Turmoil for Tories in Europe as alliance leader 'hounded out'

Polish politician Michal Kaminski resigns from group having faced 'aggression' and 'hatred'

The Tories' grouping in the European parliament was in chaos last night after its leader resigned claiming he had been hounded out by extremist fellow MEPs.

Polish politician Michal Kaminski said he was resigning as chairman of the European Conservative and Reformists group on the news channel TVN 24.

He said in an interview that he had faced "aggression" and "hatred" from his former colleagues in Poland's Law and Justice party.

The developments are embarrassing for David Cameron and William Hague, the foreign secretary. They took the Conservatives into an alliance in the European parliament with Law and Justice in July 2009, abandoning the mainstream centre right European People's party (EPP) grouping.

They also backed Kaminski when he faced allegations that he had fostered antisemitic sentiments to gain votes in Poland and had described gay men as "faggots" on Polish television. He has always denied being antisemitic.

Kaminski, 39, left Law and Justice last November because it had been taken over by extremists. Kaminski said in a newspaper interview: "I cannot accept that my party is being taken over by the far right, and being dominated by the far right. I don't like the direction Law and Justice is going so I'm going my own way now."

But he was urged to keep his post as group leader in the European parliament by senior Tories who believed he was the acceptable face of the Polish right. Other MEPs in the alliance told the Guardian last month that Kaminski should have stepped down as leader of the ECR because he no longer had a mandate to lead.

Jacek Kurski, a one-time ally of Kaminski's, said he would support a move to ask Kaminski to step aside. "I expect that it will be pointed out to the alliance of parties that something must change following these [Kaminski's] comments. There must be a change to consolidate our group. It is not my responsibility! to do t hat. But I would welcome it," he said.

Kurski also accused Kaminski of "rebranding" himself for European politics. "If there's anybody who is extreme, it is Micha Kaminski. He is doing his best to realign himself but he is the one who made homophobic comments and was once closely connected to the far right in Poland," he said.

Last night, it remained unclear whether Kaminski would remain an MEP or who might take his place.

One candidate is expected to be Professor Ryszard Legutko, an MEP and academic and one of the 15 MEPs voted in on the Law and Justice ticket.

Kaminski also claimed last night that Law and Justice would join a radical right grouping in the European parliament if the ECR collapsed. If three other MEPs leave the Law and Justice party with Kaminski, it would severely threaten their chances of securing parliamentary committee chairs, leaving it with as much significance as the British National party.


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