Updated at 4.24pm with PN replies

The Nationalist Party has denied suggestions that leader Adrian Delia could be on his way out after just a year at its helm.

In a terse reply to the Times of Malta, a party spokesman insisted on Monday afternoon that Dr Delia was not mulling on "dignified exit", as claimed by Malta Today.

This is “absolutely not the case,” he said.

“Dr Delia is here to stay”, the spokesman added.

However, earlier on Monday the PN leader had declined to comment when asked directly about the matter, following the opening exchanges of a meeting held with the Malta Motorsport Federation at the party’s headquarters in Pieta.

Dr Delia said he would only answer such question if sent in writing to the party spokesman.

According to Malta Today, Dr Delia's close aides had been engaged in discussions on his possible exit from the party. Apart from having to face internal dissent from day one, it was also claimed the personal problems with his wife had also taken its toll on him.

Race track could host other activities - federation president

Away from the issue, Dr Delia expressed his disappointment on what he described as the lack of importance to sustain sport in the 2019 Budget. The PN leader noted that Malta's mild climate could be used as a good platform to attract sports tourism for outdoor events.

He added that apart from allocating money to construct facilities, the government could also give financial support to Maltese athletes excelling on the international scene.

Motorsport Federation president Tonio Cini said that the construction of a proper track would also benefit other organisations. He noted that despite the lack of facilities, Maltese competitors were obtaining good results in international competitions.

Mr Cini said they would be willing to consider hosting other events, should they be granted land to construct a racing track, adding that talks have been held on the possibility to organise cycling competitions.