THE DUTCH government has collapsed after far-right leader Geert Wilders withdrew his party from the coalition amid an asylum row.

Hours later, Prime Minister Dick Schoof declared he would offer his resignation.

Wilders' PVV party was the largest in the four-party coalition.

Schoof slammed the decision to pull out as "irresponsible and unnecessary"

He added: "As far as I'm concerned, this shouldn't have happened."

And former partners from the coalition have accused him of engineering the crisis - using the asylum as an excuse to make a lunge for power.

Earlier in the day, Wilders said he intended to become Prime Minister of the Netherlands "ensure that the PVV becomes bigger than ever in the next elections".

In a last-ditch effort to paper the cracks, Schoof called a meeting between

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