Franco Debono says he will vote against the Budget

Nationalist MP Franco Debono announced for the first time this morning that he will vote against the Budget. To date he had only been saying that he would not back the government on the Budget - meaning that it could have been approved through the Speaker's casting vote. Writing in his blog, Dr Debono said that he would be  filing an amendment to the Opposition's car parks motion, turning it into a no confidence vote in Transport Minister Austin Gatt. "With Austin Gatt in cabinet after this latest in a series of scandals I will vote against the Budget and against the oligarchy, in favour of the re-establishment of full democracy in Malta," Dr Debono said. The Opposition presented its motion against the government's car parks privatisation plans on Friday but it announced today that the plans have been suspended.