A decision by David Cameron, the Conservative party leader, to join a new bloc in the European parliament means that it will find itself allied to a Polish party that critics have branded as homophobic, eccentric and nationalistic.

While sitting down with MEPs from Poland's Law and Justice party should put Conservatives in touch with like-minded Euro-sceptics, determined to stand up for national rights they also run the risk of associating with a party that is no stranger to controversy

Founded by identical twins Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski in 2001, Law and Justice, with its conservative moral stance and colourful policies, has divided Poland between those who feel it stands for traditional Polish values and those who consider it at odds with a modern Poland, thriving in the European Union.