Ursula von der Leyen's run for second term dented by €17k-a-month job for ally

The intervention of senior EU politicians in the controversy is the first sign of trouble for Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for a second five-year term at the helm of the commission. Picture: AP /Geert Vanden Wijngaert

Ursula von der Leyen’s run for a second term as president of the European Commission has been dented after accusations of favouritism in the selection of a fellow party member for a lucrative new job.

Some of the highest-ranking people in Brussels, including the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, and the French commissioner Thierry Breton, have written to Ms von der Leyen to complain the appointment of the German MEP Markus Pieper as a special adviser “has triggered questions about the transparency and impartiality of the nomination process”.