Education Minister Evarist Bartolo this morning warned his listeners at Birkirkara that what he was about to say was "for adults only", and then went on to describe the Opposition as a party that is trying to become a virgin again.

In America, he said during a PL activity, women can spend €24 euros on a 30-minute surgery to restore their hymen and let her new partner believe that she has never been with a man.

This is what the Nationalist Party is doing, he said. After 25 years running a bordello, they are now undergoing a hymen-restoration surgery to become a virgin again, he said.

They are also preaching from the mount, he said, a clear reference to the Bible story in which Jesus addressed the crowds that had gathered to listen to his words.

Mr Bartolo however warned his listeners that the party should not commit own-goals. The Prime Minister, he said, wants to attack, and he should not be playing as a goalkeeper. Particularly, he should not be trying to defend against own-goals, Mr Bartolo said.

Earlier, former Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia said that if the party lost its moral authority - which PN leader Simon Busuttil said it did - the government would have lost the strength to lead the country.