Theresa May decided to call snap General Election while walking in Wales on her Easter holiday – and trusts British people to back her over Brexit
THERESA May decided to call a snap General Election for June 8 while walking in Wales on her Easter holiday - and said she trusts British people to back her over Brexit.
The Prime Minister stunned Westminster with a shock Downing Street announcement this morning as she looks to take advantage of opinion polls putting her 20 points clear of Labour.
And standing outside Number 10 she revealed she thought another election was the "only way to guarantee certainty and security for years ahead".
Despite repeated denials she would call a snap ballot she said her mind had been changed in recent days, as she enjoyed a break in Snowdonia with her husband Philip.
Labour has said it will back the call for an election, with Jeremy Corbyn saying: "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."
But the leftie leader, set to be routed at the polls, refused to say he would stand down if Labour lost the election.
The House of Commons will be asked to vote on whether to hold the election tomorrow, as the Fixed Term Parliament Act means two-thirds of MPs must agree for Parliament to be dissolved.
A new opinion poll released after Mrs May’s announcement has nearly half of Brits supporting the Conservatives.
The YouGov survey has them on 44 per cent, 21 points ahead of Labour on 23 per cent, with the Lib Dems on 12 per cent and Ukip on ten per cent.
That is the biggest lead for the Conservatives since Margret Thatcher wiped the floor with Michael Foot’s Labour in a landslide victory in 1983.
Justifying the decision, Mrs May said: "The country is coming together but Westminster is not."
This was backed by her predecessor David Cameron, who called her "brave" and wished all the Tory candidates well.
And the EU said it did not expect negotiating guidelines for Brexit to be affected by the announcement, with the other 27 nations set to meet on April 29.
It was also revealed Mrs May had notified the Queen before her hastily-arranged press conference outside her famous front door, calling Her Majesty on Easter Monday to let her know of her plan.
Mrs May, who got the full backing of the Cabinet before calling the election, said the "division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit".
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And she said she was acting now because of the opposition in Parliament to the Government's plans for Brexit.
"Our opponents believe because the Government's majority is so small that our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change. They are wrong," she said.
Mrs May added: "They under-estimate our determination to get the job done and I am not prepared to let them endanger the security of millions of working people across the country, because what they are doing jeopardises the work we must do to prepare for Brexit at home and it weakens the Government's negotiating position in Europe."
What happens next?
When will the snap General Election take place?
Parliament will be asked to vote tomorrow to hold an Election, with Theresa May needing the support of two-thirds of MPs in the House of Commons.
If the vote passes in favour of a snap General Election then it will be held on June 8.
Why has an election been called?
Speaking at her conference today, Theresa May blasted rival parties for trying to derail the Government's Brexit plans.
She said the Election was a chance to show unity, adding: “The country is coming together, but Westminster is not.”
What are the polls saying?
The latest opinion poll from YouGov has the Conservatives on 44 per cent, 21 points ahead of Labour on 23 per cent, with the Lib Dems on 12 per cent and Ukip on ten per cent.
Mr Corbyn has insisted Labour is ready for an election.
Half of voters believe Mrs May is the best pick for Prime Minister, against just 15 per cent who said Mr Corbyn, according to the poll.
Without a snap general election, Mrs May said "political game-playing" in Westminster would continue and lead to negotiations with the EU reaching their "most difficult stage" in the run-up to the previously scheduled 2020 vote.
She said: "Division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit, and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country.
"So we need a general election and we need one now."
Adding: "Because we have at this moment a one-off chance to get this done, while the European Union agrees its negotiating position and before the detailed talks begin."
Sun Bets odds on snap Election
Next Election - Overall Majority
Conservative Majority 1/6
No Overall Majority 5/1
Labour Majority 14/1
Any Other Party Majority 40/1
Next General Election Most Seats
Conservatives 1/12
Labour 7/1
Liberal Democrats 20/1
Ukip 66/1
Greens 500/1
'First Gooner To Be A Gonner'
Jeremy Corbyn 1/3
Arsene Wenger 9/4
Mrs May suggested she reached her decision over the Easter parliamentary recess, following previous denials that she would call an early vote.
"I have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion," the PM said.
"Since I became Prime Minister I have said that there should be no election until 2020.
"But now I have concluded that the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election and seek your support for the decisions I must take."
Asked in an interview with ITV News later if there was a 'moment' when she changed her mind, Mrs May said: “As we were going through the Article 50 process the opposition attempts to jeopardise or frustrate the process in future became clearer.
“Before Easter I spent a few days walking in Wales with my husband and thought about this long and hard.
“I came to the decision that to provide that stability and certainty for the future this was the way to do it, to have an election.
“I trust the British people.”
Mr Corbyn welcomed the news, saying in a statement: "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."
But within minutes of the election revelation a Labour MP stood down, plunging Mr Corbyn’s party into outright chaos.
Tom Blenkinsop tweeted that he would not be running for his seat in Middlesbrough South to pursue a career with the Royal Military Police.
Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats said the election was Britain's chance to avoid a "disastrous hard Brexit",
Leader Tim Farron told voters "this is your chance to change the direction of your country" after the Prime Minister called the early vote for June 8.
He added: "Only the Liberal Democrats can prevent a Conservative majority."
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the Tories "see a chance to move the UK to the right, force through a hard Brexit and impose deeper cuts" and added "let's stand up for Scotland".
And Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas welcomed the early vote at a time when "Britain is at a crossroads" and said the people should be given a say over the country's future direction.
Preben Aamann, spokesman for Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said on the back of the announcement: "The UK elections do not change our EU27 plans.
"We expect to have the Brexit guidelines adopted by the European Council on 29 April and, following that, the Brexit negotiating directives ready on 22 May.”
The remaining nations are set to rubber-stamp Mr Tusk's initial outline, paving the way for chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier to begin formal negotiations.
But Mr Tusk tweeted somewhat bizarrely: "It was Hitchcock, who directed Brexit: first an earthquake and the tension rises."
The pound has also surged on the news, hitting an eight-week high against the euro and reaching a two-and-half-month high against the dollar.
Ukip’s leader Paul Nuttall said he welcomed the election, but said: “make no mistake - it is driven by Labour's obvious weakness, not the good of the country.”
He tweeted earlier: “Every vote for Ukip in this General Election will be a reminder to the PM that the British people want a clean Brexit with restored borders.”
And in a statement he added: "There is also the prospect of a slew of Tory held by-elections caused by the seeming systematic breach of electoral law at the last election, predominantly in places where Ukip were pressing the Conservatives hard.
"We are in the midst of Brexit negotiations so this election will provide a perfect opportunity for the 52% to vote for Ukip, the only party wholeheartedly committed to a clean quick and efficient Brexit."
In a longer statement from the SNP, Ms Sturgeon described the announcement as "one of the most extraordinary U-turns in recent political history", and said Mrs May is "once again putting the interests of her party ahead of those of the country".
Scotland's First Minister said: "She is clearly betting that the Tories can win a bigger majority in England given the utter disarray in the Labour Party.
"That makes it all the more important that Scotland is protected from a Tory Party which now sees the chance of grabbing control of government for many years to come and moving the UK further to the right - forcing through a hard Brexit and imposing deeper cuts in the process. "
She said it was "a huge political miscalculation" by the PM, adding: "It will once again give people the opportunity to reject the Tories' narrow, divisive agenda, as well as reinforcing the democratic mandate which already exists for giving the people of Scotland a choice on their future.”
Union leaders have said they hope the general election will be fought on issues facing workers, such as pay and job security.
GMB general secretary Tim Roache said: "It is right that an unelected Prime Minister goes to the polls, but this election cannot and should not be fought on soundbites and buzzwords.
"This election must be about the lives, hopes and worries of real people, not Westminster games.
"That means tackling insecure work, the housing crisis, a health and social care system close to breaking point and being clear about what the Government's plan for Brexit means for each and every one of us."
'This is the right approach, and it is in the national interest'
Here is the full text of Prime Minister Theresa May's statement from Downing Street:
"I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet, where we agreed that the Government should call a general election, to be held on June 8.
"I want to explain the reasons for that decision, what will happen next and the choice facing the British people when you come to vote in this election.
"Last summer, after the country voted to leave the European Union, Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership, and since I became Prime Minister the Government has delivered precisely that.
"Despite predictions of immediate financial and economic danger, since the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain high, record numbers of jobs, and economic growth that has exceeded all expectations.
"We have also delivered on the mandate that we were handed by the referendum result."
"Britain is leaving the European Union and there can be no turning back. And as we look to the future, the Government has the right plan for negotiating our new relationship with Europe.
"We want a deep and special partnership between a strong and successful European Union and a United Kingdom that is free to chart its own way in the world.
"That means we will regain control of our own money, our own laws and our own borders and we will be free to strike trade deals with old friends and new partners all around the world.
"This is the right approach, and it is in the national interest. But the other political parties oppose it.
"At this moment of enormous national significance there should be unity here in Westminster, but instead there is division.
"The country is coming together, but Westminster is not."
"In recent weeks Labour has threatened to vote against the deal we reach with the European Union.
"The Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business of government to a standsill.
"The Scottish National Party say they will vote against the legislation that formally repeals Britain's membership of the European Union.
"And unelected members of the House of Lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way.
"Our opponents believe that because the Government's majority is so small, our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change course.
"They are wrong.
"They under-estimate our determination to get the job done and I am not prepared to let them endanger the security of millions of working people across the country.
"Because what they are doing jeopardises the work we must do to prepare for Brexit at home and it weakens the Government's negotiating position in Europe.
"If we do not 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 scheduled election.
"Division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country.
"So we need a general election and we need one now, because we have at this moment a one-off chance to get this done while the European Union agrees its negotiating position and before the detailed talks begin.
"I have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion.
"Since I became Prime Minister I have said that there should be no election until 2020, but now I have concluded that the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election and seek your support for the decisions I must take.
"And so tomorrow I will move a motion in the House of Commons calling for a general election to be held on the eighth of June.
"That motion, as set out by the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, will require a two-thirds majority of the House of Commons.
"So I have a simple challenge to the opposition parties, you have criticised the Government's vision for Brexit, you have challenged our objectives, you have threatened to block the legislation we put before Parliament.
"This is your moment to show you mean it, to show you are not opposing the Government for the sake of it, to show that you do not treat politics as a game.
"Let us tomorrow vote for an election, let us put forward our plans for Brexit and our alternative programmes for government and then let the people decide.
"And the decision facing the country will be all about leadership. It will be a choice between strong and stable leadership in the national interest, with me as your Prime Minister, or weak and unstable coalition government, led by Jeremy Corbyn, propped up by the Liberal Democrats - who want to reopen the divisions of the referendum - and Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP.
"Every vote for the Conservatives will make it harder for opposition politicians who want to stop me from getting the job done.
"Every vote for the Conservatives will make me stronger when I negotiate for Britain with the prime ministers, presidents and chancellors of the European Union.
"Every vote for the Conservatives means we can stick to our plan for a stronger Britain and take the right long-term decisions for a more secure future.
"It was with reluctance that I decided the country needs this election, but it is with strong conviction that I say it is necessary to secure the strong and stable leadership the country needs to see us through Brexit and beyond.
"So, tomorrow, let the House of Commons vote for an election, let everybody put forward their proposals for Brexit and their programmes for Government, and let us remove the risk of uncertainty and instability and continue to give the country the strong and stable leadership it demands."