Eight hours of crisis talks fail to end Dutch coalition row

Prime Minister Jetten (D66) and deputy prime ministers Yesilgöz (VVD) and Van den Brink (CDA) spent about eight hours in crisis talks at the Ministry of General Affairs in The Hague without resolving the coalition crisis. They will continue at the De Zwaluwenberg estate this weekend.

RJ

Rob Jetten

Prime Minister · @MinPres

“There have been good things happening in recent times, but there are also things that are not going well. And that has had an effect on the mutual relationships. That can be better and must be better - substantively, politically and personally. This calls for fundamental conversations, which we started today, and this conversation is not finished yet. The Netherlands deserves to keep moving forward.”

The day before, a majority in parliament passed the tax plan with the left-wing parties, without the VVD. Yesilgöz said the minority-cabinet experiment has failed and the coalition cannot go on like this. She said D66 and CDA look too often to the left.

JD

Jimmy Dijk

SP parliamentary leader · @jimmydijk

“Jetten is fighting for his cabinet. Yesilgoz is fighting for the VVD. This cabinet is over.”

Yesilgöz said an improvement is "possible in theory", but it would need a substantive correction and a political correction. She added that the three could also decide "to go to the King".

CP

Caroline van der Plas

BBB MP · @lientje1967

“Closing words from journalists to MP #Jetten, who shows a total lack of self-reflection: "Good luck! Thanks!" What the hell. #persconferentie #kabinetscrisis”

Jetten struck a conciliatory tone. Things had gone wrong and would be done better, he said, and the three parties must keep talking calmly. "Our work is nowhere near finished," he said.

Van den Brink stressed that the cabinet carries a heavy responsibility in the national interest. "That is why we will continue the intensive talks," he said. He would not respond to the other two: "I won't go into individual statements."