The Labour Party’s first mass meeting this year was characterised by a PR stunt – supporters were invited to swap their old MLP flags for a PL one emblazoned with the party’s new logo.

And as the TV cameras swooped above the throng of thousands gathered at the Ta’ Qali pavilion, the effects of the flag swap could be clearly seen.

Gone was the sea of torch-adorned red flags that have characterised PL mass meetings for decades.

In their stead, excited supporters brandished white ‘Partit Laburista’ banners as they sang the national anthem during the mass meeting’s closing.

Not that the past banners were completely eradicated: the odd red flag continued to fly in the evening sky, with their owners unaware – or perhaps uninterested – in the PL’s flag swap.

And as the camera zoomed in on the crimson crowd, another thing became evident: many PL supporters, through conviction or sheer attraction to the colour red, are Manchester United supporters.