Prime Minister Joseph Muscat today justified the comment he made during the Xarabank debate with PN Leader Simon Busuttil last Friday about Dr Busuttil's "sweaty hands", saying he was paying Busuttil back for a comment about body language.

The Prime Minister was asked by The Malta Independent whether in hindsight, such a statement made on Friday was a mistake given that Dr Busuttil has a condition known as Hyperhidrosis, a condition that causes excess sweating of the palms and soles.

The Prime Minister said that he is not aware of any condition. Pressed again whether in hindsight he believes it was the right move, the Prime Minister said "he made fun of my body language so... I wasn't making fun of any condition."

The PN has been striking at the Prime Minister's body language both during the debate as well as in other situations.

On Friday's Xarabank, the Prime Minister repeatedly referred to Dr Busuttil's sweaty hands, and his words have been picked up by most Labour supporters to attack the Opposition Leader on a personal level.

It is hard to believe that the PM did not know about Busuttil's condition.

His friend, colleague and Labour candidate Glenn Bedingfield had written about it last year, as can be seen in the screenshot below. The article was written on 17 May 2016.

Bedingfield writes his blog while holding a position and having an office at the Prime Minister's office in Castille.