Dutch government stands down

The Dutch government quit today amid infighting over a failed attempt to strip a prominent Somali-born critic of Islam of her Dutch citizenship – setting the stage for elections likely to be dominated by immigration issues.

Minor coalition party D-66 torpedoed the government when it yesterday refused to work with hardline Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk and accused her of damaging the country’s reputation with her bungled attempt to revoke Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s passport.