Hard-working people in the middle class are being pushed into poverty, Opposition leader Adrian Delia warned on Sunday.

Speaking during a short phone-in interview, the Nationalist party leader said there was a new form of poverty forming - one where those who were educated and employed were still struggling to make it to the end of the month.

"These are the realities we are meeting every day," Dr Delia said.

Long-term planning was needed, but those who were struggling financially could not be told to wait 10 or 20 years for change, he said.

"We will continue to call for a long-term plan while being sensitive to the realities of these people," he said. 

Turning to a report by the International Monetary Fund calling for urgent action on the financial sector, Dr Delia said the government was ruining Malta's reputation internationally.

A critical IMF report earlier this week warned anti-money laundering rules needed to be strengthened.

Banks were suffering as a consequence, Dr Delia said, adding people were finding it hard to open accounts. 

Turning to a recent Ombudsman's report noting a selection process in the Armed Forces of Malta had been a "screen", Dr Delia said institutions had been captured by the Labour government.