On Wednesday 19 April, the British Parliament adopted by 522 to 13 the holding of an early general election announced the day before by the prime minister, Theresa May, for 8 June 2017 (see EUROPE 11769). The British PM needed a two-thirds majority in the House of Commons.
Theresa May wants to ensure a solid majority before getting to the heart of the Brexit talks. Exiting the EU has to take place before the European elections in 2019. British media accuse the leader of wanting to hold elections to destroy what remains of the influence of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party, although Labour said it would not oppose the early election. The Guardian newspaper said in an editorial on Tuesday evening that the country didn’t need an early election.
Quizzed on the question, Margaritis Schinas, a spokesperson for the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, explained on Wednesday 19 April the sequence of events that will lead to the launch of exit talks with London, namely a European Summit on 29 April and a General Affairs Council around 22 May to adopt the Commission’s negotiating directives. The spokesperson said Juncker feels that the talks will actually begin just after the 8 June general elections. May and Juncker spoke about this on the phone on Tuesday evening. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)