The coalition supporting Premier Giuseppe Conte's government split dramatically on Wednesday, when the League and the 5-Star Movement (M5S) voting in opposition directions in parliament over the controversial TAV Turin-Lyon high-speed rail-link project.
The Senate voted against a motion presented by the M5S seeking to stop the TAV with 181 votes against and 110 in favour.
The Upper House also approved motions in favour of the project presented by centre-left Democratic Party (PD), Emma Bonino, the centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party and the rightwing Brothers of Italy (FdI) group by similar margins.
The TAV is just one of several issues that has caused tension between the M5S and their coalition partners in the League recently. PD leader Nicola Zingaretti called on Conte to report to President Sergio Mattarella given the rift within the coalition. "The Senate session (on Wednesday) showed that the government no longer has a majority (in parliament)," Zingaretti said in a statement.
"Premier Conte should immediately go to President Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace to report on the crisis that has come about.
"Italy needs jobs, development and investment and it needs a government that dedicates itself to this and not to the summer games between (Deputy Premiers Matteo) Salvini and (Luigi) Di Maio". The M5S has long been against the TAV on cost and environmental grounds but League leader and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini is strongly in favour of it. Premier Giuseppe Conte recently said it should be completed too, arguing it would cost more to abandon the project than complete it.
This position seemed to end the M5S's hopes of stopping the TAV if it wanted to stay in the ruling coalition.
Indeed, Salvini warned that "those who say No to the TAV put the government at risk".
Transport and Infrastructure Danilo Toninelli of the M5S said he was "serene" on Wednesday after the motion seeking to stop the TAV was rejected.
"I voted no," Toninelli told ANSA. "We'll keep going with serenity". Toninelli and Salvini, who is also interior minister, have clashed repeatedly over the TAV.
On Tuesday Salvini said he does not think Toninelli is up to his job.
In an interview published by Corriere della Sera on Wednesday, Toninelli said Salvini seems like "a dwarf on the shoulders of the giants who do the work".
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