LONDON — (AP) The European Union’s executive says that Brexit negotiations will start after the snap election in Britain that the prime minister is calling for in June.
Theresa May told the BBC in an interview on Wednesday that an early election is in the national interest because it will strengthen the country’s position in negotiations to leave the European Union.
Parliament will vote Wednesday on holding a June 8 election.
Elections are currently set for 2020, just a year after the scheduled completion of Brexit talks.
An early ballot will give the next leader more time to implement Brexit before another election.
Initially, EU officials had said that the talks could start in late May once a detailed negotiating mandate had been agreed among the EU’s 27 other members.
European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said that “the real political negotiations on Article 50 with the U.K. will start after the elections foreseen for June 8.”
The decision came after European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had a phone call with May following her election announcement Tuesday.
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