Criticised on the Brexit in recent days, British Prime Minister Theresa May counter-attacked on Wednesday accusing "European officials" of wanting to interfere in the British legislative elections and not wanting the success of the Brexit. "Some in Brussels do not want the negotiations to succeed, do not want the UK to succeed", she said in a hard tone in front of her residence on 10 Downing Street, after threatening the day before to be "extremely tough" in the exit negotiations of the European Union.
The remarks came after a difficult sequence of events for the British leader, following an article in a German newspaper on Sunday. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung claimed that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker felt that Mrs May lived in "another galaxy" regarding her demands for negotiations after a dinner in London on Wednesday. The next day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned London not to indulge in "illusions" about the implications of divorce.
For May, the British position was "distorted by the continental press". "The European Commission has tightened its negotiating position. Threats have been made against the UK by European politicians and officials", she said, adding that "all this was deliberately programmed to influence the outcome of the legislative elections scheduled for 8 June.
Ms May decided to convene the advance poll in order to achieve a majority in the 17-seat parliament and allow her to have her hands free to negotiate the Brexit as she sees fit. The polls give the Conservative Party a big lead and Ms May again called on voters to offer her the widest possible mandate in her speech on Wednesday after a visit to Queen Elizabeth II to announce the dissolution of the Parliament.
The Brussels Times
