Prime minister Mark Rutte will on Wednesday defend his new government’s policies against a storm of criticism from opposition MPs on the second day of a general debate on cabinet strategy.

On Tuesday, Labour leader Diederick Samsom and Halbe Zijlstra, who heads the VVD Liberals in parliament, told MPs the cabinet’s plans are tough but there are no alternatives.
It was a stormy start for the new government as almost all the nine opposition parties slammed the fact that the new government was forced to amend its plans just two weeks after their publication.
The coalition has now agreed to take slower steps to reduce the gap between rich and poor by tinkering with the tax-free income base rather than altering the way health insurance premiums are calculated. Tax-free income will go up for low earners and be reduced or phased out for those on higher incomes over a three-year period.
The debate starts at 11.00 hours and is broadcast live on television.