General election result: Clock is ticking to secure a successful Brexit deal, EU tells Britain

Theresa May has been warned by EU officials that the clock is ticking on Brexit negotiations, while others openly mocked her for “yet another own goal” following the calamitous result for the Conservatives at the general election.

“I thought surrealism was a Belgian invention,” said Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit negotiator, as he responded to the result that left Britain with a hung parliament.

He continued: “Yet another own goal, after Cameron now May. This result will make the already complex negotiations even more complicated. I hope the UK will soon have a stable government to start negotiations. This is not only about the UK, but also about the future of Europe.”

His comments came as EU leaders woke up stunned at the British election result, but quickly made clear who holds the whip hand in the looming talks. Publicly, they stressed it was up to Britain to decide whether the negotiations start, as planned, in under a fortnight, but the message was that the clock is ticking – on Britain, and its chances of a successful deal.

“We don’t know when Brexit talks start. We know when they must end. Do your best to avoid a ‘no deal’ as result of ‘no negotiations’,” tweeted Donald Tusk, the European Council President.

The leader of the socialist grouping in the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella, said that British voters had “punished the clear incompetence of Theresa May. She wanted the UK to have a stronger and harder negotiating position, but has the chaos of a hung parliament”.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker added he hoped there would be no further delay to the negotiations. “As far as the Commission is concerned, we can open negotiations tomorrow morning at half-past nine,” he said.

“I do hope that the result of the election will have no major impact on the negotiations we are desperately waiting for.”

The point being rammed home is that only the EU can agree to extend the two-year Article 50 timetable and prevent Britain crashing out with no deal – with the threat of enormous economic damage. Having triggered Article 50 in March, Theresa May then delayed the talks by staging an unnecessary election. Will they now be delayed again?

During the night, Brexit Secretary David Davis appeared to concede that the Conservatives had lost their mandate to leave the EU single market and customs union. Given that those “hard Brexit” policies lay at the heart of Ms May’s 12-point plan, it suggested ministers recognised they would have to start again. After all, the Commons is likely to have a majority of MPs who, at least privately, support staying in the single market. And, in a hung parliament, MPs have much more power.

But, in the cold light of day – and bolstered by key Brexiteers such as Iain Duncan Smith – the Prime Minister appears determined, not only to stay in No 10, but also to press ahead with the withdrawal talks. It appears clear that, whatever their private fury with Ms May for putting Brexit in peril, the Brexiteers believe the only way to save the exit timetable is to shore her up.

The Democratic Unionist Party campaigned hard for Leave and can be expected to give the Tories the Commons votes to plough on, as part of propping the party up. Its price for propping up the Tories is likely to be a promise of no special status for Northern Ireland that would see the region half-in-half-out of the EU.