The Labour Party has insisted it did not ask Vince Farrugia to contest the Euro-parliamentary elections on its behalf as the MEP hopeful stood his ground and made fresh claims that he had been asked three times to do so.
"If Mr Farrugia mistakes a pre-dinner, tongue-in-cheek remark for an invitation to contest, then he is clutching at straws," a Labour (PL) spokesman said.
Mr Farrugia, the director general of the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU, who is contesting the upcoming elections on a Nationalist Party ticket, said he had been even asked to run by Michelle Muscat, the Labour leader's wife.
Mr Farrugia insisted on his claims, saying Labour leader Joseph Muscat had even told him he stood no chance with the PN.
"In private he (Dr Muscat) says certain things but in public he says others," Mr Farrugia said, adding that he has known Dr Muscat for a long time, especially since Mrs Muscat used to work at the GRTU.
Mr Farrugia had first claimed he was approached by Labour to contest the MEP elections in an interview with the Business section of The Times last week. The PL denied this, saying all those who had been approached by Dr Muscat had agreed to contest on the PL ticket.
He said the first time the subject was broached in December, Dr Muscat asked him why he was not interested in contesting for Labour and Mr Farrugia replied that he had not been asked. Some time later, Dr Muscat told Mr Farrugia he would be willing to support the GRTU's stand on rent reform but wanted something in return.
"He told me not to contest with PN," Mr Farrugia said.
Labour MP Charles Mangion, who was present for the meeting, denied this. Dr Mangion said it was "definitely" not the case and at the time Mr Farrugia had said he had not decided who to contest with.
Mr Farrugia insisted that the third time the two met, Dr Muscat had asked him to contest with the PL.
In reply to questions by The Times, the Labour spokesman said: "The PL appreciates the fact that Mr Farrugia might want to be associated with Dr Muscat in order to gain some credibility".
The spokesman said Dr Muscat met personally with each prospective candidate the party wanted on its list in his office at the party headquarters.
Mr Farrugia was not among them.
The Labour administration had discussed each prospective candidate and Mr Farrugia's name was never mentioned or discussed and Mr Farrugia had never been before the PL national executive who considered and approved each prospective candidate, the spokesman added.