Catalonia’s separatist president, Quim Torra, has announced he will call an early regional election

Catalonia’s separatist president, Quim Torra, has announced he will call an early regional election amid growing divisions and deteriorating relations between the two pro-independence parties in his coalition government.

In an address that laid bare the splits between his centre-right Together for Catalonia party and the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), Torra said: “No government can work without unity and without a shared, common strategy and loyalty between partners.”

He said an election would be called once the regional parliament had approved this year’s budget – a process that could take months and result in a May or June poll.