Philip Fenech told to choose between Labour and Chamber of SMEs (GRTU)

Chamber of SMEs official Philip Fenech has been told he must choose between contesting the next general elections on behalf of the Labour Party or continuing in his role as deputy president of the Chamber (known as the GRTU), The Shift can confirm.

Chamber officials told The Shift that following persistent rumours that Fenech was preparing to announce his candidacy for Labour, he was informed that he would have to resign from the Chamber once he was officially confirmed as a political candidate.

The Shift is informed that Fenech met Labour Leader and Prime Minister Robert Abela a few weeks ago to discuss his candidacy.

Contacted by The Shift, Fenech confirmed that he had been approached by Labour to contest the elections. However, he insisted that Labour was not the only Party that had contacted him.

Meanwhile, The Shift is informed that the Nationalist Party has never discussed any possible candidacy with Fenech.

Fenech was cautious in his replies, stating that “at the time being I am not contesting the next general elections.”

When pressed about whether he ruled out a Labour candidacy, Fenech insisted that while he has no plans to contest, he always “leaves the door open” as he could change his mind in the future.

Rumours about the 71-year-old’s interest in contesting the elections with Labour raised eyebrows within the Chamber, with some officials expressing surprise that Fenech, who has long projected himself as politically impartial, might run on a Party ticket.

Fenech is one of the longest-serving figures within the Chamber of SMEs and has been involved in the organisation for decades.

Earlier in his career, he publicly supported the Nationalist Party administration’s push for Malta’s accession to the European Union and backed the candidacy of the late Director General Vince Farrugia when he contested the European Parliament elections for the Nationalist Party.

In more recent years, following a change in administration, Fenech has forged closer ties with Labour.

This resulted in Fenech being appointed as a paid government consultant through a ‘person of trust’ contract by former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo.

Despite receiving a government advisory role with a remuneration package exceeding €30,000 annually, on top of his pension, Fenech retained his position within the Chamber.

Parliamentary questions by Nationalist MP Albert Buttigieg revealed that Fenech’s committee has rarely met over the years and that its work remains largely opaque.

Committee members told The Shift that meetings were infrequent and informal, often amounting to little more than casual discussions over a coffee.

Business figures in the tourism sector were similarly dismissive, describing the committee’s activities as insignificant.

The Paceville area currently falls under the remit of the St Julian’s local council, which is represented on the committee. A council member also described the forum as largely ineffective.