EU seeking to affect result of British election, says May

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May accused European politicians and officials on Wednesday of seeking to affect the outcome of the June 8 national election by issuing threats over Brexit.

May, whose Conservative Party has a double-digit lead over the main opposition Labour Party in the polls, has framed the early election as an opportunity to strengthen her hand in upcoming negotiations on Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Speaking in front of her Downing Street office after visiting Queen Elizabeth to mark the dissolution of parliament, the formal start of the election campaign, May said there were some in Brussels who did not want to see Brexit talks succeed.

Over the weekend a German newspaper gave a damning account of a dinner last week between May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, reporting that he had told May that Brexit could not be a success.

“Britain’s negotiating position in Europe has been misrepresented in the continental press, the European Commission’s negotiating stance has hardened, threats against Britain have been issued by European politicians and officials,” May said. “All of these acts have been deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election.”

There was no immediate EU comment on her accusations.

May has dismissed the German newspaper report as Brussels gossip and on Tuesday repeated her promise to be difficult in talks with Juncker, as brinkmanship between the two sides increased ahead of the negotiations.