An Italian minister has sparked outrage after he asked railway officials to stop a high-speed train so he could disembark.
Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida, who is related to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reportedly lobbied train staff to stop outside of Rome.
Lollobrigida has been blamed after delays which threatened a scheduled appointment for the request.
The minister and his staff were allowed to disembark at Ciampino where a government car was waiting.
Italian opposition MPs have criticised the minister as “arrogant”.
Leader of the centre-left Democratic Party Elly Schlein said: “Not everyone is able to stop a train. Lollobrigida’s behaviour was arrogant and unworthy.”
Another Democratic Party MP Andrea Casu said: “The extraordinary stop imposed by Lollobrigida in Ciampino is a slap in the face for all the citizens who were on the same delayed train, and for all the people who face daily service disruptions caused by the lack of funding in the transportation sector, which is part of the Meloni government.
“We will immediately submit an inquiry in parliament to shed immediate light on this ugly situation.”
Defending his actions Lollobrigida said: “I asked if it was possible to get off at one of these stops.
“The train stopped at Ciampino, where an extraordinary stop was made available for everyone to get off.
Train operator Trenitalia said: “The stop was arranged at Ciampino station, where members of the government present on board got off, in order to be able to meet institutional commitments.”
