Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday said he "could not endorse" plans to construct a new Parliament building in Freedom Square, Valletta, but stopped short of saying he was against the idea.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Dr Muscat said he was in favour of rehabilitating the entrance to the capital. However, he added that spending millions to build a new Parliament when families were struggling to make ends meet and coping with the burden of the new water and electricity tariffs was not a priority for his party.

The Labour leader said plans for the project by Italian architect Renzo Piano had changed since the original announcement, which started with the building of Parliament instead of the old Opera House.

"The Prime Minister needs to state clearly and unequivocally what brief he unilaterally gave to Renzo Piano," Dr Muscat said.

The original brief given to the world-renowned architect was for the building of a new Parliament on the site of the old Opera House ruins. However, Mr Piano proposed to turn that area into an open-air theatre while shifting the Parliament building to Freedom Square.

Dr Muscat said that as different phases of the project were announced, there was no consultation with the opposition to enable the Labour Party to seriously evaluate whether this was the best option.

The project was steadily shifting from a national project to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's "personal ego trip", the Leader of the Opposition insisted.

Beyond the Parliament, Dr Muscat said the party agreed with plans for the revamp of City Gate, and supported the use of the Opera House ruins as a theatre.

But he unequivocally supported the demand made by artists that the proposed theatre was not a solution to the shortcomings found in other theatres.

"The stand taken by an increasing number of artists in favour of having a theatre fit to the necessities of the island's cultural scene is correct," Dr Muscat said.

An appeal for consultation was made by 128 artists from the Maltese theatre scene February 16, who signed an open letter calling on the government to discuss the future of the old opera house in Valletta.

The Prime Minister said he was willing to discuss the proposed open-air theatre in Valletta but emphasised that the concept was Mr Piano's brainchild.