The government’s determination to cut welfare benefits for people who don’t speak sufficient Dutch took a knock on Tuesday when two of its supporters – the D66 Liberal democrats and small Christian party CU – dropped their backing, the NRC says on Tuesday.

The two parties say the measure is unrealistic now that local councils, who are in charge of welfare benefits, have described the proposal as inefficient, expensive and impossible to put into practice.

The draft legislation is being debated in parliament on Tuesday and Thursday.

The decision by D66 and the ChristenUnie to drop the plan means junior social affairs minister Jetta Klijnsma will need the support of right-wing parties to get the measure through the senate, where the ruling coalition does not have a majority.

If the draft bill becomes law, councils will be able to slash welfare benefits by up to 40% or stop them altogether if claimants do not make enough progress with learning Dutch or fail a test.

The draft legislation has undergone several revisions following protests from the coalition Labour party. Now the language requirement will be optional for councils and people who fail to meet the language requirements through no fault of their own will not face a cut in benefits, the NRC says.