But within hours, following a meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace to put the official seal on the dissolution of parliament, Mrs May accused the EU of trying to crash Brexit negotiations and interfere in the UK general election. "As we face this critical time for our country - five years that will determine the course of the United Kingdom for generations to come - we must do so together, with a unity of purpose to make a success of Brexit and to build a stronger, more secure country too," she said. “Britain’s negotiating position in Europe has been misrepresented in the continental press,” she said, in a reference to a German newspaper’s account of her dinner with the EU Commission chief. Speaking after meeting Queen Elizabeth II to officially start the election campaign, May said the EU's negotiating stance had hardened and some European officials had made "threats" against Britain. “All of these acts have been deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election.”

The Prime Minister said she had made clear that “Britain means no harm to our friends and allies on the continent” despite reaffirming her belief that “no deal is better for Britain than a bad deal”. Who do not want Britain to prosper.”

The remarks also represented a shift in tone on the risks involved in Brexit, with the Prime Minister acknowledging that “the consequences will be serious” if the UK fails to secure the right exit terms from the EU. “Insulting our neighbours simply makes the Brexit mountain much harder to climb, but unfortunately it is par for the course from Theresa May.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the Prime Minister was “playing party games with Brexit” to boost the Tories in next month’s election.
Conservative politician Theresa May accuses European Union officials of trying to influence the upcoming elections.