Row over Ayaan's immigration status brings down Dutch government

The Netherlands was without a government last night after the ruling coalition split over the behaviour of its immigration minister towards a prominent Somali-born Dutch MP.

Moves by the immigration minister Rita Verdonk to strip Ayaan Hirsi Ali of her Dutch citizenship and a successful legal campaign to evict her from her apartment resulted in international outrage against the Netherlands. It also touched off a political firestorm at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment is at a peak.

Last night, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who only hours earlier was vowing to hold on, announced that he will tender the resignation of the Government to Queen Beatrix. The Government's smallest coalition member, D66, withdrew support from the coalition over Ms Verdonk's policies. Mr Balkenende's announcement ended 36 hours of political drama and came moments after three ministers quit the Cabinet following a vote earlier in the day by the D66 party in a no-confidence motion against the Government . Dutch government falls in row over MPs passport by Leonard Doyle, Foreign Editor for The Independent

Mark Alexander