What does the EU think of Theresa May’s leadership?

Politics Explained: Brussels may be exasperated with the prime minister but that doesn’t mean the EU wants her replaced

A new BBC documentary features some sweary behind-the-scenes footage of EU officials being less than positive about Theresa May in the privacy of their own offices. In frustration one official describes the prime minister’s approach as “pathetic”, while her Brexit secretary David Davis is said to have his “head in the f***ing clouds”.

While the scenes are entertaining to watch and rather stark, in one sense they’re not that new – frustration at the British government, and often the prime minister herself, has sometimes leaked out from behind the closed doors of Brussels.

So you could be forgiven for thinking that EU officials and member states would welcome the endless news of leadership challenges to Theresa May. If she’s useless, presumably someone replacing her would be fine?

But it doesn’t really work like this. EU leaders and officials spend a lot of time at the moment studying the internal politics of the Tory party, and they’re well aware who might replace the prime minister: in all likelihood it will be a hard Brexiteer, who would rip up the agreement they have made and cause chaos. They see the PM as doing her best to hold back a tide.

Jean-Claude Juncker and others have regularly praised the prime minister in public and have done their best not to undermine her – though that obviously doesn’t mean they’ve done anything she wants.

The commission and the other member states generally steer clear of talking too much about the internal politics of the UK. Beyond recognising the legitimacy of the government of the day, they are never going to come out and endorse a candidate or anything – though commissioners and EU leaders have repeatedly branded Brexiteers “liars”.

But in the EU’s mind, certainly, they have been more flexible than some parts of the UK media would sometimes present them as. At pains not to destabilise the prime minister, they bent their red lines on the Northern Irish backstop, acquiescing to her demands that it would be UK-wide rather than only apply to Northern Ireland. Many member states were very uncomfortable about this concession.

The response they got when they have tried to help her in public is one of the reasons they are upset with her in private. Look at the reaction by Theresa May to the UK-wide backstop – which she requested. She’s spent the past six months railing against it after her cabinet ministers decided they didn’t like it.

Brussels is now rather exasperated with the whole thing and has mostly washed its hands of Brexit until October. But that doesn’t mean they want rid of Theresa May – because she may be better than the alternative.