Grillo bids to stay in Farage's EFDD (2)

(ANSA) - Brussels, January 10 - Anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Beppe Grillo is bidding to stay in the euroskeptic EFDD caucus in the European Parliament after a deal to join the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) fell apart Monday. The EFDD caucus, with United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage to the fore, met Tuesday after Farage spoke over the phone with Grillo earlier, sources said. They said Farage told the meeting "marriages end" but "they can also be re-established" as long as "the one who betrays pays". A formal exit of the 17 M5S MEPs from the EFDD would lead to the loss of about 20 personnel, the exclusion from access to EP committees and the end of influence on main dossiers.
    At the same time their exit would seriously jeopardise the very existence of the EFDD caucus, currently composed of 44 MEPs.
    Without the 17 Italians, only 27 MEPs would remain, only two above the minimum threshold of 25 (representing seven different nationalities) allowed by the EP to set up a parliamentary caucus.
    So UKIP, too, would risk finding itself among the non-aligned members.