Premier Giuseppe Conte's spokesman is under fire after the release of an audio recording of a conversation with two journalists in which he talked about the possibility of purging the economy ministry of officials who have allegedly been hampering the government's plan to introduce a 'citizenship wage' basic income.
Opposition parties have called on the spokesman, Rocco Casalino, to be sacked but Conte and the 5-Star Movement both defended him and criticised the release of the audio.
Casalino is a former participant in the Italian version of reality show Big Brother.
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