ITALIAN Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the nationalist League party Matteo Salvini announced a new European alliance of far-right parties yesterday ahead of the European Parliament elections.

The anti-immigration politician met like-minded European leaders and shared a stage with politicians from the Danish People’s Party, The Finns Party (FP) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) at a hotel in Milan.

Mr Salvini pledged to create a new bloc to shake up the Parliament after next month’s elections and said the coalition aims to “be the force of government and change in Europe.”

Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s National Rally, her rebrand of the National Front, did not attend the meeting but has shown her support for the alliance.

AfD was placed under surveillance by German domestic intelligence in January as a possible extremist threat and the FP has described  immigrants such as Roma Gypsies as “criminals.”

Last year Mr Salvini closed Italy’s ports to rescue boats. More than 600,000 people have crossed to Mediterranean to seek refuge in the country since 2012.

Mr Salvini rejected accusations that the movement embraces nationalist extremism, claiming that it was Islamist extremism that was the main threat in Europe.