UK PM calls for an early election0:33
British Prime Minister Theresa May says she wants to hold an early election on June 8.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has called a shock snap election
THE British Parliament has overwhelmingly voted in support of Theresa May’s decision to call a snap election for June.
A total of 522 MPs voted for the early election, while just 13 voted against it.
The result easily surpasses the two-thirds majority of the 650 politicians needed to trigger an early vote.
There were also a number of abstentions.
Ms May says holding an election in June, rather than as scheduled in 2020, will give the country “certainty and stability” as it negotiates its departure from the European Union.
Ms May is hoping to gain a bigger majority in Parliament for her Conservatives, strengthening her negotiating hand with the EU.
The opposition Labour Party and Liberal Democrats say they welcome the chance to put their policies to voters, though the Scottish National Party says the election call is a cynical ploy.
FORMER TREASURY CHIEF OSBORNE STEPS DOWN
George Osborne, the former Treasury chief who has been appointed to edit the London Evening Standard, says he won’t be a candidate in the June 8 elections.
Since being fired by Theresa May, Mr Osborne has earned lucrative speaking fees and taken on an advisory role for American investment giant Blackrock.
“I am stepping down from the House of Commons - for now. But I will remain active in the debate about our country’s future and on the issues I care about,” he said. “I want a Britain that is free, open, diverse and works with other nations to defend our democratic values in the world
“I will go on fighting for that Britain I love from the editor’s chair of a great newspaper. It’s still too early to be writing my memoirs,” he said. “At the age of 45, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life just being an ex-Chancellor. I want new challenges.
SCOTLAND’S PUSH FOR INDEPENDENCE
The vote comes as experts warn that a general election could see Scotland forge closer to independence.
The British Prime Minister announced the surprise June 8 poll on Tuesday, despite repeatedly insisting there would be no early election.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says a victory for her National Party would make it impossible for Ms May to stop a new referendum on independence.
Scotland voted against independence in 2014, but voted to remain in the European Union in 2016.
The United Kingdom as a whole voted to quit the bloc, angering Scots and prompting renewed interest in independence.
Sturgeon says this means Scotland should have another chance to vote on secession.
“If the SNP wins this election in Scotland and the Tories (Conservatives) don’t, then Theresa May’s attempt to block our mandate to give the people of Scotland a choice over their own future when the time is right will crumble to dust,” Ms Sturgeon, who heads Scotland’s devolved government, told reporters in London on Wednesday.
The SNP currently has 54 of Scotland’s 59 seats in the British parliament in Westminster. May’s Conservatives have one.
Announcing the snap election — which will be some three years early — outside 10 Downing Street in Westminster yesterday, Ms May said it was a necessary move.
“We need a general election and we need one now. We have at this moment a one-off chance to get this done ... before the detailed talks begin,” Ms May said.
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It will give the Prime Minister the opportunity to pursue her own mandate, after she inherited the leadership following the resignation of David Cameron in the wake of the Brexit referendum last July.
She said that since Britons voted to leave the EU, the country had come together, but politicians had not.
She said the divisions risk undermining Britain’s position in Brexit negotiations that lie ahead.
The pound slumped in the hour between the press conference was announced and Ms May’s statement was delivered. It has since recovered.
The timing of the poll will also allow the Tories to capitalise on opinion polls showing their massive lead over the Labour Party, which is struggling under besieged leader Jeremy Corbyn.
A round of opinion polls over the Easter weekend also showed her Conservative Party far ahead of the main opposition Labour Party.
The Conservatives polled at between 38 per cent and 46 per cent, with Labour at 23 per cent to 29 per cent, according to the polls by YouGov, ComRes and Opinium.
The poll lead had prompted many senior Conservatives to call for an election, particularly as May will need a strong parliamentary majority as she seeks to negotiate Britain’s exit from the European Union.
The Conservatives currently have a working majority of just 17 from the last election in 2015 and some of their MPs have indicated they could vote against the government on key aspects of Brexit legislation.
Ms May attacked the opposition parties, and the House of Lords, for trying to stymie the Government’s Brexit agenda. She said they underestimated the government because of the small majority it held.
“They underestimate 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.
“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.’’
Mr Cameron took to Twitter to welcome today’s call, saying: “Brave — and right — decision by PM Theresa May. My very best wishes to all Conservative candidates.”
Mr Corbyn said he welcomed the election announcement.
“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.”
— with wires
Originally published as UK election confirmed after vote
