PL's CEO says party's partisan election campaign might have lost more votes than it gained

Many people were put off by Labour's rhetoric the latest election campaign, according to party CEO Randolph De Battista, who was a guest on Andrew Azzopardi's radio show on Saturday.

De Battista pointed out that the "partisan" rhetoric about the judiciary was a major issue during the campaign.

Prime Minister Robert Abela had criticised magistrate Gabriella Vella after recommending charges against former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and several other government officials linked to the fraudulent Vitals hospitals concession. Abela claimed these charges related to the hospitals deal were timed to hinder the election campaign.

De Battista kept his distance from these remarks, saying that this approach probably lost more votes than it gained. 

De Battista highlighted that many people want Labour to adopt a more inclusive tone that represents the entire population, and that he had been voicing his concerns on the matter inernally for years.

He also mentioned a "small but noisy" group within Labour that wants to maintain the status quo.

The PL's CEO also denied Neville Gafa's claims that his partner, Cyrus Engerer, tried to organise a block vote against Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba within the European Parliament. De Battista argued that such attacks were intended to pressure those within Labour who are advocating for cleaner politics.

Regarding his relationship with the Prime Minister, De Battista said he speaks regularly with Abela. Although Abela recently mentioned having "differences of opinion" with De Battista, the Labour CEO downplayed this, emphasising the importance of diverse opinions.