Labour MP Robert Abela had turned down parliamentary secretary role

Newly-elected Labour MP Robert Abela had rejected an offer from Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to become a parliamentary secretary, newspaper Illum has reported.

Abela, the son of President Emeritus George Abela, was appointed as Muscat’s personal legal consultant - an unpaid role - when the Prime Minister announced his new Cabinet two weeks ago.

However, Illum reported today that he had originally been offered the position of an unspecified parliamentary secretary but had turned it down for reasons unknown.

Contacted by the newspaper, Abela refused to confirm or deny the report, arguing that “my conversations with the Prime Minister will remain between us”.

His role as legal consultant is similar to that previously held by George Abela during the short-lived Alfred Sant administration of 1996-1998 and, like his father, will get to attend Cabinet meetings.

Robert Abela was elected to Parliament from the sixth district, obtaining 3,403 votes at the first count in what was his first ever election.