Gareth Thomas MP, Labour’s Shadow Europe Minister, responding to reports that Conservative MEPs have admitted the True Finns and the Danish People’s Party to their grouping in the European Parliament, said:

“Reports that David Cameron’s MEPs have now gone into formal alliance with the controversial Danish People’s Party, and the far-right True Finns raise very serious questions for the Prime Minister.

"David Cameron must now be open with the British public about the dubious views of his new partners in Europe, and explain the decision to form an alliance with politicians whose views are rejected by many mainstream leaders across Europe. He considered these parties too extreme to ally with in 2009, so now he needs to explain what has changed?

"David Cameron has isolated himself from allies in the EU, and now his MEPs are withdrawing to the extreme fringes of acceptable politics within Europe.”

Ends