The deputy prime ministers will not be attending the celebration marking the government’s record-breaking tenure (at least not in person, though they may join via video link): the League member has opted for a League event in Tuscany. A sign of growing impatience within the majority

The Prime Minister intends to extend the simplifications, partly in response to requests from Zaia, Fontana & Co. Meanwhile, the Lega secretary has been excluded from the celebrations in Lombardy.

The government is extending the 17-cent discount on petrol for a further ten days, thanks to 130 million advanced by the energy companies (ask Descalzi). There is optimism within the government regarding the Istat estimates: and Salvini is already calling for an ultra-expansionary budget

The Prime Minister would like to see the journalist join the public service broadcaster: it would restore the organisation’s prestige following the Ranucci-Lavitola affair. For the presenter, it would mark a return to the television station where he started out

Excise duty cuts to be refinanced, new aid for Ukraine to be sent (perhaps by September, though there are those within the majority who oppose this) and the promises made to Amatrice: the challenges facing the Prime Minister (and the government) as they return to work

Opinions on Almirante are divided – which is to be expected – but his ambiguous past has led to the current normalisation, in the face of unpalatable far-right ‘red-brown’ factions. Roger Cohen’s dispassionate yet not unfriendly analysis in the NYT