Theresa May throws down gauntlet to Brussels

Theresa May is plainly bored and wants a serious enemy to fight in this General Election.

Apparently the combined forces of Labour, the Lib Dems, Ukip and the SNP are not daunting enough for her.

So today, having marked the dissolution of Parliament with a visit to the Queen, she stood outside Downing Street and decided to make the contest to form our next government all about preparing for the mother of all battles against "some in Brussels" who "do not want Britain to prosper".

Perhaps her most extraordinary charge is that EU politicians and officials are attempting to subvert our democracy.

"All of these acts have been deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election that will take place on 8 June," she said.

Below is the heart of her remarkable statement, which cloaks threats to the rest of the EU in the velvet glove of as assertion that she "means no harm to our friends and allies on the continent".

What she says will resonate with many, especially those who voted to leave the EU.

So it may help her consolidate the Tory vote, both in the General Election on June 8 and the locals and mayorals on Thursday.

But this is a high risk gambit.

As you will see, Mrs May is careful to focus her attack on Brussels - and the clear implication is that she has the EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and his most senior official Martin Selmayr in her sights.

Jean-Claude Juncker and Martin Selmayr are the targets of Theresa May's ire. Credit: PA

But there is a risk that the ill-tempered debut of this Brexit process could deteriorate rapidly into serious breakdown - with the probability of the UK tumbling out of the EU in a chaotic and costly way that much more likely.

So the question for all of us is whether T May is being "strong, stable and realistic" or dangerously confrontational?

Perhaps the most important thing for you to know is that ministers believe Germany and Merkel are behind what they see as sabotage by Juncker and Selmayr.

Which brings with it the possibility therefore that confrontation with Brussels becomes a stand off with Europe's most powerful economy.

Anyway, here is the chunk of her address that I would recommend you read: