“You should have resigned the minute the allegations came out – that was the bare minimum,” Borg Bonello wrote. “For every day you held out, you dragged politics lower. I’m disappointed and frustrated. Your actions affect all of us, including the women who will succeed you. We deserved better.”

However, Cutajar took issue with the photo Borg Bonello used to accompany her post – an old photo showing the MP striking a pose. 

“Your choice of photo won’t embarrass me; on the contrary, it reminds me of when I was a university student 12 years ago,” she told her in a private DM. “I’m more disappointed at your style of politics; you have so much spite and hatred at such a tender age.”

“You aren’t even 18 years old and you want to judge, personally attack and insult everyone. I’m honestly sad for you; your attitude will guarantee an even greater defeat for the PN at the next general election.”

Borg Bonello responded that she chose that photo to stress her point that young, women politicians can leave a positive impact on her generation.

“I don’t know why you think I want to ridicule you when people have uploaded way worse photos than that, which reminds me of the misogynistic pressure we’re under. I won’t be part of this.”

“I don’t know how you can interpret my point about political integrity as hatred. We’re not going to enjoy losing one of our only women MPs, and the youngest one at that, irrespective of which party they form part of.”

“I hope that if the Standards Commissioner finds nothing wrong, you’ll be able to continue working. My point is about your responsibility towards your role and towards all politically observant youths.”

“I stand by what I said; my words didn’t express hatred or spite, although it’s undoubtedly a tactic to interpret all criticism as such,” Borg Bonello said. “May I remind you what happened the last time the Labour Party went after a writer for years in such a manner and worse.”

This is the second time Borg Bonello and Cutajar got into an online tiff; only a month ago, the two of them got into a public spate on TikTok about a video Cutajar had posted to celebrate women empowerment.

Cutajar resigned as Reforms Parliamentary Secretary yesterday, pending an investigation by the Standards Commissioner into her alleged secret business with Yorgen Fenech, the man charged with conspiring to assassinate journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

According to revelations from the Times of Malta, Cutajar pocketed over  €46,500 for her role in a Mdina property deal involving Fenech. A further €9,000 was handed to her directly from Fenech.

What do you make of this exchange?