This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Amber Rudd has launched a scathing attack on the “ghastly” European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, criticising his behaviour with women.

The work and pensions secretary hit out after footage from last week’s European council meeting in Brussels showed him playing with a woman’s hair.

Rudd, a former minister for women and equalities, branded the behaviour “grotesque” in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. She said he would probably have been subject to an official complaint if it happened in the UK.

Juncker, a former prime minister of Luxembourg, also clashed with Theresa May. They were caught on camera having a robust discussion the day after Juncker used a press conference to describe her negotiating strategy as “nebulous”.

Play Video 0:23 Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker have 'frosty exchange' – video

Corbyn: Brexit would go ahead even if Labour won snap election Read more

Rudd replaced Esther McVey at the Department for Work and Pensions a month ago, having been sacked as home secretary over the Windrush scandal. In a wide-ranging interview which will fuel speculation she has leadership ambitions, the Hastings MP said Juncker “is ghastly. What I minded before that were those pictures of the way he was holding the prime minister. I did not like that.”

Discussing the incident with the woman’s hair on his arrival at the European council meeting, she added: “It’s grotesque. I mean, if that happened in our parliament I hope there would be a formal complaint.

“When I used to go the EU for meetings, I often had a terrible cold to insist that I didn’t get enveloped in a bear hug. All the EU commissioners love doing their big hugs.”