The cabinet’s plans to bring in the “strictest asylum regime ever” are likely to run into trouble in the senate, where the right-wing government does not have a majority, the Telegraaf reported on Thursday.

The three Christian parties which could help the coalition to a majority are extremely critical of the measures, particularly the decision to scrap legislation that ensures all local authorities provide some accommodation for refugees, the paper said.

The four parties agreed on the new plans last month, after ditching an earlier decision to call an emergency and so bypass parliament.

CDA senator Theo Bovens told the paper his party could not support the decision to scrap the “spreading” law, as did ChristenUnie senator Tineke Huizinga. “The spreading law ensures asylum seekers do not end up sleeping on the grass,” she said.

ChristenUnie is also opposed to the decision to remove any responsibility for refugees from local government, which is also part of the package.

In addition, the cabinet wants to reduce the number of UN-selected refugees from 500 to 200 and to send people back to Syria after declaring parts of the country to be safe. That requires diplomatic links with the Assad regime, which the Netherlands does not have.

The Telegraaf points out that the ruling VVD may also pose an obstacle in the upper house because they backed the spreading law when it was introduced by the previous government.

Edith Schippers, who leads the VVD in the senate, declined to tell the paper what her party will do. “I will wait my turn,” she said.

Immigration minister Marjolein Faber will debate her ministry’s 2025 spending plans with the lower house of parliament on Thursday.