Juncker survives vote of no confidence by parliament

The European Commission’s new president, Jean-Claude Juncker, comfortably survived a no confidence vote yesterday brought over news that Luxembourg had lured multinational businesses with super low tax rates during his period as prime minister.

The censure motion in the European Parliament in Strasbourg was resoundingly defeated by 461 votes to 101.

However, the vote was hardly an auspicious start for Juncker, under fire in his first month in office both over his role when Luxembourg leader and over a potential conflict of interest as head of a Commission examining tax avoidance.