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French rightist Le Pen to head to UK to campaign for Brexit

PARIS (Reuters) - France's far-right party leader Marine Le Pen is planning to travel to Britain to campaign for the country to leave the European Union, a party official said on Wednesday.

Le Pen has said she would organise a referendum on leaving the EU in France if she were to come to power. Her party has been monitoring the British referendum closely, hoping for a Brexit vote that would boost its agenda at home.

"Marine Le Pen is bound to go. The date has not been set, it would be at the end of May or early June," National Front (FN) spokesman Alain Vizier said.

"She would go for a day or half a day," Vizier said, adding that no details had been set yet except that "she will campaign for Brexit."

One possibility would be for her to campaign with Janice Atkinson, a former UKIP EU lawmaker who is part of Le Pen's Europe of Nations and Freedom Group in the European Parliament.

"Every nation in Europe has the right to be asked that question, do you want to stay in this structure... or not," Le Pen told Radio Classique in an interview on Monday, referring to the EU. "The first step was organised by Mr (David) Cameron."

Opinion polls show Le Pen topping the first round of presidential elections next year unless the centre-right Les Republicains party nominates former prime minister Alain Juppe. She is seen losing the second round.

(Reporting by Ingrid Melander Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)