Carles Puigdemont breaks with Pedro Sánchez as PM is quizzed on party cash payments

It has been another stressful political week for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. On Tuesday, it was announced that Catalan nationalist party Junts would stop propping up the coalition government in the Spanish parliament with the votes of its seven MPs.

Leader Carles Puigdemont - who is still in self-exile in Belgium and wanted in Spain over embezzlement - has asked his party members to vote to approve to end their closeness to Sánchez's Socialist PSOE. Junt is unsatisfied with Madrid's lack of success in concessions to Catalonia.

Ministers, however, have reacted calmly, saying the break has no effective change on the position of the minority coalition government.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, in a chaotic session before a committee of senators in Spain's upper house, Sánchez was giving explanations over why his PSOE party seems to have been paying out large amounts in cash. The Prime Minister said cash was being paid but continued to stress that all party funding was legal and accounted for. He was very critical of the ongoing corruption accusations against his family and party.