The Dutch government collapsed on Tuesday morning after Geert Wilders, leader of the far right PVV, stepped out of the coalition after failing to have his own way over asylum.

“No signature for our asylum plans, no changes to the main coalition agreement. The PVV is leaving the coalition,” Wilders said on social media.

At a press conference last week, Wilders presented a 10-point plan to cut migration by enlisting the army to secure and patrol the borders, close refugee accommodation facilities and send home all Syrian refugees on the grounds that the country is no longer high-risk.

On Monday he demanded the three other party leaders “add their signatures” to the plans and ensure some measures are realised in a few weeks. Otherwise, he said, he would quit.

The four parties met on Monday evening and again on Tuesday morning, where Wilders said he was leaving.

BBB leader Caroline van der Plas said she was extremely angry and described Wilders’ action as “irresponsible”.

“He has all the trumps in his hand and yet he just pulls the plug,” she told reporters.

Nicolien van Vroonhoven, who replaced Pieter Omtzigt as head of the NSC, said the decision is “incomprehensible”, while Dilan Yesilgöz, leader of the second biggest coalition party, the VVD, said there was no difference of opinion between the parties.

“We had a right-wing majority and he lets it all go for his ego,” she told reporters. “He’s just doing what he wants.”

The PVV leader also called for EU quotas on asylum to be suspended temporarily and a total ban on children and other family members joining refugees who are already in the Netherlands.

He said his party, which is the largest in parliament with 37 of the 150 seats, would no longer support the four-way coalition unless significant progress was made before the summer.

Legal experts have warned that many of the plans conflict with European human rights laws or the UN refugee convention of 1951, such as sending all Syrian refugees home within six months even though the government has not declared Syria a safe country.

Others, such as abolishing the so-called “spreading law” which requires local councils to accommodate a minimum number of asylum seekers, are already in the coalition agreement, but Faber has so far been unable to steer the relevant laws through parliament.

Prime minister Dick Schoof is expected to hand in his resignation to the king later in the day.

Some, if not all, of the PVV ministers are likely to leave immediately as well.

More to follow