Theresa May accuses EU of seeking to affect British election result

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

Speaking in Downing Street after formally dissolving parliament in a meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, May struck a belligerent tone that appeared to be aimed directly at the European Commission.

“In the last few days we have seen just how tough these talks are likely to be,” May said. “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.”

“All of these acts have been deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election” on June 8, she said.

May added that there were some in Brussels who did not want to see Brexit talks succeed.

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.

There was no immediate EU comment on her accusations.

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.

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

On Wednesday, May reiterated the UK’s position that “no deal is better than a bad deal” but said that if the negotiations did not go well for the UK, the consequences would be “serious.”

“If we don’t get the negotiation right the consequences will be serious and they will be felt by ordinary working people across the country,” she said. “If we let the bureaucrats of Brussels run over us we will lose the chance to build a fairer society with real opportunity for all.”

A senior politician from the opposition Labour Party warned May was increasing the chance of not getting a deal by accusing EU politicians of trying to meddle in a British election.

"By picking a needless fight with our European partners in this way, the Prime Minister is making a good deal with Brussels less likely, and a chaotic Brexit with no agreement at all more likely," Chuka Umunna said in a statement.

A poll by research firm Kantar on Wednesday put the Conservatives on 48 percent, up two percentage points on a week earlier, while support for Labour was unchanged at 24 percent.

May said reaching the best Brexit deal with Brussels would be the overriding task for whoever wins the June 8 election and urged voters to give her their backing to "fight for Britain".

She said that while Britain wanted to reach a deal with the EU, that view was not shared by everyone in Brussels.

"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. Who do not want Britain to prosper."