Marine Le Pen, the leader of the France's far right Front National (FN), has claimed she is in "regular contact" with UKIP.
In a controversial speech at Cambridge University on Tuesday, the MEP said the FN had "political relations" with Nigel Farge's party as the two have similar views.
She said: "If I felt my options were closer to the BNP I would be in contact with the BNP, but I am in contact with UKIP," reports the Times.
One student said although Le Pen's views were "repulsive", "the best way to address this problem is to engage with it"
UKIP were quick to distance themselves from the claims.
A spokesperson told the Huffington Post UK: "Members of the European Parliament obviously know each other but UKIP has absolutely nothing to do with the Front National.
"As Nigel (Farage) has already said in the Times, he very much doubts that she has met a UKIP official in her life."
Le Pen arrived at the Cambridge Union with a police escort as demonstrators, organised by the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) group, gathered outside.
The UAF argued the NF is a "modern fascist party", "deeply racist" and should not be given a platform for their views.
In a 35-minute speech through an interpreter she said: "I have campaigned forcefully for Europe to halt immigration and the Schengen agreement and to prepare for a return to national currencies.
"The European union is one of the causes of our weakened state."
She also compared the "totalitarian" ideologies of "Islamism and globalism" in the 21st century to the threat Britain and France faced from Nazism.
Last year French authorities asked the European Parliament to lift Le Pen's immunity so she could be investigated for "inciting racial hatred".
The accusation arose from comments she made in 2010 in which she compared Muslims praying in the streets of France to Nazi Occupation.