The Nationalist Party executive has issued a unanimous condemnation of its MPs Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Franco Debono, who brought down PN pillars Richard Cachia Caruana and Carm Mifsud Bonnici with their votes in Parliament.

Another backbencher, Jesmond Mugliett, was not spared from PN condemnation either. He had abstained on Monday over the opposition motion censuring Malta’s permanent representative to the EU Mr Cachia Caruana, who resigned after the motion was carried on the strength of Mr Pullicino Orlando’s support for it.

Dr Debono, who has become a no-holds barred critic of the government, had voted with the opposition on its motion calling for the resignation of former Home Affairs Minister Dr Mifsud Bonnici, ensuring that he too would step down.

The two votes were the latest in a serious of major setbacks for the government of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi at the hands of dissenters from within the PN’s ranks. At the beginning of the year he barely survived a no-confidence motion in Parliament and had to call another one early this month after the government’s defeat on the Mifsud Bonnici motion.

Last night, the Executive said it had met for the first time since the two motions moved by Labour, approved through the votes of the three Nationalist MPs.

It saluted Dr Mifsud Bonnici and Mr Cachia Caruana and thanked them for their years of service for the good of the country.

It urged them to continue to serve Malta despite the personal attacks made against them.

On Tuesday the PN had said rebel backbenchers Mr Pullicino Orlando and Mr Mugliett would “face consequences” for voting the way they did on the Cachia Caruana motion.

Asked earlier yesterday, PN whip David Agius would not be drawn into saying whether the MPs would be kicked out of the parliamentary group: “I will discuss my opinion in the parliamentary group.”

Last January, the parliamentary group had condemned Dr Debono’s declaration that he was withdrawing his support for the government and called for his resignation.