The Labour Party speaks according to the audience it has in front of it, Nationalist Party deputy leader Simon Busuttil said this morning.

If it speaks to hunters, it tells them what they like to hear; if it speaks to environmentalists, it tells them what they like to hear too, he said when speaking to journalists at the end of a walkabout in Sliema.

He said that as deputy leader and even before he approached many people who were not happy with the way the Nationalist Party had cut itself off but in the past months the PN had moved closer to them and he committed himself that he will remain close to them even after the election.

Asked why disgruntled PN supporters should vote for the Nationalist Party, Dr Busuttil replied: “They should vote PN for the simple reason that the country is on its feet. He said that every time Mediterranean countries chose to trust a Socialist government with their future, they ended up in deep water, suggesting that the same would happen to Malta in the event the electorate trusted Labour.

When asked why the PN felt the need to issue a statement disassociating itself from rumours that were making the rounds on social media over Labour leader Joseph Muscat’s personal life, Dr Busutill said that the PN in no way was planning to release anything of the sort while slamming the social media reports for having attributed the Nationalist Party to such false claims. He added that this wasn’t the way to do politics.

The question led to another and Dr Busuttil was asked if the public had a right to know over a public figure's personal life. He replied by saying: “Yes, but on these particular claims, the PN fully distances itself.”