In a sign of growing friction and frustration, Mrs May accused European Union politicians and officials on Wednesday of seeking to sway the outcome of a the general election on 8 June by issuing threats over Brexit.
Over a few testy days this week, both sides sparred about the negotiations which are to start after the June 8 United Kingdom election, with some questioning what, if anything, Britain should pay for.
Almost 5,000 local authority seats are being contested across England, Scotland and Wales on Thursday along with eight metropolitan mayoralties.
But May's hardened rhetoric appeared have translated into local votes.
The Prime Minister had spent the week locked in an escalating war of words with Brussels over negotiations for Britain's withdrawal from the EU, accusing European officials of trying to interfere in the General Election on June 8. "Threats against Britain have been issued by European politicians and officials", she said.
Juncker's "another galaxy" comment was made in a telephone call with Mrs Merkel after he clashed with Mrs May over dinner in Downing Street 11 days ago.
The two sides have clashed over the costs of the exit, prompting May to accuse the European Union of toughening its stance in statements "deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election" in June.
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani on Thursday dismissed the claim, insisting that "no one is trying to influence the outcome".
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British opposition leaders have claimed that May is using the European Union talks as a distraction from other issues, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accusing her of "playing party games with Brexit".Labour is more than 20 points behind the Conservatives in opinion polls, but the party says the local elections could show this to be inaccurate.
Philip Cowley, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said it was clear that May would stick with her strategy.
"Local council elections do not matter to bureaucrats in Brussels", she said. "Why they choose those parties".
But drawing a national picture will be made harder by the absence of council elections in England's biggest cities, where Labour is traditionally strong.
Labour had 466 seats - a net loss of 137 - while the smaller, pro-EU Liberal Democrats, who had been hoping to pick up some momentum ahead of June's parliamentary election, had 167 seats, a net loss of 23.
"They even took the opportunity to dismiss the importance of the English language, the language of worldwide business that is spoken by millions of people around the world".
"To some extent that might have happened anyway, following Brexit and a sense that UKIP had achieved its main goal, but Theresa May's behavior will have removed any doubts UKIP supporters might have had that she was going to take a tough line".
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