Repubblika said Wednesday it believes that political parties should have clear rules excluding from positions of political responsibility people who have admitted to or been convicted of corruption.

The reported candidature of Philip Gatt for the Labour Party's National Executive exposes a serious weakness in these rules, Repubblika said.

Gatt admitted to charges related to corruption and was convicted in 2018. The Labour Party has said that under its rules he is eligible to stand and invoked the principle that people should be given "a second chance".

"We believe in rehabilitation and in second chances. Someone who has served the punishment imposed by a court should not continue to be punished for the rest of their life. But political office is different. Being entrusted with political power is not a right. It is a privilege and a position of trust," Repubblika said.

Anyone entrusted with political responsibility can influence decisions concerning public money, the country's institutions and the lives of citizens. A previous conviction for corruption is therefore directly relevant to the decision whether someone should once again be entrusted with that responsibility, the statement added.

The minimum standard we should expect is a simple one: political parties should have internal rules preventing anyone who has admitted to or been convicted of corruption from holding a position of political responsibility or being involved in decisions about who should stand for public office.

This is not an additional punishment. It is the minimum necessary to protect the integrity of public life and public confidence in our country's political institutions, the statement said.