Italy's 5-Star leader dumps party founder, comedian Grillo

FILE PHOTO: Founder Beppe Grillo speaks at the 5-Star Movement party's open-air rally at Circo Massimo in Rome, Italy, October 21, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's 5-Star Movement will sever ties with its founder, comedian Beppe Grillo, due to his "acts of sabotage", party leader and former premier Giuseppe Conte said in book excerpts published on Thursday.

Conte has repeatedly clashed with Grillo since he took the reins of Italy's second-largest opposition party in 2021, gradually turning what was once a radical protest movement into a more mainstream left-leaning force.