Klaver offers cabinet room for budget compromise
The PRO leader says he is willing to negotiate, but draws the line at social security and the burden on ordinary households.
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PRO leader Jesse Klaver said in the Lower House on Tuesday that his party is willing to compromise with the cabinet over the budget. At the same time, he warned that major cuts to social security and higher burdens on ordinary households are unacceptable to PRO.
The statement comes at a time when Prime Minister Jetten’s minority cabinet needs support from outside the coalition for the Budget Memorandum and the Tax Plan. According to parliamentary documents, the Tax Plan will be put to a vote on 12 November. Without agreements with opposition parties, a majority in both Houses cannot be taken for granted.
Klaver said that PRO had previously been willing to take responsibility for budgetary changes and now wants to keep all options for negotiation open. He did, however, link that willingness to a substantive boundary: measures that, in PRO’s view, weaken social security or significantly increase the burden on ordinary people will not receive its support.
In the debate, Klaver also stressed that he does not want the cabinet to fall. In his view, new elections would be undesirable after years of political instability. This distinguishes support for individual parts of the cabinet’s policy from actively causing the governing coalition to fail.
Meanwhile, the cabinet favours broad agreements with parties on the left and right. Prime Minister Jetten said the coalition wanted to seek a majority of more than 76 seats for major decisions. The government had previously invited opposition parties to negotiate on the tax plan.
The room for an agreement remains limited. There are major differences in the Lower House on social security, healthcare, taxation and the distribution of burdens, among other issues. Klaver wants the cabinet to make clearer which direction it is taking, while the cabinet is trying to involve several parties in a single package.
Klaver’s new wording is therefore not a declaration of support for the budget. It is an offer to negotiate under certain conditions. Whether those conditions are compatible with the cabinet’s proposals will emerge from the talks and votes still to come.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- PRO says it is willing to negotiate on the budget.
- The party is drawing the line at measures that weaken social security or increase the burden on ordinary households.
- The cabinet needs support from opposition parties for its budgetary and tax proposals.
- The vote on the Tax Plan is scheduled for 12 November.
Left
Arguments A left-wing approach holds that budgetary support is responsible only if social security is protected and the bill does not fall mainly on lower- and middle-income groups.
Values Solidarity, income protection and a strong public sector.
Consequences Compromises could secure support for the cabinet, but only if cuts are softened and higher burdens on ordinary households are limited.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach emphasises that a minority cabinet must seek majorities and that negotiating the package as a whole may be more stable than making separate agreements on each budget.
Values Administrative continuity, deliverability and parliamentary majorities.
Consequences A broad agreement could reduce uncertainty, but would require concessions from all parties and could become less distinct in substance.
Right
Arguments A right-wing approach may emphasise that the cabinet must keep its budget financially sustainable and should not adjust structural spending or shifts in the tax burden for every opposition vote.
Values Budgetary discipline, personal responsibility and predictable policy for businesses and taxpayers.
Consequences Sticking to its own course could provide clarity, but increases the risk that proposals will fail to win a majority or that the cabinet will become dependent on temporary partial agreements.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
Klaver’s current statement is based on the plenary parliamentary debate; the procedural context was checked with NOS and the Dutch government. The text presents a willingness to negotiate, not actual support or an agreement.
- confirmed Jesse Klaver said on 27 October 2026 that PRO was willing to compromise. — Included in the plenary report of the Lower House. source
- confirmed Klaver drew the line at cuts to social security and higher burdens on ordinary households. — Mentioned in his contribution to the debate. source
- confirmed The vote on the Tax Plan will take place on 12 November. — Mentioned in the parliamentary debate and reporting on the negotiation process. source
- confirmed The cabinet is seeking support from several opposition parties. — NOS reports that seven opposition parties were invited. source
- confirmed The Budget Memorandum and the 2027 Tax Plan were submitted to the Lower House on 15 September. — The Dutch government gives the date of submission. source
Editor's note
It is certain that Klaver expressed a willingness to compromise in the parliamentary debate while also setting substantive boundaries. The precise outcome of the negotiations and the final voting figures are still unknown.Sources
- Plenaire verslagen Tweede Kamer, begrotingsdebat — Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal
- Kabinet nodigt zeven oppositiepartijen uit voor onderhandelingen belastingplan — NOS
- Miljoenennota, Belastingplan, begrotingen en bijbehorende stukken — Rijksoverheid
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „jesse klaver”
- de Volkskrant — „jesse klaver”
- RTL Nieuws — „jesse klaver”