EU ‘flicking two fingers’ if Juncker is backed

If EU leaders back Jean- Claude Juncker for the post of European Commission president this week it would be "flicking two fingers" at voters across the continent who had expressed concerns about Brussels, said British MP Iain Duncan Smith.

The former Tory leader said the rise of Eurosceptic parties had sent a “seismic message” and accused heads of government of being “utterly complacent” about the situation.

British Prime Minister David Cameron will risk deepening divisions between the UK and EU by forcing leaders from across the 28-member bloc to vote on the issue at the European Council summit this week unless his counterparts are prepared to consider an alternative candidate.