European Parliament President Antonio Tajani today dismissed a claim by British Prime Minister Theresa May that the EU is trying to influence the outcome of the June election in Britain. <br/><br/>May accused Brussels yesterday of trying to influence next month's election with "threats against Britain" over Brexit talks, as the two sides traded blows over terms of the country's divorce. May fired off her broadside after the bloc's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned that the negotiations on Britain's divorce from the EU would not be quick or painless. <br/><br/>She said the hardening of the European Commission's stance was deliberately timed to affect the result of the snap June 8 general election. The chief spokesman for European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker played down May's comments, chalking them up to election campaign rhetoric.