Joseph Muscat accused the Prime Minister of irresponsibility when he failed to be clear on the removal of succession duty as announced in the Budget.

The Labour leader said Lawrence Gonzi told his party newspaper on Sunday that succession duty on property transferred by parents to children on inheritance or donation would be completely removed.

“But then in The Sunday Times the Finance Minister clarified that it referred to the primary residence only,” Dr Muscat said, adding the Budget figures proved Dr Gonzi wrong and his Finance Minister right.

Speaking to supporters under a tent in Lija, where he was given a warm welcome, Dr Muscat again asked Dr Gonzi if he learned about the alleged corruption in oil purchases for the first timeon Sunday, when it was outed by MaltaToday. It was the same question he posed during a meeting in Rabat on that day.

Dr Muscat said talks on a gas pipeline had started in 1997 by then Foreign Minister George Vella with his Libyan and Italian counterparts.

These continued under the subsequent Nationalist administration, he added, but a decision was taken for fuel oil instead of gas.

Dr Muscat said it was rich for the PN spokespeople to scaremonger on Labour’s proposed LNG terminal when the Government was planning to build a floating gas terminal that supplied “all of Europe”.

He again asked Dr Gonzi whether he was sure that all Enemalta reports were published, without elaborating on what reports he was referring to.

Dr Muscat concluded his speech with an appeal to people of all political hues to “join the movement”. He said Malta had a major challenge in 2017 when it will take up the EU presidency and urged people to present a united front.

“Together we will ensure our country makes a success of this challenge... come with us, join us,” he said to rousing applause.