Jetten refuses to pick a side as opposition warns of drama

Prime minister Rob Jetten has declined to say whether his minority coalition will seek support from the left or right to pass its first budget, telling MPs on the second day of debates that making that choice now would be “short-changing the country”.

Instead of committing one way or the other, Jetten said the cabinet would send invitations on Thursday evening to seven opposition parties – Pro, JA21, ChristenUnie, SGP, BBB, Volt and 50PLUS – for a new round of talks on support for the current budget and tax plan.

But the two parties whose votes matter most, which are pulling left and right, have said they see little point in such talks. Opposition party Pro leader Jesse Klaver said more discussions would be a repeat of the ones that collapsed in the summer.

Far-right JA21 leader Joost Eerdmans said the cabinet had to choose. “Broad isn’t going to work,” he told Jetten. “Which way are you going?”

Jetten admitted the cabinet had underestimated how much time it needed in August to work opposition demands into the budget, and said it wanted to keep talking in the coming weeks. He again said a broad agreement was his preference, but did not rule out seeking support for individual budgets if needed.

“A drama for the Netherlands”
Klaver said the coalition is “divided to the bone”, and told Jetten “lock yourself in a room,” because “if you don’t make the choice, it will grind to a halt and this autumn will be a drama for the Netherlands.”

ChristenUnie leader Mirjam Bikker said it was “hard for us to talk” to a cabinet that could not agree with itself.

On the first day of the debates yesterday, Eerdmans said a total deal with the cabinet was no longer realistic and JA21 would judge each departmental budget separately, ruling out support for the climate budget and probably the asylum budget so long as the spreading law for asylum seekers remains in force.

Klaver responded that Pro would withhold support from every budget if the cabinet struck separate deals with JA21. The coalition of D66, VVD and CDA has 66 of the 150 seats in parliament and needs 16 extra votes in the senate.

Siding with Pro would give it the easiest chance of a majority, but the right-wing VVD does not want to concede to them on many issues.

Stabs in the back
PVV leader Geert Wilders opened the day by confronting Jetten with an article in the newspaper AD, in which unnamed ministers criticised the prime minister for failing to take charge, one saying the only direction he took was the visual direction””, managing the image.

Wilders said Jetten’s colleagues had “stuck three daggers in your back” and asked what he thought of not being trusted by his own party.

Jetten said he was proud of his team and “we are making the best of it”.

Tax plans
In mid-November parliament will vote on the tax plan. Pro and ChristenUnie have both said they will not back it as it stands, because the burden falls largely on people in work, and Eerdmans said there is no way the plan can satisfy both JA21 and Pro at the same time.

The Council of State, the government’s main advisory body, said this week that €5.8 billion of the €6 billion in tax rises planned for 2027 would be paid by workers, while the burden on companies and wealth falls slightly. A decision on the tax on savings and investments, known as Box 3, has been postponed until next year.

Jetten said the cabinet would spend an extra €10 billion on infrastructure in the coming years and told Pro that the nitrogen plans would not be watered down, though “improvements” were possible provided they delivered the same reduction in emissions.

MPs will vote on motions, including a motion of no confidence tabled by Wilders, at the end of the debate on Thursday night.