Rome (dpa) - Italy‘s populist, eurosceptic Five Star Movement (M5S) decided Monday to ditch its ties to the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party (UKIP) in favor of the staunchly pro-EU Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) caucus in the European Parliament. Abandoning UKIP for the 68-member ALDE will give the M5S and its 17 MEPs more clout in the 751-seat parliament and make it the third-largest political force in the legislature, comedian and M5S leader Beppe Grillo explained on his blog.The M5S rank and file voted to join UKIP‘s Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) caucus in 2014. They voted to leave that caucus in an online vote on Monday.The apparent sea change prompted criticism and some consternation among M5S members."Today‘s decision was taken behind the backs of all the MEPs," tweeted MEP Marco Affronte of the M5S."It‘s only a short step from revolution to parliament seats," tweeted anti-immigrant Northern League chief Matteo Salvini. Salvini wondered why the M5S was joining "a group that favors the euro, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and unbridled liberalism, Turkey‘s entry into the EU, and mass immigration.""Beppe Grillo will now join the euro-fanatic establishment of ALDE which supports TTIP, mass immigration and an EU army, but oppose direct democracy," former UKIP leader Nigel Farage said in a statement. The Movement had previously approached the Greens caucus but was rejected, Grillo said in his blog post.
