The European Union has welcomed a snap British election that one of its leaders likened to a Hitchcock plot twist, but there was conspicuously little talk in Brussels of the vote halting Britain's exit from the bloc.
Instead, EU officials echoed Theresa May's hopes that a parliamentary poll on June 8 could strengthen her own hand in managing the Brexit negotiations which are due to start around the same time.
"We have some hope that this will lead to a strong leader in London that can negotiate with us with strong backing by the electorate," an EU official said after Tuesday's surprise move.
EU negotiators have been concerned that division over Brexit among voters -- and within May's own party -- could make it harder to agree terms before March 2019 to ensure an orderly British withdrawal.
A collapse in talks would risk Britain simply crashing out of the Union when that deadline expires, leaving legal chaos.
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After her predecessor narrowly lost a referendum gamble to keep Europe's second-ranked economy in the EU, Brussels once harboured hopes that Britain might have a change of heart under fellow Conservative May, who had favoured 'Remain' over Brexit.
However, her decision to quit the EU's barrier-free single market, confirmed when she launched the two-year Brexit countdown last month, saw that give way to a determination to close ranks across the bloc and drive a hard bargain with London to discourage imitators.
Few would relish the disruption a British about-face would now cause.
European Council President Donald Tusk spoke to May and quoted British master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock's recipe for a good movie in likening her dramatic move to a thriller plot: "It was Hitchcock who directed Brexit: first an earthquake and the tension rises," the former Polish premier tweeted.
But Tusk's spokesman said the EU would stick to its own plans, which should see negotiations starting in June after Tusk chairs a summit of the 27 other EU national leaders on April 29. "The UK elections do not change our EU27 plans," he said.
Opinion polls show May easily winning a majority.
