PN MP Claudio Grech has announced he won’t contest the upcoming election “to make space for new blood”.

“The party is regenerating ourselves before your eyes, we’re united and gathering strength,” Grech told PN supporters at a rally in Valletta.

Opposition leader Bernard Grech thanked the MP, pledging he will remain a “pillar” of the party.

He becomes the fourth sitting PN MP to announce they won’t contest the election today, following Clyde Puli, Kristy Debono and Mario Galea.

Grech has only been an MP since 2013 and was most recently entrusted with the role of Shadow Economy Minister and with drafting the party’s election manifesto. He had often been touted within PN circles as a potential future leader of the Nationalist Party but never contested a leadership role.