GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver has become a member of the Dutch Labour party PvdA to show his commitment to the planned joint GroenLinks/PvdA election campaign.

The two parties plan to field a combined manifesto and candidates list for the general election, which is likely to take place in November. Together the two parties will provide a strong challenge to the VVD and pro-farming BBB.

Klaver said in an opinion piece in the Volkskrant he had taken the decision to show that “party politics should never be more important than the general interest”.

Klaver also called on both party members to support the alliance.

As yet, little has been said about who will lead the campaign. Marjolein Moorman, who leads Amsterdam’s local PvdA branch and is the city’s education and anti-poverty chief, said earlier this week she was considering putting herself forward.

“There is an urgent need for a left, progressive alliance,” Klaver wrote. The neo-Liberal agenda of the VVD and Mark Rutte has led to an “everyone for themselves” mentality which needs to change, he said.