Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration PVV, is hoping to work together with Swedish and Italian nationalist parties as well as Belgium’s Vlaams Belang and the Front National in France, Nos television reports.

Wilders, who has made no secret of his contacts with the Belgian and French nationalists, told Nos he has now had contact with the Eurosceptic Sweden Democrats and will also meet officials from the Lega Nord in Italy.

These are parties which share a lot of similar attitudes to Europe as the PVV and now is a good time to work together, the PVV leader said. Elections for the European parliament take place next spring.

‘I think we should talk to other parties which are critical of Europe to see if we can work together,’ Wilders said.

Criticism by other PVV supporters of some of the parties’ opposition to gay rights and gay marriage are ‘understandable’ but not relevant to the campaign against European control and mass immigration, he said.

‘These are not reasons not to work together,’ Wilders told the Nos.