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Barroso says UKIP could win European elections in UK Barroso says UKIP could win European elections in UK
(35 minutes later)
The president of the European Commission has predicted that UKIP - which wants Britain out of the EU - may win next year's European elections in the UK. The European Commission president has predicted that UKIP - which wants Britain out of the EU - may win next year's European elections in the UK.
Jose Manuel Barroso used his state of the union speech to accuse the Conservatives of turning eurosceptic for electoral advantage. Jose Manuel Barroso used his state of the union speech to accuse the Conservatives of turning Eurosceptic for electoral advantage.
And he said the British people might prefer the "original" to the "copy". And he said that when it "comes to being against Europe people prefer the original to the copy".
UKIP came second in the 2009 European elections behind the Conservatives.UKIP came second in the 2009 European elections behind the Conservatives.
The party's leader Nigel Farage has promised to cause a "political earthquake" at next year's polls after a strong showing in local elections.
David Cameron wants the UK to renegotiate the UK's relations with the European Union and then hold an in/out referendum on Britain's membership in 2017.
The prime minister's promise of a referendum, announced earlier this year, was seen as a response to the rise in support for UKIP.
But the Conservative leader's strategy has angered senior EU officials including Mr Barroso, who accused Conservative leader in the European Parliament, Martin Callanan, of not being a genuine Eurosceptic.
He told the MEP: "What is your story to the electorate? Are you going to say everything is wrong in Europe?
"Your party is looking like UKIP. I have some doubts whether you are going to be elected in Britain or if it is not UKIP that will be the first force in British elections.
"Because when it comes to being against Europe people prefer the original to the copy. That is probably why they are going to vote more for Mr Farage than Mr Callanan.
"I don't say this with any kind of satisfaction because although we have our differences we have worked together in many areas with the Conservatives."
His comments came after Mr Callanan used a parliamentary debate to accuse the commission of representing the "vested interests of the European District in Brussels not the people of Europe".
Nigel Farage said: "Mr Barroso is right to say that the only real EU debate is whether the UK leaves or stays in the EU, and not the unrealistic promises by David Cameron."