Adrian Vassallo, Labour’s self-labelled conservative MP, yesterday dismissed rumours he will be voting against his party in the censure motion against Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici.

I may have been mistaken and used the wrong words

“I will be voting with my party. Anything else being said is a far-fetched rumour,” he told The Sunday Times when asked if he had been approached by the Nationalist Party to side with the government during Wednesday’s parliamentary vote.

Dr Vassallo reiterated his stand last night when he was interviewed by the head of One News, Mark Farrugia, and confronted with these same reports.

“I have said I will remain loyal. I cannot understand who invents these things. I will declare from now that I will vote with my party... I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I did otherwise,” he said.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s political future hangs in the balance when a vote will this week be taken on Labour’s motion of no-confidence in him.

Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono has been lashing out at his fellow MP’s failure to drive reform, but stopped short of saying how he will vote.

During the 11-minute interview, Dr Vassallo extended an olive branch to Labour after his recent declarations that he no longer felt he had a place in the party and he no longer attended parliamentary group meetings because these were simply a “rubber stamp” of what the leader wanted.

However, Dr Vassallo steered clear of retracting the way he had described Labour leader Joseph Muscat’s reaction as “dictatorial” when the MP had last year voted against the divorce Bill.

Dr Vassallo said his parliamentary group had kept him informed and sought his opinion, because more often than not he was unable to attend.

“I may have been mistaken and used the wrong words but I can assure everyone that the parliamentary group is not a rubber stamp... I’m sorry if it was a mistake from my end; it’s not what I intended to say.”

Dr Vassallo said he had welcomed Dr Muscat into his home after he sent out a letter to the media earlier this month, formally announcing he would not be seeking re-election as he had reached the conclusion he was “more of an embarrassment to the party than an asset”.

“There is no animosity between us. He always respected my opinion that I’m conservative and gave me the chance to express myself...

“He understood I was a bit hurt. From my end I am prepared to extend a hand of friendship.”