Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has vowed to keep fighting on, as surveys show his party continues to trail Labour badly in the polls.

A poll commissioned by Times of Malta puts the gap between the two parties at 47,000 votes. 

Speaking outside parliament, Grech said it is important for all those in the party to keep on working together.

"There is always hope, as long as we keep on working," Grech said. 

He said it is also important to understand the message conveyed in such polls, but also look beyond those same poll results.

Grech pointed towards the power of incumbency enjoyed by the Labour government as a factor contributing to the gap.

He accused the government of racking up huge debts as part of its “vote-buying” exercise.

“This is a reality we must fight. It happens under every government, but today it is unprecedented.”

He said the PN will keep on working to get its message across, despite the public broadcaster being hijacked by the government.

Grech took over as PN leader from Adrian Delia last year.

Since then, the party has failed to make any inroads into Labour’s huge popularity. 

Saturday's poll results represent a step back for the PN, with the party having lost 2.8 percentage points in support since the last Times of Malta poll, held in August. 

The results also indicated that just 14.5 per cent of respondents cite Grech as their favoured prime minister, compared to 52.1 per cent of respondents who cited Labour leader and incumbent Robert Abela. 

The Nationalist Party last won an election in 2008.