The Dutch government fell on Friday after failing to reach an agreement on curbing immigration, smaller coalition partner Christian Union said, a move expected to trigger new elections in the autumn.

The crisis was sparked by a push by Rutte’s conservative VVD party to limit the flow of asylum seekers to the Netherlands, which split his four-party governing coalition when two parties refused to back his proposals.

Tensions came to a head this week when Rutte sought support for a proposal to limit the entry of war refugee children already in the Netherlands and make families wait at least two years before being reunited.