Incumbent Labour Party MEPs now in the final stages of launching their re-election campaigns are reportedly irked by what they are perceiving as a concerted push the party is giving Steve Ellul.
Ellul is the CEO of the new Project Green Agency and a potential new star candidate being lined up for the 2024 MEP election.
The Shift is informed that current Labour MEPs Cyrus Engerer, Alex Agius Saliba and Josianne Cutajar have expressed growing frustration with the situation and have informally complained to the Office of the Prime Minister.
Among their gripes is the fact that he is also being backed by Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, a former MEP and the most successful candidate in the 2019 election. Dalli has now appointed Ellul to lead the agency with its multi-million-euro annual budget, which has been continually and highly publicised in the media over the last month in which he has been in the role.
The Shift is also informed the MEPs were simply informed that there would be plenty of votes available in the coming election because former Labour leader Alfred Sant will not be contesting it.
Ellul was recruited from the banking sector as Dalli’s consultant and he quickly began appearing on Labour’s One TV and PBS as a commentator.
While it is almost a certainty among Labour insiders that Ellul is preparing to contest the 2024 MEP elections, he has so far not publicly confirmed his electoral intentions and has only said he is leaving his options open.
As Project Green CEO, Ellul has been entrusted with driving the government’s new green agenda and implementing its hundreds of millions of euros worth of highly popular projects aimed at greening the island.
In a departure from the standard good governance rules, Ellul has also been given total control of the agency with not even a board of directors or chairman to answer to.
Instead, Project Green Agency is more of a one-man show – where Ellul is earning over €90,000 a year despite having virtually no experience in the sector – that responds directly to Minister Dalli and her permanent secretary.
It is not known whether Ellul will be required to resign from the post once he announces his MEP candidature. His boss, Miriam Dalli, had not resigned from her consultancy for disgraced former minister Konrad Mizzi when she contested the 2014 MEP election.
—a year despite having virtually no experience in the sector.— ALL the qualifications required for the MLP cronies.
‘Greening’ is where the money is. See China. But it is, of course, just another feeding-frenzy scam.
Still making hay with EU funds even though the sun isn’t shining.
MOST of the EU funds are serving to enhance CORRUPTION. I’ve said this again and again and the only solution to stop this rampage is to stop the EU funding or CONTROL diligently the expenditure of such. The muvument korrott never wanted to join the EU, but now they’re all happy as they found a fertile ground from where they and their cronies can enjoying the fruit thanks to the PN foresight. .
At least he won’t have to change his surname like one of the MEP already there so that the electorate can give him their vote? AAS can maybe have to change his surname to Abba?
‘… there would be plenty of votes available in the coming election because former Labour leader Alfred Sant will not be contesting it.’
They are still sure that eveything will go according to the way the PL wishes for and they can count on the voters to vote for them. The long lasting effect from last year’s landslide win in the GE.
Given that the opposition remains in its present predicament, the PL might be proven right and the PL chums will have their own contest for who is going to get the ticket to Brussels soon enough. Worst of all is, that they also can count on those voters who don’t mind being insulted as ‘Gahans’ by those they vote for.
Ellul is still an employee of BOV. He made the rounds during the BOV Christmas Party canvassing for votes.