Matteo Renzi, Italy’s scrappy reformer, is ready to seize his second chance after primary win

Matteo Renzi, the former Italian premier who regained control of his centre-left ruling party on Sunday, appears ready to live up to his reputation as an ambitious leader trying to revamp Italy’s gridlocked political system.

Nicknamed “Il Rottamatore” (The Scrapper) for his pledges to cast away the old political guard, Renzi nonetheless fell short of his lofty goals during his stint as premier that began in 2014.

His relentless pursuit of a “simpler, more competitive and more courageous” Italy led him to call a referendum on constitutional changes in December aimed at streamlining parliament and transferring powers from the regions to the national government.

After reclaiming leadership of the Democratic Party in Sunday’s primary, in which he secured more than 70 per cent of votes nationwide, he tweeted: “It is a huge responsibility. I thank from the bottom of my heart those men and women who believe in Italy.

“This is not the second half of the same match, it’s a new match,” he added in a victory speech.

At just 42 years old, the former mayor of Florence has made no secret of his ambitions - even at the expense of appearing ruthless toward his fellow Democratic Party leaders.