Right-wing Polish party KNP has agreed to link up with Geert Wilders’ PVV and France’s Front National in forming an anti-EU group within the European parliament, Trouw reports on Thursday.

Wilders originally opposed working with the Kongres Nowej Prawicy because of ‘our free market ideology’, a spokesman is quoted as saying by Trouw. Neither Wilders or the Front National has yet commented on the claim.

The KNP holds sharply differing views to Wilders in several areas. The party opposes same sex marriage and wants the use and production of all drugs to be decriminalised.

In addition, party leader Janusz Korwin-Mikke reportedly opposes giving women the right to vote because they ‘are not interested in politics’.

Hotline

The decision by the Poles to join the alliance is also noteworthy considering Wilders’ hostility to Polish workers in the Netherlands. Two years ago he set up a hotline for people to report ‘problems with Poles’.

On Wednesday it emerged that Britain’s eurosceptic Ukip had managed to form an alliance with six other parties. It includes one former member of the Front National who quit several days after being elected.

The Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group will also include MEPs from Lithuania, France, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Sweden among its 48 members, the BBC said.

Far right

The extreme right Flemish party Vlaams Belang, Austria’s FPO and Italy’s Lega Nord have already agreed to join Wilders and Le Pen.

The addition of the KNP means Wilders and FN leader Marine Le Pen still need one more party in order to qualify for funding and more speaking time within the Brussels parliament.

Under EU rules, each group must have at least 25 MEPs from a minimum of seven member states.