The government’s plans to make it a criminal offence to be in the Netherlands without proper papers could be renegotiated, but the Labour party would have to give up something in return, Halbe Zijlstra, leader of the parliamentary VVD, told website nu.nl.

Many MPs from the VVD’s coalition partner Labour are opposed to the plan to criminalise illegal immigrants. ‘If Labour wants changes, we can talk, but it will not be free,’ Zijlstra said.

Labour leader Diederik Samsom earlier agreed to making illegality a crime as a concession to the VVD during the formation of the coalition government.

The issue has now been raised again by Arie Slob, leader of the small Christian party ChristenUnie, which has supported the coalition on several reform packages. The coalition needs the support of other parties because it does not have a majority in the upper house of parliament.

Slob said earlier this month his party will not support the government any longer unless the proposal to make being without proper residency papers a crime is dropped. D66, which also supports government reforms, is also opposed to the plan.

Junior justice minister Fred Teeven hopes to publish the draft legislation before the summer.