Italy’s government on the brink as 5-Star threatens to boycott confidence vote

Former Italian prime minister and 5-Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte said he was unwilling ‘to sign a blank bill’. Photograph: Mauro Scrobogna/AP

The Italian government is close to collapse after the 5-Star Movement said it would boycott a crucial confidence vote in parliament, prompting calls for early elections.

Giuseppe Conte, the former prime minister who leads the populist party, said the funds set aside for a cost of living support package were insufficient and that his senators could not support the bill on Thursday.