New MEP Glenn Bedingfield has made Mario Cutajar, the former deputy general secretary of the General Workers' Union, his main political adviser.

Mr Cutajar left his public service employment on unpaid leave soon after the election of Mr Bedingfield a few weeks ago.

Contacted by The Sunday Times, Mr Bedingfield confirmed that the former GWU official now forms part of his team together with all the other members of the staff previously employed by his predecessor, Labour leader Joseph Muscat.

Mr Cutajar, a former public relations officer of the fiery former Labour Minister Joe Debono Grech in the 1980s, had fallen out with GWU general secretary Tony Zarb and resigned from the union in 2002.

Meanwhile, following Dr Muscat's resignation as MEP and the election of Mr Bedingfield, the Labour Party has carried out some changes in its EP committees.

Labour's head of delegation in Brussels, Louis Grech, is now a member of the Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Internal Market and Consumer Affairs Committees, previously covered by Dr Muscat, while Mr Bedingfield will be participating in the Budgets and Regional Development Committees.

The other Labour MEP, John Attard Montalto, retained his original seat in the Industry and Transport Committees.

In his financial declaration to the EP upon his election, Mr Bedingfield, who is also a restaurateur, declared a directorship in a commercial company as his only other paid activity.

The new MEP also declared he has not received any financial or material support in relation to his political activity.

The next European Parliament election will be held on June 6.