Populist coalition takes power in Italy with academic as PM

ITALY’S new populist coalition was sworn in yesterday as Jean-claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, apologised for remarks he made that suggested that Italians in the south of the country were work-shy and corrupt.

The swearing-in took place in the Quirinale Palace, once the home of popes but now the residence of Sergio Mattarella, Italy’s president, who clashed with the populists during tortuous negotiations to form an administration after three months of post-election deadlock.

Western Europe’s first populist, Eurosceptic government plans to slash taxes, spend billions on increased social welfare measures and demand the reform of EU rules on budgets and migrants.

Giuseppe Conte, a law professor who only found himself in the spotlight 10 days ago, was sworn in as prime minister, along with 18 ministers, five of them women.

Mr Conte will face a stiff challenge in mediating the competing demands of Luigi Di Maio, the head of the antiestablishment Five Star Movement, and Matteo Salvini, who heads the hard-right anti-immigration League.

Mr Di Maio was sworn in as labour and economic development minister, where he hopes to deliver on an electoral promise of providing a €780 (£680) monthly income to Italy’s unemployed, as long as they seek work.

Mr Salvini was appointed interior minister, a key position that will enable him to spearhead his pledge to expel up to half a million undocumented migrants who have arrived in recent years from Libya. He also wants to reduce funding for migrant reception centres and steer it towards repatriating those who are not granted asylum.

“Five billion euros to look after migrants that live in Italy and receive breakfast, lunch and dinner is way too much. Let’s see if we can cut it,” he said after the swearing-in ceremony.

The incoming coalition’s fractious relationship with Brussels reached new lows on Thursday when Mr Juncker, EC president, said: “Italians have to take care of the poor regions of Italy. That means more work [and] less corruption.”

A spokesman for the European Commission said Mr Juncker “deeply regrets” the comments, which she said were interpreted in “a misleading way”.