General Election - What does it mean for Brexit?
The Prime Minister’s announcement today has raised questions over what will happen to Brexit, less than a month after Article 50 was triggered for the UK to leave the European Union (EU). Critics have said the election could push Brexit negotiations back, using the German and French elections as examples of how Article 50 was pushed back. Mrs May today said voting for the Conservatives would "get the job done" as Britain would have a "strong and stable" leadership, while voting for anybody else would lead to a "weak and unstable" coalition Government led by Jeremy Corbyn.
If we don't hold a general election now, their political game-playing will continue and the negotiations with the European Union will reach their most difficult stage in the run up to the next general election Theresa May
She said "every vote" for the Conservatives will make her Brexit mandate stronger. In an announcement in front of 10 Downing Street following a Cabinet meeting, she said a vote for any other party would result in a disaster for Brexit negotiations and create instability in the UK. She said calling a general election now was the right time as it will happen while the EU decides on its Brexit negotiating position. Yesterday the Conservatives gained the biggest lead in polls over the Labour Party in decades, with a 21-point lead. Following her announcement bookies William Hill gave the Conservatives odds of 2:9 to win - which is an 88 per cent chance of victory.
Live from 10 Downing Street: Theresa May calls snap general election Tue, April 18, 2017 Theresa May has made the announcement to call for an early general election to be held on June 8 2017 Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 8 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks to the media outside 10 Downing Street, in central London
She said Labour cannot agree on which way they want the negotiations to go and the Lib Dems want to vote against an agreement by the UK Government on Brexit, as do the SNP and the House of Lords. Mrs May had repeatedly denied she would call an election before the end of her government's term in 2020, however she said she had recently come to terms with the fact. She said: "I have concluded the only way to guarantee certainty and security for years ahead is to hold this election. "If we don't hold a general election now, their political game-playing will continue and the negotiations with the European Union will reach their most difficult stage in the run up to the next general election. "This is your moment to show you mean it - to show you're not opposing the government for the sake of it, to show that you do not treat politics as a game. "Let's tomorrow vote for an election - let's put forward our plans for Brexit and our alternative programmes for government and then let the people decide."
NC Theresa May announced there will be a General Election on June 8
MPs react Mr Corbyn reacted to the news - after both the Greens and the Lib Dems - by not mentioning Brexit once. He said: "I welcome the Prime Minister's decision to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first. "Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS. "In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country. We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain." Former Tory leaders David Cameron and Iain Duncan-Smith congratulated Mrs May for her "brave" decision. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon accused Mrs May of calling the vote in a bid to "force through a hard Brexit and impose deeper cuts". She added: "Let's stand up for Scotland." Ukip leader Paul Nuttall, said the the election will provide a "perfect opportunity" for the 52 per cent of voters which chose to leave the EU to "vote for Ukip".
NC Mrs May said handing her a mandate would be good for Brexit negotiations