Italian election latest: Giorgia Meloni says Italy should no longer pander to Brussels

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In a move designed to send a “strong message” to the European Union over where Italian loyalties lie, Giorgia Meloni visited Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of Sunday’s vote.

The pair discussed “the future of Italy” as well as illegal immigration and “defending the European identity from the risk of Islamisation”.

And in a swipe at EU powerhouses France and Germany, Mrs Meloni vowed Italy should focus on relations with the Visegrad group of Eastern European nations.

Mrs Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FDI) party is part of the centre-right coalition which is widely tipped to have the best chance of forming a government after the Italian election on Sunday, March 4.

The alliance is led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his Forza Italia party and includes the right-wing Lega Nord headed by Matteo Salvini.