The Nationalist Party says it did not put any pressure on former Sliema local councillor Julian Galea to step down despite his disparaging comments about Labourites.

A spokesman for the party told The Times that Mr Galea resigned last week of his own accord.

“It was Mr Galea’s decision to resign from the Sliema local council. The Nationalist Party accepted his resignation and agreed with his decision. The party had immediately condemned, publicly, his comments,” the spokesman said.

Although it did not come from the party, pressure was piled on Mr Galea to resign and he finally called it a day on Thursday after recordings of him saying he had a phobia of Labourites were released on the eve of the March 10 council elections.

He also claimed he paid Labourite employees less than their Nationalist co-workers, sparking an investigation by the Director of Employment and Industrial Relations.

The 30-year-old politician apologised for his remarks but did not pull out of the election and made it to the new council despite not reaching the quota.

However, he had a change of heart and resigned five days after being elected and before he was officially sworn in.

Reiterating his apology, Mr Galea said he wanted to ensure that the controversy would not dog the council in its work.

The resignation opens a vacancy for another councillor via a by-election.