May rules out snap general election

May rules out snap general election

Theresa May has said it would not be in Britain's national interest to hold another general election just as she is negotiating the terms of Britain's exit from the European Union.

May is subject to intense criticism at home and in Brussels over her approach to leaving the EU, fuelling speculation that she could be ousted by her own party, or that her minority Conservative government could collapse.

"What I'm doing is working to deliver a good (Brexit) deal with Europe in the national interest. It would not be in the national interest to have an election," May told reporters on board her official plane en route to New York, where she will attend the United Nations General Assembly.

May's Conservatives and the main opposition Labour party are running largely neck and neck in opinion polls.

She said Britain would reach a deal despite a current impasse in talks with Brussels and ruled out a second Brexit referendum. Britons voted by a 52-48 percent margin in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU.

Asked if she was "bluffing" when she said no deal is better than a bad deal with the EU, May told the BBC: "No. What we issued yesterday was some more technical notices to help businesses and others who would need to prepare in a 'no deal' situation for doing that. That's the right, sensible approach."

Published: by Radio NewsHub
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