Farage slams Brussels rebels who want Ukip divorce to TEAM UP with Brexit negotiator
UKIP is on track for a divorce from its rebel partner in the European Parliament as it gets set to form an alliance with the EU's lead Brexit negotiator.
The once anti-establishment Five Star Movement won 17 seats in the last European election in 2014 and now intends to join a pro-EU liberal group.
Five Star founder and former clown Beppe Grillo, 67, developed a close alliance with 52-year-old Nigel Farage's Ukip in 2014.
Together they formed the so-called Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) party after a meeting in Brussels.
However Mr Grillo has signalled he is to dump that partnership in favour of a new coalition with Guy Verhofstadt.
Now speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk Mr Farage has revealed he spoke with Mr Grillo this morning and questioned his motives.
He said: "I have been in contact with Beppe Grillo this morning and congratulated him on his increasingly tough stance on the euro and immigration issues.
"In political terms it would be completely illogical for 5 Star to join the most Euro fanatic group in the European Parliament.
"The ALDE group doesn't support referenda or the basic principle of direct democracy.
"ALDE are also the loudest voice for a EU army.
"I suspect if 5 Star joins ALDE it's support will not last long."
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Recent events in Europe, such as Brexit lead us to rethink the nature of Efdd group.
Outspoken Mr Verhofstadt announced his intention to run for the presidency of the European parliament two days ago and is the EU's lead negotiator on Brexit.
Now in a bizarre turnaround that seems to indicate an a complete revision of the Five-Star party's populist policy Mr Grillo says he is to pursue a completely different agenda.
In a blog posting Mr Grillo said his party hopes to swap allegiances in a bid to give it greater visibility and influence.
And he said his new partnership with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) means "that in many cases we would hold the balance of power."
He added: "Recent events in Europe, such as Brexit lead us to rethink the nature of Efdd group.
"With the extraordinary success of the Leave, Ukip achieved its political objective: leave the EU.
"Let's talk about concrete facts: Farage has already abandoned the leadership of his party and the British MEPs will leave the European Parliament in the next legislature.
"Until then, the British colleagues will be engaged to value the choices that will determine the political future of the UK. "
The Five Star Movement, which was launched in 2009, gained 25.5 per cent of the vote in Italy’s parliamentary elections in 2013, making it the country’s third-largest party in parliament.
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It is set to continue to make gains in Italy when the country goes to the polls in the next general election scheduled to take place in May 2018.
However controversial Mr Grillo will apparently not run for office in Italy.
He is said to be reluctant because of Five Star rules that prohibit those with criminal convictions from assuming office.
Mr Grillo was convicted of manslaughter after an accident in 1981, when a car he was driving crashed and killed three passengers.
Last month former Belgian prime minister Mr Verhofstadt took aim at US President-elect Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan describing the trio as a “ring of autocrats.”
He fumed: “Not only do they like each other, they also have one thing in common.
“Bashing and destroying our way of thinking, our values, our European liberal democracy.”
In November the 63-year-old, who has ruled out Britain's access to the single market, opened a negotiations meeting with UK Brexit minister David Davis with the phrase "welcome to hell."