Former Labour finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem has applied for the job of deputy president of the Raad van State (Council of State), the government’s highest advisory body, the NRC and Volkskrant said on Saturday.

The job is technically a political appointment by the coalition government but Dijsselbloem was asked by the council to formally apply for the job because it is unhappy about the candidates who are being put forward, the papers say.

The job is currently held by Christian Democrat Piet Hein Donner who is due to retire and Thom de Graaf, a former D66 minister and current senator, had been tipped to take over.

According to the NRC, the council has ‘great problems’ with the current procedure. However, its preference for Dijsselbloem is likely to put a strain on the coalition because Labour is not part of the current government, the paper said.

The council has two main tasks and two separate divisions: one advises the government on new legislation and the other acts as the highest administrative court in the country.

King Willem-Alexander is the honorary chairman of the organisation.