Juncker named to top EU job in bitter blow for British PM Cameron
Cameron lost battle to stop Juncker getting top Brussels job, but could still win war for EU reform
David Cameron took Britain closer to the exit door of the European Union following a tumultuous EU summit at which his fellow leaders inflicted a crushing defeat on the prime minister by nominating Jean-Claude Juncker for one of the most powerful jobs in Brussels.
In what marked a rift in the UK's long and troubled relationship with the continent, Cameron was left isolated as 26 of 28 countries endorsed Juncker as head of the European Commission for the next five years.
"This is a bad day for Europe," said the prime minister on Friday as he voiced bitterness over the nomination of Juncker. "Of course I'm disappointed."
Many in Britain - where a history of Euroscepticism reached new heights with the victory of the anti-EU UK Independence Party in last month's European Parliament elections - support his stance against Juncker, who is seen as too much of a federalist.
Some 43 per cent of voters believe Cameron was right to try to block Juncker's appointment, against 13 per cent who said he was wrong in a Financial Times/Populus poll released last week.