European Union leaders fear Prime Minister Theresa May’s shock loss of her majority in the snap British election will delay Brexit talks due to start this month and raise the risk of negotiations failing. Guenther Oettinger, the German member of the European Commission, said it was unclear negotiations could be launched on June 19 as planned. Another EU official in Brussels said it was too early to speculate on how the bloc would react to a change in Britain’s demands for its withdrawal. Former Finnish premier Alexander Stubb tweeted: “Looks like we might need a time-out in the Brexit negotiations. Time for everyone to regroup.” May campaigned against Brexit last year but took over the Conservative party after David Cameron lost last June’s Brexit referendum. She delivered her terms for withdrawal in March which include a clean break from the EU’s single market and customs union.
