UK Prime Minister Theresa May to seek early election, by Angela Dewan and
Judith Vonberg, CNN, 4/18/17
Theresa May calls for snap general election. London (CNN) British Prime Minister Theresa May has stunned
the UK political world by calling for an early general election, seeking a stronger
mandate in talks over leaving the European Union.
In
an unexpected statement at Downing Street, May said she was seeking a vote on
June 8, less than halfway through the government's five-year term. Opposition
parties said they would not block the move, sending Westminster into
full-throttle election mode.
The
European Union brushed off May's announcement, saying it would not affect the
negotiations on Britain's departure. But May's decision means that Europe's
three most powerful nations -- France, Germany and Britain -- will be convulsed
by internal election campaigns as the clock ticks on the two-year deadline to
complete Brexit negotiations.
Key developments
·
MPs
must approve decision to dissolve Parliament part-way through full term.
·
Vote
will be held in Parliament on Wednesday.
·
May
had full support of Cabinet and had spoken to the Queen.
·
Opposition
parties say they will not block move to hold election on June 8.
·
Theresa
May likely to substantially increase her slim majority.
May,
who commands only a slim majority in parliament's lower House of Commons, said
that a new mandate would strengthen her hand in Brexit talks.
A
general election would end the attempts of opposition parties and members of
the House of Lords to thwart her Brexit plans, she said. "If we do not
hold a general election now, their political game playing will continue,"
she told reporters at Downing Street.
"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," she added. "We need a general election and we
need one now." READ: May's full speech
Her
decision is a sharp reversal of policy -- since taking over as Prime Minister,
May had repeatedly ruled out an early election. May said she changed her mind
on a recent walking holiday with her husband in Wales.
It
is also a risky roll of the political dice. A fractious election campaign will
reopen wounds barely healed after last year's EU referendum and give voice to
those who oppose her strategy of pursuing a clean break from Europe.
May's
Conservative Party currently holds 330 of the 650 seats in the House of
Commons. She is expected to win an increased number -- opinion polls show
support for the opposition Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, at record low
levels.
Corbyn
said he would not oppose the call for an election. "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," he said.
Under
legislation introduced by the coalition government led her predecessor, David
Cameron, an early election requires the support of two-thirds of MPs in the
House of Commons. May said she would place a motion on Wednesday in the House
of Commons calling for a vote on June 8.
A
Downing Street spokesman said that May had the full backing of her Cabinet on
calling the election and that the Prime Minister had spoken with Queen
Elizabeth II on Monday.
Campaign begins - May called on voters to throw their support behind her
Conservative Party, adding that "every vote for the Conservatives will
make me stronger" in Brexit talks. Corbyn said he welcomed the decision to
call for an election, even though his party is fractured over his leadership,
widely regarded as lackluster.
An
employee from a betting company writes odds on a blackboard outside the Houses
of Parliament. Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats -- which was
battered in the 2015 election and now holds just nine seats in the House of
Commons -- said the election was Britain's chance to change direction.
The
Liberal Democrats oppose Brexit, and Farron said he would push for as strong an
association with Europe as possible -- a so-called "soft" Brexit --
including membership of the EU's free-trade zone, the single market. READ: Market reaction, pound swings
The
party said it had gained 1,000 new members in the hour after May's
announcement. Labour also said it had gained 1,000 members Tuesday.
In
Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is likely to use the campaign to
pursue her demand for a fresh independence referendum, after Scotland
overwhelmingly voted to stay in the European Union.
"This
announcement is one of the most extraordinary U-turns in recent political
history, and it shows that Theresa May is once again putting the interests of
her party ahead of those of the country," Sturgeon said.
Brexit talks loom - Britain voted in July last year to leave the union after 44
years of membership in a divisive and hotly contested referendum.
May
officially began the Brexit process on March 29 by triggering Article 50, the legal mechanism
needed to begin the divorce process and officially start talks with the EU.
Brexit: 50 things the UK needs to do
after triggering Article 50 The negotiations are expected to be tough and will likely
take place over two years, though the more complex aspects of Britain's future
relationship with the EU, such as trade, could take even longer.
May
has struggled with not only the opposition, but with members within her own
Conservative Party, who have been at loggerheads over what kind of Brexit the
country should have.
The
Prime Minister laid out her vision for Brexit in January and more formally
later with a White Paper. But even that basic framework -- which spelled out
that Britain would leave the EU's single market -- caused divisions in her
party and involved several rounds of deliberations before a coherent plan could
be presented.
The
European Union appeared unwavered by the announcement. Preben Aaman, a
spokesman for the European Council president Donald Tusk, said the EU would
continue with its plans to adopt guidelines on April 29 for the Brexit talks.
CNN's Erin Mclaughlin,
Hilary McGann and Carol Jordan contributed to this report.
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