Forget Schlein and Ukraine. The cross-party “no rearmament” movement is leading the charge for Conte

Will it ultimately be the reformists who save Elly Schlein from Giuseppe Conte’s ambitions for the leadership? “There’s no doubt about it,” smiles Senator Filippo Sensi. Across the political spectrum, the cross-party ‘no rearmament’ movement – calling for an end to arms supplies to Kyiv – is gaining ground. The PD leadership has appeased the minority, from Giorgio Gori to Lia Quartapelle, stating in these pages that it ‘firmly’ supports Ukraine, including militarily. What does Laura Boldrini think? “I believe we really must help the Ukrainian people, who have suffered an invasion and have been living through a truly difficult situation for four years.” She then adds: “Personally, I have never believed that the situation could descend into war, which is Putin’s territory. Instead, I have always criticised the EU’s lack of political initiative.” The former Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies was speaking on the sidelines of the presentation of the Milex Observatory’s report on military spending. It is explained that to reach 5 per cent of GDP, as set out in the NATO target, 500 billion will be needed: social spending and healthcare will have to be cut. An arms race is underway, the report claims. Alongside Boldrini, also present – representing the M5S – were Arnaldo Lomuti and Ettore Licheri. The latter told us: “Money doesn’t grow on trees; it doesn’t fall from the sky. To buy weapons, you have to take the money from somewhere else.” Not only that, added the M5S vice-president: “There is no effective oversight of rearmament programmes by parliamentary bodies. This is a democratic warning that everyone needs to be aware of.” Nicola Fratoianni was also expected to attend but was absent due to a last-minute unforeseen circumstance. However, the leader of AVS is taking the same line as the Movement and Boldrini. And it is a line that could carry weight when the time comes to decide on the leadership of the broad coalition. The contest between Schlein and Conte has been going on for weeks, at a distance: the Democratic Party leader was at the Festa dell’Unità in Bagno a Ripoli yesterday, whilst the former prime minister was in Massa Carrara, at the CGIL, to present his book. It is a contest that does the opposition no favours, as it is considering third-party candidates – both genuine and supposed unifiers. There are also those who hope that one of the leaders of the M5S and the PD will step aside. Yesterday, Dario Francheschini was seen again in the Transatlantico – something that has been happening frequently of late, and it is no coincidence. Within the PD, there is also a ‘Conte faction’, driven by political or personal affinities.

Following Conte’s reference to the Russian “non-threat”, Schlein’s interview with this newspaper has brought the most complicated issue back into the spotlight. A compromise will be found on the rejection of rearmament; everyone agrees on European defence – what that actually means, and how it will be implemented, will be considered later. But what about Ukraine? “It is not an unsolvable issue. You just need to read the Constitution and a solution will be found,” suggests Licheri once again, confidently. “There is simply a need for everyone to understand that, after four years of the military approach, nothing has been achieved. If we had used politics and diplomacy, we would probably have defended Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty more effectively. Today, even Meloni and Crosetto are saying that we need to engage in dialogue with Putin.”

The reformists, who have never held back in their criticism of their leader, yesterday welcomed the secretary’s remarks on the need to continue supporting Kyiv and on EU enlargement: “This is the PD’s line.” Certainly, the minority, between Schlein and Conte, has no doubts. But in other sections of the Democratic Party, questions remain and are growing. This is also why Sensi responds with a quip. Will you be the ones to defend Schlein? “Of course, there’s no doubt about it,” he repeats. Meanwhile, he has organised a conference on Monday on the Mamdani case – the New York mayor who wants to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. He has become a role model on the left and is also inspiring Schlein in her bid for Palazzo Chigi. Amongst others, Anthony di Mieri – the director of Mamdani’s social media campaign – will be there, as well as Francesco Nicodemo, who studies the New York mayor’s digital strategies and has previously worked at Palazzo Chigi, where he was in charge of Renzi’s communications. Lia Quartapelle will also be taking part. It is a case of unintended consequences. At this rate, it will be they – the reformists – who are the most committed to supporting Schlein. As for Conte, we’ll have to wait and see.