Why the EU should be watching closely as the UK prepares to head to the polls

"When you dig down into the details of what they (Labour) want to do, it's by and large relatively small things and even some of those would probably be quite difficult to negotiate with the EU," Ian Bond, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform (CER), said.

By defining its red lines of not joining the single market or customs union, or allowing free movement, the party has "painted itself into a corner," Bond added. "They have limited their room for manoeuvre, and they've limited their ability to negotiate a better deal with the EU."

..."Having the British as closely associated as possible with what the rest of Europe is doing will be particularly important if we end up with a rather unpredictable and erratic Trump as president again in the US," Ian Bond said. "For Brussels, I think the watchword will be stability."