GUE/NGL President Gabi Zimmer issued the following statement in reaction to the 2017 UK general election results:  
 
“We warmly congratulate our comrades in Sinn Féin, who campaigned on issues of social justice and increased their overall share to seven seats.”
 
“Jeremy Corbyn defied the odds for Labour, garnering 40 per cent of the votes. Unlike most social-democratic parties in the EU, Corbyn ran on a decidedly left slate opposed to neo-liberal doctrine – rallying in particular young people –  and with clear left-wing policies, such as free education, improved public healthcare, renationalisation of the postal services, energy and railways.”
 
“Theresa May lost her gamble for the Tories. She opportunistically called for new elections to exploit her good standing in the polls yet the decision backlashed like a boomerang. She ended up losing her government majority while failing to strengthen her position ahead of the Brexit negotiations.”
 
“The British public rejected May's 'no deal is better than a bad deal' mantra. The new government must ensure that negotiations start as soon as possible to prevent them from failing. We hope that May draws the adequate conclusions from this failed experiment. The British public does not want a hard Brexit with potentially negative consequences for the country.”
 
“Meanwhile the EU should not act in an arrogant way just because Prime Minister May has weakened her mandate. We want a fair agreement between the EU and the UK that does not punish British citizens for their vote to exit the EU.”
 
“The rights of EU citizens in the UK and of British citizens in the EU need to be a priority and they should not be used as a bargaining chip. The Good Friday Agreement must be protected from both sides and should be upheld in all of its parts. Under no circumstances a hard border must come into place in Ireland, dividing the island into two parts and thus jeopardising the Irish peace process. A final agreement must not lead to the lowering of standards in areas such as the environment, social and labour rights,  food safety and consumer protection.”