Bart De Wever’s Flemish nationalists left Saturday’s extraordinary cabinet meeting called ahead of the UN meeting on the Migration Compact in Marrakech on Monday after thirty minutes. At a news conference later the nationalists claimed that PM Charles Michel (Francophone liberal) was turfing them out of the government if he travelled to Marrakech on Monday.

The nationalists, Belgium’s biggest party, are the only government party to oppose the UN document. Earlier the Belgian parliament asked the government to adopt the compact.

Mr Michel told newsmen after the cabinet meeting that he intended to fly to Morocco.

Insiders suggest the most likely outcome is a minority government with the Flemish and Francophone liberals and Flemish Christian democrats soldiering on until next year’s European and federal elections on 26 May.