Kenneth Clarke says Syriza victory risks Greek exit from eurozone

Former chancellor, who referred to Syriza MPs as 'latterday Trotskyites', says it is wrong to blame Germany for plight of Greece

The "latterday Trotskyites" from Syriza who won the Greek general election have set out on a course that risks a Greek exit from the eurozone, the former chancellor Kenneth Clarke has said.

In some of the starkest comments about Greece by a senior British politician, Clarke said he hoped that a "very great deal of work" was being carried out to minimise the impact on financial markets and to relieve poverty in Greece.