(Adds comments by Joseph Muscat)

The Labour Party today reacted to complaints about the leakage of information about its delegates to a newspaper, saying updated lists had been given to all candidates for posts within its structures.

This, it said, had always been the practice.

Lists were given, on request, to those seeking posts in the party administration and national executive, as well as general election candidates.

Any speculation about this case was aimed only at harming the party, the MLP said.

Leadership candidate Evarist Bartolo said earlier today that the leakage of the list of candidates to a newspaper had ‘poisoned’ the process for the election of the leadership. Marie-Louise Coleiro-Preca, Michael Falzon and Joseph Muscat also condemned the leakage.

Dr Muscat in a letter to the MLP electoral commission said today he backed Dr Coleiro-Preca's call for the commission to investigate what had happened. He said the leakage of this information was unacceptable and the the exercise done through this information (a newspaper survey of voting intentions) had put undue pressure on the delegates and hindered all the candidates.The survey had found Dr Muscat strongly ahead.