The Northern League is standing firm. Romeo: “It doesn’t work like this; we need to involve Zaia.” Fontana: “We have given voice to the discontent.”

The rift within the Lega is continuing, widening and becoming ever deeper. "This isn’t working; we risk failing." Massimiliano Romeo and Attilio Fontana – respectively the Carroccio’s Senate group leader and President of Lombardy – have doubled down on their criticism and sent messages to Secretary Matteo Salvini following the latter’s comments in an interview with the Corriere della Sera. “The League isn’t working like this; we’ve painted this picture and Salvini has taken note of it. I think that before Pontida, there must be an opportunity to find a solution together,” said the senator. “We’ve simply given voice to the discontent,” explained the governor. This discontent is extremely deep-seated, and it even led to some spectators in the audience chanting “there’s only one captain” from the stage.

The reflections of the two Northern League representatives stem from the party’s identity and the assumption that the system can no longer function as it is. The focus is on Pontida, scheduled for 20 September, which was promoted today with an emotive video featuring Matteo Salvini’s words in the background. The Secretary’s leadership has been called into question, and the aim appears to be to establish a collegial leadership structure. Romeo put it plainly: “In the end, we must all get through this together. To put forward a team – which is what can help the League get back on track right now and tackle the political challenges ahead, given that there will be competition between leaders, partly due to the electoral law, but above all because the contest will be polarised on one side by Meloni and on the other by whoever the centre-left candidate turns out to be.” He continued: “We haven’t caused any problems. And no one has said that Salvini shouldn’t be part of the team – far from it – but let’s make sure it’s a proper team.”

According to the group leader in the Senate, we need to “involve the regional governors and Luca Zaia, who have greater appeal in the region”. He added: “You can spin the story any way you like, but when party activists tell you that ‘the League isn’t working like this and we won’t vote for you anymore’, I think the first thing a leader should do is make the secretary understand what the reality is”. They reported that they had given Salvini time over the summer holidays to think it over and then discuss it together in September.

Romeo also spoke about the last party conference and Vannacci. “At the last conference, a very clear line was adopted; Vannacci was deputy secretary. Some motions were passed (to promote the north, ed.), but those policies were not taken forward. The party has increasingly shifted towards the right.” He added: “If we want to engage in politics – I’ve said this to Salvini and I’ll say it again – on the right, historically, there’s Meloni, and today there’s Vannacci, who is the new figure. How can we possibly hope to find a credible political space for our movement? We risk becoming a poor imitation of those who will already be winning votes and who appear more credible than us in that context because, historically, they are.” They, on the other hand, represent “something different”, embodied by “the defence of our regions, and the defence and revitalisation of our productive system”.

"It is not our intention to attack the secretary," Fontana added. He was the first to question Salvini’s leadership ("Nothing can be ruled out"). "We, as League members who attend local branches," he added, "and who travel around the region, have highlighted the difficulties the movement is currently facing – difficulties which, in truth, are confirmed, from issuing new membership cards to the damning opinion polls regarding the League. We simply want to highlight the problems and revisit issues that have always been our key causes but have perhaps been somewhat forgotten – the issue of the North, which must not be forgotten.” Pontida will take place next month, exactly one month after 20 September. This morning, a new banner appeared on the main lawn: "A renewed League or a Pontida of revolt", alongside "Masters in our own home". We’ll see what happens over the next 30 days.