Theresa May's pyrrhic victory

London

THE British election called by Prime Minister Theresa May for June 8 will transform the outlook for Britain's politics and its relationship with Europe, but not necessarily in the way that a vastly increased majority for her Conservative Party might seem to imply.

The scorched-earth defeat that Conservative Eurosceptics expect to inflict on Britain's internationalist and progressive forces was symbolised by the Daily Mail headline on Mrs May's election announcement: Crush the saboteurs.