Cameron moves to halt Juncker appointment

The British Prime Minister will meet European Council president Herman van Rompuy on Monday as he mounts a rearguard action to block the appointment of Jean-Claude Juncker as the new head of the European Commission.

Downing Street said David Cameron will underline Britain’s opposition to Juncker taking the job ahead of a potentially difficult meeting of European Union leaders on Thursday and Friday.

Cameron’s position was backed by Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban in talks this afternoon, with both leaders disputing the process which has made Juncker the frontrunner for the presidency. The former Luxembourg prime minister, viewed as a potential roadblock to reform by Cameron, has been put forward by the centre-right European People’s Party — the largest grouping in the European Parliament following last month’s elections — under the “Spitzenkandidaten” process.