There is increasing concern over the damage that Silvio Berlusconi is inflicting on Italy’s image at a time when the country is an important player on the world stage and holds the chairmanship of the G8.

The Italian Prime Minister’s popularity ratings have been unaffected so far by his public divorce battle. According to a recent poll, they stand at 66 per cent, despite insinuations by his wife, Veronica Lario, concerning his relationship with — or to — Noemi Letizia.

Ms Lario has said that he is “unwell” and “needs help” but many Italians admire Mr Berlusconi for his exuberant energy and drive as a self-made billionaire. They see him as “one of us”, despite his wealth.

“He is popular because he is not a snob, like the leaders of the Left,” said Il Giornale — his own newspaper.

For Emma Bonino, the former European commissioner who is now a senator for the opposition Radical Party, Mr Berlusconi’s gaffes and sexual misadventures are harming Italy’s image abroad just as he is preparing to chair the G8 summit in July.

Ms Bonino was applauded on Thursday when she told a studio audience on RAI, the state channel: “Italians, whether they voted for him or not, have the right to have a leader who does not embarrass us at the international level.”

She later told The Times: “Nobody expects him to just stand there like a tailor’s dummy but he lacks decorum and restraint. There is no need to play the buffoon.”

She said that the scandal over Mr Berlusconi’s promotion of showgirls as European Parliament candidates confirmed his lack of respect for women and reinforced a “vulgar macho stereotype which I had hoped was over”. She recalled that two years ago Mr Berlusconi had described Baroness Thatcher, pictured, as una bella gnocca, or “a great piece of pussy”.

James Walston, Professor of International Relations at the American University of Rome, said that Mr Berlusconi’s “Teflon qualities” would help him to avoid setbacks in the European elections. “But for July’s G8 meeting the stakes are different. Outside Italy, Berlusconi has the reputation of a court jester accompanied by the persistent odour of corruption. His wife’s allegations add a louche quality to the man which effectively undermine the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ hard work to improve his image.”

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