This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27993773
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Juncker has 'common sense' dig at UK PM Cameron | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Jean-Claude Juncker says he expects to be the next European Commission president by the end of the week - "if common sense prevails". | |
| In a dig at his staunch opponent David Cameron, he joked: "It seems that common sense is very unequally distributed, so one will have to wait." | |
| Mr Cameron will demand a vote of EU leaders if Mr Juncker is nominated for the job at a Brussels summit on Friday. | |
| He says Mr Juncker would "politicise and compromise" the EC. | |
| Ex-Luxembourg prime minister Mr Juncker made his comments during a speech in Germany ahead of Friday's crunch EU gathering. | |
| Speaking in Berlin, he said: "I am not designated commission president yet. If common sense prevails this will happen at the end of the week - but it seems that common sense is very unequally distributed, so one will have to wait." | |
| 'Vested interests' | |
| Mr Cameron has fought a lone campaign to block Jean-Claude Juncker, saying his appointment would "ignore the clear pro-change and pro-reform message" delivered by European voters in last month's elections. | |
| If Mr Juncker's name is tabled at Friday's meeting, Mr Cameron has said he would demand an "unprecedented" vote to put on the public record EU leaders' views on Mr Juncker. | |
| The row comes amid the disclosure of a secretly recorded conversation in which Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski appears to criticise the UK prime minister. | |
| In comments, published by Wprost, Mr Sikorski described Mr Cameron's immigration policy as "either a very badly thought-through move or, not for the first time [showing] his incompetence in European affairs". | In comments, published by Wprost, Mr Sikorski described Mr Cameron's immigration policy as "either a very badly thought-through move or, not for the first time [showing] his incompetence in European affairs". |
| But Poland's foreign ministry says the remarks, reportedly recorded in January before the row between Mr Cameron and other EU leaders over Mr Juncker's appointment, have been taken out of context. | But Poland's foreign ministry says the remarks, reportedly recorded in January before the row between Mr Cameron and other EU leaders over Mr Juncker's appointment, have been taken out of context. |
| Tory MP Bernard Jenkin leapt to Mr Cameron's defence, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "When a system is being challenged and needs to be challenged, very often the vested interests in the system resort to abuse because they can't hear; they can't understand what's going wrong. | |
| "The fact is that the UK is faced with an increasingly stark choice about the nature of our relationship with our European partners. | "The fact is that the UK is faced with an increasingly stark choice about the nature of our relationship with our European partners. |
| "We're either in the European Union and that's governed by the institutions which have a federalist agenda or we're going to find ourselves having to make a different choice about a new relationship with our European partners which is what David Cameron is talking about - and he's right." | "We're either in the European Union and that's governed by the institutions which have a federalist agenda or we're going to find ourselves having to make a different choice about a new relationship with our European partners which is what David Cameron is talking about - and he's right." |
| Mr Jenkin said he knew Mr Sikorski - a former Oxford University graduate - personally. "He used to be a Eurosceptic, but since he's been in government in Poland and Poland receives so much money from Germany, both directly ... and indirectly through the EU, you can't expect Poland to confront Germany on anything." | Mr Jenkin said he knew Mr Sikorski - a former Oxford University graduate - personally. "He used to be a Eurosceptic, but since he's been in government in Poland and Poland receives so much money from Germany, both directly ... and indirectly through the EU, you can't expect Poland to confront Germany on anything." |
| He said the Conservative Party had to decide between "independent nation states trading and cooperating freely in the EU" or going along with the status quo. | He said the Conservative Party had to decide between "independent nation states trading and cooperating freely in the EU" or going along with the status quo. |
| Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added his praise to Mr Cameron's position, saying he was "proud" to have a prime minister "who fights for Britain". | Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added his praise to Mr Cameron's position, saying he was "proud" to have a prime minister "who fights for Britain". |
| "He's going out there in very difficult negotiations, fighting for the British national interest," he said. | "He's going out there in very difficult negotiations, fighting for the British national interest," he said. |
| "It's not comfortable... sometimes leadership is lonely, but if it's the right thing to do with Britain, I'm glad we've got a strong prime minister who's prepared to take those steps, even if he's isolated from time to time." | "It's not comfortable... sometimes leadership is lonely, but if it's the right thing to do with Britain, I'm glad we've got a strong prime minister who's prepared to take those steps, even if he's isolated from time to time." |