UK: Theresa May calls snap general election to be held on June 8
- 7 years ago
May calls early election
UK Conservatives odds-on favourites
Opposition Labour Party welcomes call
British Prime Minister Theresa May has called an early election for June 8.
May says she needs to strengthen her hand in divorce talks with the European Union and hopes the poll result will shore up support.
Standing outside her Downing Street office, May said she had been reluctant about asking parliament to back her move to bring the vote forward from its planned date in 2020.
However, she decided it was necessary to win support for her governing Conservative Party’s efforts to press ahead with the UK’s departure from the EU.
Theresa May is so confident the country is behind her that she is having a vote. https://t.co/y1xvTNplko pic.twitter.com/wSsOsDWQaJ— euronews (@euronews) 18 avril 2017
This is a surprise?
Yes. Many people have been caught unawares by Theresa May’s decision.
She has said she does not want to be distracted by time-consuming campaigning. However, opinion polls have given her a strong lead.
May is hoping the election will boost her slim majority in parliament and give her a new mandate to put her stamp on domestic reforms in education and health.
She will also be hoping to strengthen her hand in talks with the EU, which will start in earnest in June.
Why Theresa May says
“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,” May said.
“Every vote for the Conservatives will make it harder for opposition politicians who want to stop me from getting the job done.”
“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 division of the referendum.”
Why is she doing this?
Analysts say May is capitalising on her runaway lead in the opinion polls.
The Conservative Party is around 20 points ahead of the main opposition Labour Party. This is a large lead for an incumbent party two years after the last parlimentary election.
The prime minister’s own personal ratings also dwarf those of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Research suggests 50 percent of people asked think she would make the best prime minister, compared to only 14 percent for Jeremy Corbyn.
But before holding the election, May must first win the support of two-thirds of the parliament in a vote on Wednesday. Labour said it will vote in favour of a new election, meaning she should be able to get it through.
Voting intentions
Here are the voting intention figures YouGov has recorded since May 2015. Latest results are Con 44%, Lab 23%, LD 12%, UKIP 10% (Apr 12-13) pic.twitter.com/cShdJdphK3— YouGov (@YouGov)
UK Conservatives odds-on favourites
Opposition Labour Party welcomes call
British Prime Minister Theresa May has called an early election for June 8.
May says she needs to strengthen her hand in divorce talks with the European Union and hopes the poll result will shore up support.
Standing outside her Downing Street office, May said she had been reluctant about asking parliament to back her move to bring the vote forward from its planned date in 2020.
However, she decided it was necessary to win support for her governing Conservative Party’s efforts to press ahead with the UK’s departure from the EU.
Theresa May is so confident the country is behind her that she is having a vote. https://t.co/y1xvTNplko pic.twitter.com/wSsOsDWQaJ— euronews (@euronews) 18 avril 2017
This is a surprise?
Yes. Many people have been caught unawares by Theresa May’s decision.
She has said she does not want to be distracted by time-consuming campaigning. However, opinion polls have given her a strong lead.
May is hoping the election will boost her slim majority in parliament and give her a new mandate to put her stamp on domestic reforms in education and health.
She will also be hoping to strengthen her hand in talks with the EU, which will start in earnest in June.
Why Theresa May says
“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,” May said.
“Every vote for the Conservatives will make it harder for opposition politicians who want to stop me from getting the job done.”
“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 division of the referendum.”
Why is she doing this?
Analysts say May is capitalising on her runaway lead in the opinion polls.
The Conservative Party is around 20 points ahead of the main opposition Labour Party. This is a large lead for an incumbent party two years after the last parlimentary election.
The prime minister’s own personal ratings also dwarf those of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Research suggests 50 percent of people asked think she would make the best prime minister, compared to only 14 percent for Jeremy Corbyn.
But before holding the election, May must first win the support of two-thirds of the parliament in a vote on Wednesday. Labour said it will vote in favour of a new election, meaning she should be able to get it through.
Voting intentions
Here are the voting intention figures YouGov has recorded since May 2015. Latest results are Con 44%, Lab 23%, LD 12%, UKIP 10% (Apr 12-13) pic.twitter.com/cShdJdphK3— YouGov (@YouGov)