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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| PM to call vote on Juncker EU commission appointment | PM to call vote on Juncker EU commission appointment |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| David Cameron will call for a vote on the next European Commission president if there is an attempt to rubber stamp Jean-Claude Juncker in the role. | |
| No 10 sources say such a vote would be "unprecedented", as EU heads of government usually reach a consensus. | |
| But a BBC correspondent said it was unlikely to go the way of the PM, who sees Mr Juncker preventing EU reforms. | |
| It comes as business leaders warn about EU financial curbs eroding "Britain's competitiveness". | |
| Writing in the Sunday Times, 54 people - including Conservative donors and two former ministers Lord Lamont and Lord Flight - said they were "extremely concerned" about the government's "difficulties" in preventing the introduction of new EU financial measures. | |
| They say the measures - including a financial transaction tax, bonus caps and bans on short selling - will hit the "unique global standing" of the City and the wider UK financial services industry. | |
| "As we enter a period of EU reform and renegotiation, we urge political leaders to remember the significant contribution that our industry plays in Britain's economic success," they said. | |
| In April, Europe's top court rejected a UK challenge to the introduction of the EU financial transactions tax. | |
| 'Alternative names' | |
| BBC political correspondent, Chris Mason, said the letter "highlights the challenge David Cameron faces". | |
| The prime minister has pledged to renegotiate the terms of the UK's membership if the Conservatives win the next election, putting the outcome to a vote of the British people in an in-out referendum in 2017. | |
| But our correspondent said there was irritation in Downing Street that the European Parliament had too much say over the choice of the next commission president, as opposed to the heads of government. | |
| Mr Cameron will meet with the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, on Monday in Downing Street to discuss the issue. | |
| Sources say the PM could force a vote on Mr Juncker - the former Luxembourg prime minister who hopes to become commissioner - at a European Summit in Brussels on Friday. | |
| "British officials have been clear... that if there was the political will to find consensus then the decision on commission president could and should be delayed but if leaders are not even willing to consider alternative names, despite their widely expressed misgivings, then a vote should take place," a source said. | "British officials have been clear... that if there was the political will to find consensus then the decision on commission president could and should be delayed but if leaders are not even willing to consider alternative names, despite their widely expressed misgivings, then a vote should take place," a source said. |
| "The prime minister believes it is important that each leader sets out their position clearly when such an important principle is at stake - handing power to the parliament through a back-room deal." | |
| European Commission | |
| Mr Cameron has previously described Brussels as "too big, too bossy, too interfering" and says Mr Juncker would not push through reform within Europe to return more powers to nation states. | |
| He has been reported as saying Mr Juncker's appointment could destabilise the UK government. | |
| Both the Labour leader Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, have said they do not want Mr Juncker to be the next leader of the commission. | |
| Hesitation | Hesitation |
| On Saturday, Mr Juncker, the centre-right's candidate for the post, received the backing of nine left-wing heads of government. | |
| Speaking on their behalf, the President of France, Francois Hollande, said it was important to respect the spirit of the European parliament elections, which had returned a centre-right majority. | Speaking on their behalf, the President of France, Francois Hollande, said it was important to respect the spirit of the European parliament elections, which had returned a centre-right majority. |
| Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has also backed his bid - after some hesitation - and he also has support from other conservative leaders. | Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has also backed his bid - after some hesitation - and he also has support from other conservative leaders. |
| Mr Juncker was prime minister of Luxembourg from 1995 to 2013 and one of the architects of the euro. | Mr Juncker was prime minister of Luxembourg from 1995 to 2013 and one of the architects of the euro. |
| He is a strong advocate of a European "solidarity" union - an EU that strives to raise living standards in its poorest regions and sectors. | He is a strong advocate of a European "solidarity" union - an EU that strives to raise living standards in its poorest regions and sectors. |