U.K.’s May says EU meddling in election

BRUSSELS — British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday accused European Union officials of trying to influence the U.K. elections, ratcheting up tensions over her country’s departure from the bloc.

Hours after the EU unveiled its plan for divorce talks, which delays discussion on issues such as trade that are dear to Britain, May said that “the European Commission’s negotiating stance has hardened. Threats against Britain have been issued by European politicians and officials.”

“All of these acts have been deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election that will take place on 8 June,” she told reporters outside No. 10 Downing St., in a speech aimed at rallying support for her Conservative Party ahead of next month’s polls.

May’s remarks followed leaked comments in the press in Britain and elsewhere in Europe suggesting the EU thinks the U.K. is not facing reality about the conditions of its EU exit and the complexity of the negotiations ahead.

“The events of the last few days have shown that — whatever our wishes, and however reasonable the positions of Europe’s other leaders — there are some in Brussels who do not want these talks to succeed,” she said.

The head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, expressed regret that details of his private dinner with May last week had made the news.

A German news report said Juncker left the meeting saying he was “10 times more skeptical than I was before” that negotiations will succeed. May dismissed the report as “Brussels gossip.”

May vowed Tuesday to be a “bloody difficult woman” in exit talks.

Juncker said, “I have noted that she is a tough lady.”

The EU’s chief exit negotiator, Michel Barnier, insisted that Britain’s accounts must be settled before any talks on its future trade relationship with the EU can take place, as he warned that time is running out to seal a deal by 2019.

Unveiling the European Commission’s negotiating mandate for the U.K.’s departure, Barnier said he was not hostile toward the U.K. and that the bloc did not want to punish it for leaving. But “we have to settle the account — not more, not less,” he said.

The amount London owes the EU has become one of the most contentious subjects in the exit process, with some reports estimating it could climb to as much as $109 billion — a figure the U.K. has flatly rejected paying.

U.K. exit Secretary David Davis told ITV that Britain “will meet … international obligations” but added: “We will not be paying” $100 billion.

Davis also dismissed reports the EU could bar May from exit discussions at future heads of state and government meetings.

Barnier did not specify how much Britain should pay, but his negotiating mandate said it should cover budget payments, the cost of ending Britain’s membership in any EU institution including banks, and the bill for relocating any EU agencies on its territory. London also must pay in euros rather than pounds, meaning that it should bear the currency exchange costs, he said.

Some British politicians, including May, have said walking away would be better than a bad deal, and Barnier conceded that the EU has planned for such a contingency.

“We are prepared for all options,” he said. “But the option I am working on is getting an agreement.”