Muscat prepares the way for Michael Falzon to become Labour Party deputy leader

Like the Nationalist Party, the Labour Party has two deputy leaders – even though one of them, Louis Grech, who is also deputy prime minister, is largely invisible.

But unlike the Nationalist Party, one of those deputy leaders cannot be a member of parliament. This is the deputy leader for party affairs. Toni Abela is the current incumbent, but as we now know, plans are afoot to dispatch him to represent Malta at the European Court of Auditors at €240,000 a year plus generous perks and allowances.

So a replacement has to be found. Muscat now plans to change the rules so that a member of parliament can fill the post.

The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are now slotting into place. Muscat persuaded Falzon to go quietly, as he did with Engerer, by promising him something else: the deputy leadership of the Labour Party. And Toni Abela could only be persuaded out of that position by means of a giant carrot made of platinum: membership of the European Court of Auditors.