Britain's Sunday Times has confirmed suspicion by some quarters in Malta that the island was kept off the UK's green list of safe travel destinations despite scientific advice that it was good to go.
The newspaper described what went on within the British government under the headline 'Blazing cabinet bust-up over Portugal and Malta put paid to holiday hopes'.
Portugal was relegated from the green list to the amber list when the review was announced on Thursday while no new countries were placed on the green list, dashing the hopes of many would-be holidaymakers and the tourism industry in Malta.
Destinations on the green list are attractive because travellers do not have to quarantine on their return to the UK.
"Ministers ignored scientific advice that Malta could go on the green list and rejected plans to put Portugal on a watch list after a row between (Transport Secretary) Grant Shapps and (Health Secretary) Matt Hancock" the newspaper quoted government sources as saying.
It said two senior experts of the Joint Biosecurity Centre had said that Malta and a list of other islands should be added to the green list.
Shapps, with support from the Treasury, also argued that Portugal should be put on a watch list.
But Hancock along with Cabinet office Minister Michael Gove and the Home Office wanted Portugal put on the amber list and killed off the proposal to open up Malta for travel.
The newspaper said other cabinet ministers were furious that the key scientific papers were given to them 10 minutes before the meeting started.
"There were clear reasons to put Malta on the green list but the formal recommendation from the Department of Health was that it should not happen," the newspaper said, quoting its sources.
"Hancock doesn't think anyone should be going abroad on holiday this year. He is killing British travel abroad. If we are going to follow scientific advice to stop people travelling, we should be following scientific advice if they say people can travel," the government sources added.
The UK decision was greeted with disappointment in Malta, and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association had questioned whether the decision was political, given the low number of COVID-19 cases here and the high level of vaccination.