Furious Barroso rounds on MEP Joe Higgins

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso erupted in fury today as Socialist MEP Joe Higgins accused Brussels of destroying Irish services and living standards.

Mr Higgins described an EU emergency support fund – used to help bail out the Irish Government to the tune of €85bn – as “nothing more than another tool to cushion major European banks from the consequences of their reckless speculation on the financial markets”.