Labour leader Joseph Muscat’s biggest concern to date is the possibility that the country may wake up on January 1 without a Budget.

The Prime Minister has clearly tied the Budget to a vote of confidence

Dr Muscat said yesterday that with unemployment edging up for the seventh month in a row, economic uncertainty would increase if the Budget was not approved.

While being interviewed on Radio Malta’s Għandi x’ngħid, Dr Muscat said time was running out for the Government to take the necessary decisions.

He was referring to the possibility of an election before Christmas, which is fast disappearing in view of the fact that Parliament is likely be dissolved when a vote on the Budget is taken, probably in December.

That would mean having an election sometime next year without a Budget being approved. Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono has said he will vote against the Budget.

When asked whether in the circumstances it was appropriate for the Opposition to support the Budget in the national interest, Dr Muscat said the Labour Party could not do so.

“The Prime Minister has clearly tied the Budget to a vote of confidence and the Opposition does not have confidence in the Government,” he said.

Last month Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi publicly declared that voting in favour of the Budget would equate to a vote of confidence and called on every MP to shoulder responsibility for his actions.

Dr Muscat said the Prime Minister had “painted himself into a corner” and warned that this course of action was endangering jobs.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com