Mark Rutte's Dutch government reportedly collapses over asylum policy

The coalition tried for months to hash out a deal to reduce the flow of new migrants arriving in the country of nearly 18 million people

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte. File Picture: (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced his resignation and that of his Cabinet, citing irreconcilable differences within his four-party coalition about how to rein in migration.

The decision by the Netherlands’ longest-serving premier means the country will face a general election later this year for the 150-seat lower house of Parliament.