Marlene Farrugia’s resignation from the Labour Party on Tuesday had been “a long time coming”, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.

“This had been coming for some time now, but I would have preferred her to stay,” he said.

Dr Farrugia resigned from the PL in a handwritten note to Dr Muscat after voting with the Opposition on an environment law, saying she was after more transparent governance, “particularly in environmental matters”.

Speaking on a visit to Algiers yesterday, Dr Muscat said her resignation was the next logical step for her to take after having voted against the government.

He said he enjoyed the relationship he had with Dr Farrugia and respected her opinions, despite having reservations over her conduct.

“I like the way she thinks, I might not like the way she acts and behaves, but I like the way she thinks,” he said.

Although Dr Farrugia’s resignation may have been in the pipeline for several months, Dr Muscat said it had still caught him off guard.

“It came at an unexpected time. No one was expecting this. I told her she could have at least typed the note out,” he said, cracking a smile. He later added he did not think her partner, and government Whip, Godfrey Farrugia had known she would be resigning.

He rejected the suggestion that her departure was a weight off his shoulders.

Although he had come under pressure to take action against her, particularly after Dr Farrugia had attended an Opposition rally to protect the environment, he would still have preferred her to criticise from within Labour ranks.

“I always prefer to have criticism come from within to help us grow and improve,” he said.

Where does it go from here? Dr Muscat said he had met Dr Farrugia and she had briefed him on how she intended to vote in Parliament over the coming months.

“I wish her luck and am sure everyone takes this [resignation] within the context it should be taken,” he said.