Together Gibraltar has called on the Chief Minister to “come clean” on whether he is writing columns in the New People newspaper under a pseudonym.

The party says that, if this is the case, it is “nothing short of scandalous.”

A statement continued: “For a government to claim it does not have enough time to honour its manifesto commitment to have monthly meetings of Parliament because of Brexit, only to then have its Chief Minister skulking in the shadows writing articles to undermine his political opponents, would be politically fraudulent and unjustifiable.

“The New People is, sadly, nothing more than a window into the Chief Minister's mind. Every week it carries a character assassination on whomever has angered him the most, be it the incorruptible Henry Pinna, or a pressure group protesting against the changes to community care. Sometimes using privileged information available to the government.

“To top it all, the government has channeled seven thousand pounds of taxpayers’ money in advertising for this paper this year alone. It will be recalled that Mr Picardo was vehemently critical of the GSD government doing exactly the same thing with the Seven Days publication. His hypocrisy knows no limits.

“Let us not also forget that, as the GSD revealed last June, and we have been able to confirm, the Chief Minister is the ultimate beneficial owner of the New People.

“So in summary: The Chief Minister owns a newspaper. He channels taxpayers’ money into it under the pretence of 'advertising'. Then he uses that newspaper to trash his political opponents and anyone who dares to incur his wrath. If this was the UK, a Parliamentary Standards Commission would already be investigating this state of affairs.

“And before Mr Picardo calls this an 'attack on the free press', let's remind ourselves that real journalists sign their own names to their articles. They don't hide behind the journalist equivalent of a social media 'fake profile'.

“There are no journalists working for the New People. There is only a retired teacher who forms part of the GSLP executive, and publishes whatever his party hands him that week. And the taxpayer pays for the privilege.”

YGTV has contacted the New People and the Chief Minister for a response.