British retirees thinking of moving to the sun-soaked south of Italy could soon be able to take advantage of a massive tax break that is being mooted by the country’s new government.

The populist administration hopes to reverse the chronic population decline of Italy’s southern regions by luring people to settle there with the promise of paying no taxes for 10 years.

The scheme will be open not only to Italians but to foreigners too, it is envisaged.

The idea has been proposed by The League, the hard-Right party which makes up one half of the coalition which came to power in June.

It will initially focus on three struggling regions – Sardinia, Sicily and Calabria.

“We think it could appeal to foreigners – Italy is a beautiful country,” said Alberto Brambilla, economic adviser to Matteo Salvini, the interior minister and head of The League.

“We’re trying to provide an incentive for the transfer of older people (towards the south),” Mr Brambilla, who came up with the idea, told La Repubblica newspaper.