“Silly” EU demands for Rishi Sunak to inform the bloc when he intends to call an election in the UK have sparked a swift Brexiteer backlash in Westminster.
European diplomats are said to be furious at the Prime Minister for “dragging his feet” over when British voters will go to the polls this year.
Mr Sunak’s decision to keep the public guessing over the exact timing of the election has interfered with when the bloc can hold a key summit this year.
But Sir Jacob-Rees Mogg hit out at the notion of the UK needing to inform the EU of when it intends to hold a general election.
The Brexiteer MP for North East Somerset told Express.co.uk: “It is a silly complaint. The Prime Minister needs to tell the Cabinet and the King before the EU and its member states.”
One senior diplomat told the FT the hold-up was now “frustrating” them and accused No. 10 of “stalling”.
Another added said Downing Street was making the meeting logistically harder. A third vented: “We keep asking for a date and they [the UK] say they can’t give us one ‘for obvious reasons’, which we take to mean they have not fully decided about the election.”
A UK Government official dismissed the allegation their feet-dragging is linked to a potential general election.
They said: “We’re going to host an EPC and want it to be a great, useful event — sometimes these things take time to organise.” A UK source added that the PM “signalled at the last one that we would like to focus it on tackling illegal migration”.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We value the European Political Community as an important platform for co-ordination and discussion on pan-European issues.
“We are continuing to consult partners about the UK EPC Summit and will make an announcement in due course.”
A spokesperson for the EU Council president said: “There is an ongoing consultation with our partners in the UK on the organisation and preparations for the next EPC, ensuring that the meeting is another success.
“The date, which is primarily up to the host country to fix, will be announced in due course.”
