Prime Minister Joseph Muscat distanced himself from comments made by government consultant Tony Zarb against activists and slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Dr Muscat declined to give his position on whether Mr Zarb should be stripped of the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika award, as proposed by the Nationalist Party. 

“But that is not my language and it is not a language I endorse,” he told reporters, on the fringe of a General Workers' Union conference.

In an incendiary video-blog, Mr Zarb lashed out at activists paying tribute to the journalist who was killed in a car bomb last October and said “the most important thing is Ms Caruana Galizia never returns".

He subsequently claimed that the remarks were taken out of context. 

It was the second time in a year that Mr Zarb’s comments made headlines. Last October, the former GWU  general secretary was forced to backtrack after labelling women activists “traitors” and comparing them to prostitutes.