This mortal sin was also committed by those who read Strickland's newspapers, printed by his Progress Press, namely the "Daily Malta Chronicle" and "Ix-Xemx". He subsequently began publishing "Il-Progress" and "Il-Berqa". The clash between the Catholic bishops and the Constitutional Party led to the suspension of the Maltese Constitution following consultations between the British Governor and London. Between July 1932 and November 1933, Strickland was again the leader of the Opposition, and after the grant of a new Constitution in 1939, he became the leader of the elected majority in the Council of Government.