Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption May on being "bloody difficult" and "Brussels gossip"

Theresa May says she will be a "bloody difficult woman" towards European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker during Brexit talks.

The PM revived a line used during her Tory leadership campaign to respond to claims the two clashed over dinner.

She also declined to commit to settling the issue of expats' rights by June.

EU sources claim UK misunderstanding of the talks process, and ignorance about how Brussels works, could lead to no deal being agreed on the UK's exit.

According to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine, the prime minister and Mr Juncker clashed last Wednesday at Downing Street over Mrs May's desire to make Brexit "a success" and whether the issue of protecting the rights of expat UK and EU nationals could be agreed as early as June.

Speaking to BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mrs May said there were a lot of similarities and common ground in the two sides' positions.

She added: "But look, I think what we've seen recently is that at times these negotiations are going to be tough.

"During the Conservative Party leadership campaign I was described by one of my colleagues as a bloody difficult woman. And I said at the time the next person to find that out will be Jean-Claude Juncker."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption In full: Theresa May speaks to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg

The "bloody difficult" quote came from former Conservative chancellor Ken Clarke, who was recorded discussing her after a TV interview last year.

Asked about the German newspaper report, Mrs May said: "I don't recall the account that has been given of the meeting that took place, I think that a lot of this is Brussels gossip."

But she said that the talks would be tough and would involve either her or Jeremy Corbyn lining up for the UK against the other 27 EU leaders.

Analysis by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg

Theresa May's comment is revealing about her strength, and also her weakness. No political leader wants to be seen to be pushed around. When the UK talked tough as a member of the EU the others had no choice but to listen.

But now the UK is on the way out, the incentives for the others to pay attention - let alone do our bidding - is very different.

Refusing to be pushed around is one thing, refusing to show any sign of compromise or listen quite another.

Read more from Laura

Pressed on whether she did believe the issue of the rights of EU nationals in the UK - and Britons abroad - could be settled in June, she said: "I've always said that I want this to be an issue that we address at an early stage."

"I've always said that there are complexities to this issue and lots of details that will need to be agreed. What people want to know is to have some reassurance about their future. I believe we can give that at an early stage. I've got the will to do this," she added.

She also said she would have "no intention of doing anything other" than serving a full term until 2022 if she wins the 8 June general election.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Brussels and Downing Street sources gave contrasting accounts of Jean-Claude Juncker's meeting with Theresa May

Opposition parties have accused the Tories of pursuing a "hard Brexit" strategy, with the PM insisting no deal is better than a bad one and planning to withdraw the UK from the EU single market.

The first edition of the London Evening Standard published under the editorship of ex-chancellor George Osborne was headlined "Brussels twists knife on Brexit", with an editorial warning the PM against seeking a "blank cheque" from the EU.

Launching his party's Brexit strategy, ex-Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said Mrs May had "chosen to pursue the most extreme and damaging form" of EU departure.

He said his party would offer another EU referendum in which it would campaign to Remain.

Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning </s> Theresa May says Jean-Claude Juncker will be the next person to find she can be a ‘bloody difficult woman’ during Brexit negotiations. Speaking to BBC News in Mevagissey on Tuesday, the PM revived the line used during her Tory leadership campaign to respond to claims her and Juncker had a fractious dinner over the weekend
• May: Juncker will find me ‘bloody difficult woman’ in Brexit talks </s> Responding to claims the two clashed over a working dinner at Downing Street, the Prime Minister said she will not give the European Commission president an easy ride. Former Cabinet colleague Ken Clarke branded the Mrs May “difficult” during the Tory leadership campaign. But the Prime Minister wore the description as a badge of honour as she fired a warning shot to Jean-Claude Juncker amid reports of tensions between the two politicans.

Speaking to the BBC, Theresa May said: "During the Conservative Party leadership campaign I was described by one of my colleagues as a bloody difficult woman. And I said at the time the next person to find that out will be Jean-Claude Juncker." The Prime Minister insisted "a lot" of the leaked account of a difficult Downing Street dinner between the two sides was "Brussels gossip". But she acknowledged the Brexit negotiations were going to be tough after a detailed account in the German press of their meeting suggested Mr Juncker left fearing the talks would end in failure.

Pressed by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg whether the commission chief had indeed found that out, Mrs May said: “Well these are going to be tough negotiations as we as we go ahead. “I’m asking the British people to give me a mandate to go into those negotiations. “Every vote for me and my team is a vote to strengthen our hand in ensuring that we get the best possible deal for the United Kingdom.” Asked whether Mr Juncker had told her at the dinner “Brexit cannot be a success”, Mrs May said: “I don't recall the account that has been given of the meeting that took place.

“I think a lot of this is Brussels gossip.” Mrs May and Brexit Secretary David Davis met with Mr Juncker and the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier for a working dinner last week. German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper said European Commission sources said the EU side concluded Mrs May was way too optimistic about the prospects for a deal. As he departed, Mr Juncker was said to have told her: “I leave Downing St 10 times as sceptical as I was before.”

Mr Juncker publicly said the dinner was “a very constructive meeting in a friendly atmosphere” as European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said he would not comment on leaks. But the EU chief sparked outrage when he said: “I have the impression sometimes that our British friends - not all of them - do underestimate the technical difficulties we have to face”. Mr Chinas said there were “technical difficulties” over the order of Brexit talks and the “degree of difficulty involved in various stages”. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: “I think the talks have got off to a very, very bad start.

“I don't doubt that this leak is irritating for the Prime Minister but the contents are really worrying. “I think that rigid approach, that fixed approach that she has taken here in the UK is simply not working with our EU partners. “We need to be flexible, we need to be smart and we need to understand how negotiations go - so she has got off to a very, very bad start, I'm afraid." Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: “Whether you see these as leaks or Brussels gossip, the whirlwind of news following the May-Juncker meeting is a taste of what's to come. </s> LONDON (The Washington Post) - Prime Minister Theresa May made an explosive charge Wednesday that European Union officials are meddling in Britain’s June election, as tensions escalated over looming talks about British withdrawal from the European Union.

“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 that will take place on June 8,” the prime minister said.

Tensions between the continent and the United Kingdom have ratcheted up this week following leaks in the German press about a dinner between May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, which painted an unflattering portrait of May.

Speaking outside her Downing Street offices, May said, “In the last few days, we have seen just how tough these talks are likely to be. Britain’s negotiating position in Europe has been misrepresented in the continental press.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also warned last week that some in Britain harbor “illusions” about what is possible in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations.

May’s strong language highlights how poisonous the negotiations have become. But her remarks also signal a deliberate domestic strategy, as May seeks to cast herself in the British election as someone who can go toe-to-toe with European officials.

“There are only two people who can possibly be prime minister after the 8th of June to negotiate Brexit. It is a choice between me and Jeremy Corbyn,” she said.

Earlier in the week, she said she would be a “bloody difficult woman” in the negotiations with the EU.

May’s statement on Wednesday came shortly after she met with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace to officially start the election campaign. Polls suggest that May’s Conservative Party is on course to make big gains in the election.

Last week, May and Juncker met to discuss the upcoming Brexit negotiations, and according to a leaked account in Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, Juncker left “10 times more skeptical” that a deal could be achieved.

The two reportedly clashed over the “divorce bill,” the rights of EU citizens and the timing of trade talks. After the meeting, Juncker was said to have told Merkel that May was living in another “galaxy.” May initially dismissed the report as “Brussels gossip.”

One of the major sticking points in the early discussions is the size of the divorce bill that Britain will pay the European Union.

David Davis, Britain’s Brexit minister, strongly disputed a report Wednesday in the Financial Times that 100 billion euros ($109 billion) would be the price tag demanded by the bloc.

“We will not be paying 100 billion,” he told the BBC.

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, refused to put a figure on Britain’s exit bill. But he did say Wednesday that Britain must settle its accounts before it can begin talks about a future trading relationship with the EU.

“The clock is ticking,” he said. </s> LONDON (AP) - The Latest on Brexit and Britain's political crisis (all times local):

French President Emmanuel Macron has praised Theresa May's "courageous work" on Brexit after the British prime minister announced her resignation.

"It's too soon to speculate on the consequences of this decision", Macron said, according to a statement from the French presidency. "France is ready to work with the new British prime minister on all European and bilateral issues."

Macron sent May a personal message of support and appreciation, the statement said.

As European parliament elections are being held in the bloc until Sunday, Macron said "this must also remind us, at a time of important choice, that rejection votes with no alternative project lead to an impasse."

The pound and British stocks are rising after Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation, as some investors appear to hope it could unblock the political stalemate over Brexit, though analysts warn it could simply mean another delay to the EU departure.

The Conservative Party will tap a new prime minister after May leaves on June 7 and it is more likely that the next leader will be more in favor of Brexit. However, experts say a "no-deal" Brexit - in which Britain leaves the EU without a deal on new trade relations, causing havoc for business - remains unlikely as lawmakers remain divided over how to proceed.

Samuel Tombs, chief U.K. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, notes that "changing the leader won't alter the maths in parliament."

Tombs expects Britain will remain stuck in political stalemate for at least another year, requiring an extension to its Oct. 31 Brexit deadline.

The pound was up to $1.2715 on Friday from $1.2660 before May's announcement. The FTSE 100 stock index was up 0.6%.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker says that he considers British Prime Minister Theresa May as "a woman of courage for whom he has great respect."

European Union spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said that Juncker watched May's announcement that she will step down as Conservative Party leader on June 7 "with emotion" and added it was "without personal joy."

She said Juncker will "equally respect and establish working relations" with May's successor. Britain currently faces an Oct. 31 deadline to leave the EU.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has noted "with respect" the decision of British Prime Minister Theresa May to step down, and will continue to work closely with her successor for an orderly Brexit.

Merkel's spokeswoman, Martina Fietz, told reporters Friday that the chancellor and May always "worked together in a good and trusting" relationship and would continue to do so while May remains in office.

Looking ahead, Fietz says, "we, and the EU as a whole, are interested in a good solution being found in Britain" to the Brexit issue, and that means "an orderly exit."

The German government would not speculate on May's possible successor.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's departure speech is drawing praise from fellow Conservative Party members, including some who had criticized her Brexit stance.

Andrea Leadsom, who resigned as House of Commons Leader on Wednesday to protest May's Brexit plan, tweeted that May's speech was "an illustration of her total commitment to country and duty."

Leadsom, a possible leadership contender, said May "did her utmost" and praised the dignity of the prime minister's speech.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove tweeted his thanks to the prime minister. He called it, "A moving speech from a Prime Minister who deserves our respect and gratitude."

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, a frequent critic of May, says she is worried May's decision will bring "an even more hardline" Brexit-backer to power.

Theresa May says she will step down as U.K. Conservative Party leader on June 7, sparking a contest to become Britain's next prime minister.

She will stay as caretaker prime minister until the new leader is chosen, a process likely to take several weeks.

May has bowed to relentless pressure from her party to quit over her failure to take Britain out of the European Union on schedule.

Her departure will trigger a party leadership contest in which any Conservative lawmaker can run. The early front-runner is Boris Johnson, a former foreign secretary and strong champion of Brexit.

Britain is currently due to leave the EU on Oct. 31, but Parliament has yet to approve divorce terms.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting a leader of her Conservative lawmakers amid mounting speculation that she is about to announce her departure date.

The party's key backbench committee has set a showdown meeting Friday for May to agree to leave soon or face a leadership challenge.

Pressure on May to quit over her failure to get Parliament's approval for a European Union divorce deal reached critical point this week as a senior minister quit and several Cabinet colleagues expressed doubts about her Brexit bill.

Several British media outlets reported that May would agree to give up the prime minister's post June 10, sparking a Conservative leadership contest.

She could stay in office as a caretaker prime minister for several weeks until party lawmakers and members choose a successor. </s> LONDON - Beleaguered British Prime Minister Theresa May’s tenure appears all but ove r after Britain’s opposition Labour Party quit Brexit compromise talks on Friday and said it would oppose her EU divorce deal once again.

The Conservative leader has previously won praise for her determination and ability to survive what has often felt like a three-year political crisis since the referendum vote.

But her approach to the Brexit endgame, refusing to accept MPs’ trenchant opposition to her deal before belatedly opening ultimately futile negotiations with Labour, has left May politically abandoned.

Meanwhile, by twice delaying Britain’s exit from the European Union, she has prompted frustration and anger among Brexit supporters and ridicule from Remainers.

In a forlorn bid in March to appease the most ardent Eurosceptic MPs in her party, May offered to resign if they finally approved her deal.

But several dozen rebelled anyway, consigning it to a third defeat in parliament and leaving her mortally weakened.

This week she agreed to set out a timetable for the election of a new leader once lawmakers have held a fresh vote on the agreement in early June, but rival Tories are already jockeying for the succession.

“It’s hard to see her surviving more than two or three weeks now and the chances of her plan passing now must be close to zero,” said Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London.

The daughter of a Church of England vicar, May was born on 1 October 1956 in Eastbourne - a seaside town in southern England where her father was a chaplain at the local hospital.

She has described herself in interviews as a “goody two shoes” whose Protestant faith defined her upbringing.

She listened to cricket matches on the radio with her father and knew that she wanted to become a politician when she was just 12.

May studied geography and met her husband Philip at Oxford University before joining the Bank of England.

The two never had children and May devoted herself to a life of public service that saw her become Conservative Party chairwoman in 2002.

May made her first splash by telling her Tories at an annual conference to stop being “the nasty party” if they wanted to unseat then-popular Labour leader Tony Blair.

But her 2010-16 stint as home secretary saw May adopt isolationist rhetoric that included a vow to create “a really hostile environment for illegal migration”.

May took office in the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum which swept away her predecessor David Cameron.

Despite having campaigned to stay in the EU, she embraced the cause with the mantra “Brexit means Brexit”.

Her promise to leave the EU’s institutions and end free movement of workers delighted eurosceptic MPs, but caused dismay among many pro-Europeans.

The splits in her Conservative party became a serious problem after a disastrous snap election in June 2017, when she lost her parliamentary majority.

May was forced to strike a deal with Northern Ireland’s pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and since then has struggled to keep her party and its allies together.

Naturally reserved and reliant on her husband and a few close aides, she often says she is just quietly “getting on with the job”.

But in the last election, the leader struggled to engage with voters and was dubbed the “Maybot” after churning out the same answers and speeches over and over again.

May has been written off before, with columnist Matthew Parris - a former Conservative MP - calling her the “zombie prime minister” for her ability to stagger on despite multiple attacks.

She has survived the resignations of a string of high-profile Brexit supporters, notably former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, and has endured constant sniping from MPs on the sidelines.

She won a leadership challenge within her own Conservatives in December, a victory that made her immune from a similar challenge for a year.

However, in a sign of May’s soaring unpopularity, party power-brokers are considering changing the rules to make another earlier contest possible if she refuses to go.

“It looks like she’s failed, and failed utterly,” added Bale.

“History’s judgement is unlikely to be any less harsh to her than most of her colleagues and most voters are right now.” </s> Jean-Claude Juncker's reported comments about Brexit are dismissed as “Brussels gossip” by Theresa May.

Reports of what Jean-Claude Juncker reportedly told the prime minister about Brexit at the weekend have been dismissed as “Brussels gossip” by Theresa May.

The prime minister told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg that she “did not recall” the phrase that “Brexit cannot be a success”.

And she added: “I was described by one of my colleagues as a ‘bloody difficult woman’, and I said at the time the next person to find that out would be Jean-Claude Juncker.” </s> British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday accused European Union officials of trying to influence the U.K. elections, ratcheting up tensions with Brussels over her country’s departure from the bloc.

Just hours after the EU unveiled its plan for Brexit talks, which delays discussion on issues like trade that are so dear to Britain, May said that “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 that will take place on 8 June,” she told reporters outside 10 Downing Street, in a speech aimed at rallying support for her Conservative Party ahead of next month’s polls.

May’s comments follow leaked comments in the British and European press suggesting the EU thinks Britain is not facing reality about the conditions of its EU exit and the complexity of the negotiations ahead.

“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,” she said.

The head of the EU’s executive Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, expressed regret that details of his private dinner with May last week had made the news.

A German news report said that Juncker left the meeting saying he was “10 times more skeptical than I was before” that negotiations will succeed. May dismissed the report as “Brussels gossip.”

May also vowed Tuesday to be a “bloody difficult woman” in Brexit talks.

Juncker said: “I have noted that she is a tough lady.”

Earlier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier insisted that Britain’s accounts must be settled before any talks on its future trade relationship with the EU can take place, as he warned that time is running out to seal a deal by 2019.

Unveiling the Commission’s negotiating mandate for Britain’s departure, Barnier said he was not hostile to Britain and the bloc did not want to punish it for leaving — but “we have to settle the account, not more not less.”

The amount London owes the EU has become one of the most contentious subjects in the Brexit process, with some reports estimating it could climb to as much as 100 billion euros ($109 billion) — a figure that Britain has flatly rejected paying.

U.K. Brexit Secretary David Davis told ITV that Britain “will meet our international obligations,” but added: “We will not be paying 100 billion.”

Davis also dismissed reports the EU could bar May from Brexit discussions at future heads of state and government meetings.

This is the first time a member has ever left the EU, so these negotiations are taking the Europeans into uncharted waters. The process is unprecedented and complicated, and combined with fresh delays caused by the snap elections in Britain, is raising tensions between London and the 27 nations that will remain in the EU.

Barnier did not specify how much Britain should pay, but his negotiating mandate said it should cover budget payments, the cost of ending Britain’s membership of any EU institution including banks, and the bill for relocating any EU agencies on its territory. London must also pay in euros rather than pounds, meaning that it should bear the currency exchange costs.

The European Parliament’s Brexit point man, Guy Verhofstadt, also declined to go into numbers. He said the parties must first agree on the “accounting principles” from which the bill will be determined.

“We cannot ask to the 27 remaining members to pay the bill for the departure of a country,” he said. As in any divorce, he added, “you can’t just say ‘My partner will take all the burden.“’

Money aside, the top priority of the talks is how to handle the rights of some 3 million citizens from the 27 nations living in Britain and up to 2 million Britons residing on the continent. All face massive uncertainty on such issues as health benefits, pensions, taxes, employment and education.

Another key aim is to keep people and goods moving smoothly across the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and EU member Ireland.

Under the negotiating mandate, EU states would have to approve progress on these and other immediate exit issues before Barnier can start negotiating the outline of the bloc’s future relations with Britain after it leaves.

Some British politicians, including May, have said walking away would be better than a bad deal, and Barnier conceded that the EU has planned for such a contingency.

“We are prepared for all options,” he said. “But the option I am working on is getting an agreement.” </s> LONDON — In a shock announcement, Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday called for an early general election to be held June 8 to seek a strong mandate as she negotiates Britain's exit from the European Union.

Standing outside 10 Downing Street, May said she would ask the House of Commons on Wednesday to back her call for an election, just two years after the last vote and three years before the next scheduled date in May 2020.

She said that since Britons voted to leave the EU in June, the country had come together, but politicians had not. She said the political divisions "risk our ability to make a success of Brexit."

At present, May's governing Conservatives have a small majority, with 330 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons.

With the main opposition Labour Party weakened and divided under left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn and the pro-EU Liberal Democrats holding just nine Commons seats, May is calculating that the election will bring her an expanded crop of Conservative lawmakers.

That would make it easier for her to ignore opposition calls for a softer EU exit — making compromises to retain some benefits of membership — and to face down hardliners within her own party who want a no-compromise "hard Brexit" that many economists fear could be devastating.

May triggered a two-year countdown to Britain's exit from the EU last month, and high-stakes negotiations to settle divorce terms and agree on a new relationship are expected to start within weeks.

European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that he had a "good phone call" with May about the election, and the council said the bloc's Brexit plans were unchanged by the announcement. Leaders of EU states are due to adopt negotiating guidelines at an April 29 summit, and the bloc will prepare detailed plans for the talks with Britain by late May.

May took office in July following an internal Conservative leadership contest, after predecessor David Cameron stepped down when voters rejected his call to remain in the EU. Since then she had repeatedly ruled out calling an early election to get her own mandate.

But May said Tuesday she had "reluctantly" changed her mind.

"We need a general election and we need one now," she said.

May said that if there is not an election soon, "the negotiations with the European Union will reach their most difficult stage in the run-up to the next scheduled election."

"Division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country," she said.

May said that "our opponents believe that because the government's majority is so small, our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change course" on leaving the EU.

"They are wrong," she said. "They underestimate our determination to get the job done and I am not prepared to let them endanger the security of millions of working people across the country."

Under Britain's Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, elections are held every five years, but the prime minister can call a snap election if two-thirds of lawmakers vote for it.

That is highly likely to happen on Wednesday. Labour Party leader Corbyn said he welcomed May's decision "to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first."

Labour campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU, but Corbyn says he will respect voters' decision to leave. He said Labour would fight the election promising a fairer society and economy, and "a Brexit that works for all."

Polls give May's Conservatives a double-digit lead on Labour. But the election is still a risk for May, and could widen divisions within the United Kingdom. The country voted 52-48 percent to leave the EU, but Scotland backed remaining by a large majority, and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is seeking to hold a referendum on independence from the U.K.

Sturgeon said Tuesday that May was seeking "to crush the voices of people who disagree with her."

She said it was "all the more important that Scotland is protected from a Tory (Conservative) Party which now sees the chance of grabbing control of government for many years to come and moving the U.K. further to the right - forcing through a hard Brexit and imposing deeper cuts in the process."

The Scottish National Party currently holds 54 of Scotland's 59 seats in the British Parliament, making it the third-largest party there.

The pound surged 0.7 percent against the dollar to $1.2658 after May's announcement, recovering from a 0.4 percent drop an hour earlier as rumors swirled about the surprise statement.
Conservative leader Theresa May states she will be a "bloody difficult woman" in her negotiations with Jean-Claude Juncker regarding the rights of EU nationals after Brexit.