Geert Wilders forces burka ban on Netherlands

Far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has extracted a pledge from the largest party in the Netherlands' probable next government to outlaw the burka and halve immigration. The agreement with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) is the price of propping up a minority right-wing coalition.

VVD won the Dutch elections, held in June, with 31 out of 150 seats. They are in negotiations to form a minority government with the Christian Democrats (CDA), who won 21 seats. Wilders's Party for Freedom (PVV) will not join the government but is happy to provide the majority the ruling parties need in return for adopting some of the PVV's anti-Islamic and anti-immigration policies.

These include banning the burka, halving immigration, making immigrants pay for their own integration courses and restricting the right of new arrivals to bring their families to the Netherlands.

The coalition agreement, called 'Freedom and responsibility', also seeks to cut government spending by €18bn (£15.6bn) by 2015. It has yet to be agreed by the CDA, which is deeply divided over cooperation with Wilders, who describes Islam as a "fascist ideology" and is best known in Britain for the controversy surrounding the screening of his short anti-Islamic film Fitna in the House of Lords.

Speaking as the coalition agreement was announced in The Hague, Wilders (pictured above right with CDA leader Maxime Verhagen, left, and VVD leader Mark Rutte, centre) said: "A new wind will blow in the Netherlands... We want the Islamisation to be stopped." Wilders is to stand trial for inciting racial hatred against Muslims on Monday.

If the burka ban is agreed, the Netherlands will become the second country after France to ban the all-enveloping Muslim veil. Belgian MPs have also voted to outlaw full face veils, although the measure is yet to be passed by the country’s upper house. ·