Prime Minister and leader of the Christian Democrats, Jan Peter Balkenende, says he does not want to serve in a cabinet with the Labour Party after the upcoming national elections.

Interviewed on the RTL Z news programme, he said a new coalition with the party would not be plausible. He added that voters would not understand it if the Christian Democrats decided to resume government with the party whose decision - not to agree to keep Dutch troops in Afghanistan - had led to the fall of the government in the first place.

Labour Party leader Wouter Bos responded by saying he found it strange that the Christian Democrats consider a coalition with Geert Wilders' extreme right Freedom Party plausible, but not one with the Labour Party. However, Mr Bos did admit that even he "could not consider cooperation with the Christian Democrats".