Jetten tries to hold coalition together
The prime minister is speaking to VVD deputy prime minister Yeşilgöz and CDA deputy prime minister Van den Brink about the dispute following the tax debate.
There is news on this story (Friday, 13 November 2026, 19:43): Cabinet remains together for now after crisis talks
Listen to this article
There is no audio version yet. Request one and an AI voice will read the article aloud.
Read by an AI voice.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten is consulting his two deputy prime ministers on Friday about the coalition’s future. The talks follow an escalation over the Tax Plan, which has put particular strain on relations between the VVD and the other coalition parties.
Jetten is speaking to Dilan Yeşilgöz of the VVD and Bart van den Brink of the CDA about cooperation within the cabinet. According to reports, the issue is not only whether the coalition can formally continue to exist, but also how the three parties can still take decisions and find support in the Lower House (Tweede Kamer).
The immediate cause is the dispute over tax policy. On Thursday, the Lower House approved an amended Tax Plan, but the VVD opposed aspects of the process by which the plan was produced. The party had previously warned that cooperation in this form could no longer be taken for granted. Yeşilgöz arrived for Friday’s meeting without making a substantive statement beforehand.
According to several Dutch media outlets, Van den Brink said he understood the anger within the VVD, but that anger in itself did not mean that a party was right. Those words leave room for further talks without fully endorsing the VVD’s criticism. According to the same media outlets, the CDA deputy prime minister also said that the cabinet would continue to deliver results and that cooperation must continue to be sought.
The VVD’s departure would immediately change the cabinet’s position. The Jetten cabinet has consisted of D66, CDA and VVD since February. The government is also dependent on shifting majorities in the Lower House. A minority cabinet can continue governing if it finds support for individual proposals, but budgets and major policy choices then become harder to predict.
The question, therefore, is not only whether the coalition survives Friday. Even if the VVD remains, it will have to become clear whether the three parties can still negotiate jointly and defend agreements. Around midday, no outcome of the talks had yet been reported. New statements from the party leaders involved or a formal decision on participation in the cabinet are needed to establish whether the crisis has been resolved or merely postponed.
For the Lower House, little changes in the formal rules in the meantime: the cabinet can remain in office as long as it does not resign and continues to find political support for its proposals. A cabinet crisis can, however, delay ongoing budget decisions, agreements on migration and other dossiers. The coming parliamentary votes will show whether cooperation still works in practice.
Also show where in Europe and in the world
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The prime minister spoke to the two deputy prime ministers about coalition cooperation.
- The cause was the escalation over the Tax Plan.
- The coalition consists of D66, CDA and VVD.
- At around 11.55am, no formal decision on the departure of a coalition party had been reported.
Left
Arguments The crisis shows that social and financial choices are being treated too much as party-political bargaining. A left-wing approach stresses that policy must be predictable and socially just, even if that requires broad support outside the coalition.
Values Equality, protection for households on low and middle incomes, and parliamentary oversight.
Consequences A hard-line stance by the VVD could lead to policy delays; a compromise could create scope for more stable parliamentary support.
Centre
Arguments The institutional solution is to negotiate again, put agreements in writing and seek majorities for each proposal. The cabinet’s survival matters less than administrative continuity and workable decision-making.
Values Stability, governmental responsibility and compromise.
Consequences A restart could limit the damage, but only if the parties genuinely restore their working arrangements.
Right
Arguments The VVD may feel that its electoral mandate and financial principles are insufficiently reflected in tax policy. From this perspective, participation in a cabinet is not a given if coalition agreements are abandoned structurally.
Values Budgetary discipline, the reliability of agreements and political responsibility towards its own voters.
Consequences Continuing without a clear course could damage the VVD’s credibility; a cabinet crisis, on the other hand, could lead to political uncertainty.
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.
The article’s core is supported by recent reporting on the talks and by the cabinet’s official composition. The text clearly distinguishes between the talks that are established fact and possible consequences that have not yet been decided.
- confirmed On 13 November, Jetten is consulting Yeşilgöz and Van den Brink about the coalition’s survival. — NL Times describes the talks and their cause. source
- confirmed The Jetten cabinet consists of D66, CDA and VVD and took office in February 2026. — The official cabinet information names the parties and gives the swearing-in date as 23 February 2026. source
- uncertain At around 11.55am, there was no formal decision on the cabinet’s resignation or the VVD’s departure. — The sources consulted reported the talks, but not all possible internal decisions; this is therefore cautiously phrased as the position reflected in reporting. source
Editor's note
It is certain that Jetten is consulting Yeşilgöz and Van den Brink and that the coalition is under pressure. At around 11.55am, there was still no formal decision on departure, resignation or continuation.Sources
- PM Jetten meeting with Deputy Prime Ministers to try and keep coalition from collapsing — NL Times
- Kabinet-Jetten — Rijksoverheid
- Regie van Jetten is nodig om crisis in kabinet te voorkomen — Headliner, op basis van Reformatorisch Dagblad
The story so far
- Friday, 13 November 2026, 12:00 Jetten tries to hold coalition together (this article)
- Friday, 13 November 2026, 19:43 Cabinet remains together for now after crisis talks
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „coalitie rob jetten”
- RTL Nieuws — „coalitie rob jetten”
- NOS — „coalitie rob jetten”