Asylum applications in the Netherlands jumped by a third last year to over 46,000, and are expected to increase to more than 70,000 this year — topping the previous high from 2015.

To improve the conditions in the country’s asylum facilities, Rutte’s party, supported by the conservative CDA, proposed limiting entrance for children of war refugees who are already in the Netherlands and making families wait at least two years before they can be united.

The Netherlands experienced a rise in anti-government feeling during unpopular pandemic lockdowns and has historically low levels of trust in parliament after scandals including childcare benefits and the Groningen gas field. Support for ‘Caroline’s’ party could be seen through the many lime-green BBB flags and upturned Dutch flags hanging around the country.

Right-wing parties such as Geert Wilders’ PVV and new far-right party JA21, plus a potential new left wing coalition of the Dutch Green Left and Labour are flexing their muscles for a general election. The Netherlands could swing right, although it’s not impossible that it goes left. If the BBB, which is now in power in most regional coalitions, achieves a landslide in parliament, this will have huge implications for immigration, the future of farming and environmental policy.