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Health cuts crisis talks enter third day

CRISIS talks aimed at salvaging a Dutch health cuts package and staving off the collapse of the country’s ruling coalition continued for a third day today.

The future of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s two-party coalition was hanging in the balance amid private discussions aimed at rescuing a scheme to shave €1 billion (£785 million) off government spending. 

It was rejected on Tuesday partly because of the votes of three senators from junior coalition partner the Labour Party.

The cabinet comprises Rutte’s pro-free market Liberal Party and Labour in an uneasy, ideologically split coalition.

But Liberal parliamentary leader Halbe Zijlstra sounded optimistic about a solution.

“There is certainly progress,” he told reporters.

Dutch media reported that Labour Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher visited one of the senators who voted down the cuts before joining Mr Rutte for further talks.

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