Italian prime minister to resign after attack on ‘opportunist’ far right deputy

Giuseppe Conte ripped into Matteo Salvini as he sat next to him in parliament.

Italy’s leader Giuseppe Conte is handing in his resignation after launching a blistering attack on his coalition partner for withdrawing support for the government.

He slammed far right League (Lega Nord) leader Matteo Salvini as an ‘opportunist’ for setting off a government crisis which could endanger the country’s economy.

Conte accused the deputy prime minister and interior minister of ‘following his own interests and those of his party’ by ending a rocky alliance with the anti-establishment Five Star movement (M5S) earlier this month.

He added: ‘His decisions pose serious risks for this country.’

The remarks were made in front of a packed senate as a stony-faced Salvini sat by his side.

Parliament had been recalled from its summer recess to decide the future of the barely year-old government.

As the prime minister lay into him, Salvini was seen shaking his head, rolling his eyes or nodding to League senators.

Conte has said the prospect of Salvini becoming Italy’s next prime minister was ‘worrying’ and has accused him of being ‘obsessed’ with keeping migrants out of the country’s ports.

The pair clashed after Conte refused to sign an order banning the Open Arms migrant rescue ship from docking on the island of Lampedusa, the Guardian reports.

It is thought Salvini wants to take advantage of his party’s growing popularity by triggering a snap election.

Conte, who belongs to neither of the coalition’s two parties, is expected to hand in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella today.

As Italy’s head of state, Mr Mattarella could ask Mr Conte to stay on and try to find an alternative majority in parliament, or accept his resignation and see if another leader can forge a new coalition.

If all else fails, the president could dissolve parliament, setting the stage for a new general election as early as October.

Salvini’s tactic could backfire if M5S and the centre-left Democratic party (PD) formed an alternative coalition.

He has said he could be open to building bridges with M5S to stop this from happening.