responsibility for human rights, besides his constitutional reform portfolio.

There was no change in role for Karol Aquilina (justice), Robert Cutajar (whip, self-employed and SMEs), Mario de Marco (tourism), Alex Borg (Gozo), Graziella Galea (inclusion), Beppe Fenech Adami (foreign affairs and trade), Ian Vassallo (primary healthcare, mental health), Toni Bezzina (agriculture and fisheries), Justin Schembri (education), Charles Azzopardi (hunting and trapping, lifelong learning) and Julie Zahra (culture).

Various other MPs have seen slight modifications to their responsibilities. 

Last reshuffle was 12 months ago

Shadow ministers – generally referred to as ‘spokespersons’ – are tasked with closely following the work of every government minister and pointing out anything that could be done differently or in a better way.

Grech last reshuffled his shadow cabinet on January 13 last year when he brought Mario de Marco, Chris Said and Carm Mifsud Bonnici back in a reshuffle that handed all PN MPs a portfolio.

Grech on Sunday criticised Robert Abela's "cosmetic reshuffle" of his cabinet.  He said that Abela had been forced to carry out a "pseudo reshuffle" because, he claimed, he faced resistance from his top executive team.

Abela's surprise cabinet changes saw him promote some MPs to new posts and relegate others. The biggest surprise was Aaron Farrugia, who lost the Transport and Infrastructure ministry and was left out of cabinet completely.

Among the highest climbers were Jo Etienne Abela, who replaced Chris Fearne as Health Minister, and Chris Bonett who was promoted from parliamentary secretary to the new Transport Minister.

Fearne will be Malta’s nominee as EU Commissioner, which means the race will soon start for a new deputy prime minister.