European authorities should stop public bickering and speak with one voice to make the

second rescue package for Greece work, warned Christine Lagarde, new managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

Speaking to the Financial Times, the former French finance minister said public discord between eurozone ministers and the European Central Bank over the last bail-out had created confusion in the markets. “Putting on my European hat for a microsecond?.?.?.?we did not communicate it in a harmonised fashion, nor did we particularly speak with one voice,” she said, adding that this time the Europeans must “stick to the script”. But Ms Lagarde, the 11th successive European to run the IMF, also defended the eurozone’s handling of the Greek crisis and fiercely resisted criticism that she was likely to be biased towards Europe.