British Prime Minister Theresa May has called a general election for June 8. Here’s a brief look at what happens now, and what’s at stake.

May took power in July, after former leader David Cameron resigned following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union last June. A new ballot offers her the chance to seek her own mandate and to increase the Conservative Party’s narrow majority in the House of Commons, where it holds 330 of 650 seats. Britain formally triggered the process for leaving the EU last month, but more turmoil is in store as the country negotiates a divorce that will affect every aspect of life in the U.K.

IS IT A DONE DEAL?

British prime ministers used to have the power to call elections at will, but the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, passed in 2011, makes things more complicated. Under the act, national elections are held every five years, in May. The prime minister can call an early election if two-thirds of lawmakers support it. May will ask the House of Commons to vote on the snap election on Wednesday. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, has said he welcomes an election, meaning the election call will almost certainly pass

WHAT IS AT STAKE?

Negotiations to leave the EU will be arduous with the talks touching on money, trade, defense, to name but a few key sectors of discussion. If May were to gain more seats, she would be able to have more freedom to pursue her own agenda, and to neutralize those inside and outside her own party who disagree with her positions.

WHO IS GOING TO WIN?

Elections are always unpredictable, but bookmakers consider May’s Conservatives strong favorites to win. Opinion polls released last weekend showed the Conservatives with a double-digit lead over the opposition Labour Party, which has been weakened by a split between moderates and left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Anytime a leader goes to the people for a vote, there are risks, as Cameron learned to his peril when he lost the vote on the EU just over a year after winning re-election.</s>British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will seek an early election, for June 8, looking to bolster her Conservative Party's position as the country heads into talks to leave the European Union.

Division in parliament "will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit," May told reporters Tuesday outside her official residence, 10 Downing Street, in London.

May is pursuing a "hard" exit from the EU — leaving its political union along with its common market and customs union — rather than one of several softer options that would maintain certain ties.

MPs will be asked to vote for the election on Wednesday, she said.
• None ANALYSIS | From dreaded possibility to looming eventuality — Brexit is here

The proposed vote must win the support of two-thirds of Parliament to proceed. The next general election was not scheduled to take place until 2020. The last one was held just two years ago.

The leaders of the opposition parties — including Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the U.K. Independence Party — said they are ready to go to the polls.

"Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered failing living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and [National Health Service,]" Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a statement.

May, who became prime minister after David Cameron resigned in the wake of the Brexit referendum last June, had earlier ruled out an early election.

She said Tuesday the about-face was "necessary to secure the strong and stable leadership" amid "political game playing" by opposition parties including Labour and the Scottish National Party.

The SNP-led Scottish Parliament recently voted to hold a second referendum on independence from the U.K. Scots rejected the idea in 2014, but also voted to remain with the EU. The independence movement has seized the latter as justification for another referendum.

"This move is a huge political miscalculation by the prime minister," Nicola Sturgeon, SNP leader and Scotland's first minister, said in a statement.

"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," she said.

May's Conservatives have 330 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons and are polling well ahead of Labour, the main Opposition party.

The prime minister's own personal ratings also dwarf those of Corbyn, with 50 per cent of those asked saying she would make the best prime minister. Corbyn wins only 14 per cent, according to pollster YouGov.

The British pound strengthened by almost half a cent against the U.S. dollar as she spoke, reflecting investor relief that earlier rumours of a shock resignation did not transpire.</s>London (CNN) Members of the British Parliament are widely expected on Wednesday to approve Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to hold an early general election on June 8.

May made a unexpected announcement Tuesday that she would seek a "snap" election less than halfway through her government's five-year term, with the aim of gaining a stronger mandate for the country's historic withdrawal from the European Union.

The announcement marked a U-turn for May, who had repeatedly said she would not seek an early vote.

It is the latest twist a turbulent year in British politics, which was plunged into turmoil when the country unexpectedly voted to leave the European Union last year. The hotly contested "Brexit" referendum ended with the resignation of then-Prime Minister David Cameron.

May's Conservative Party holds a slim majority in parliament's lower House of Commons and May is banking on gaining a greater share of the seats to make Brexit a smoother transition for her government. Her plan comes as the main opposition Labour Party faces record lows in approval ratings.

But her decision also opens the door to more uncertainty in the region, as it now puts Europe's three most powerful nations -- Britain, Germany and France -- into full-throttle election mode.

This will be the backdrop upon which Brexit talks begin, as the clock on the two-year deadline for negotiations began ticking on March 29, when May officially filed divorce papers to Brussels.

Clear way for May

In her comments Tuesday, May argued that a general election would end the attempts of opposition parties and members of the House of Lords to thwart her Brexit plans.

"If we do not hold a general election now, their political game playing will continue," she told reporters at Downing Street.

"We need a general election and we need one now."

May needs two-thirds of parliament to agree to the early polls, and MPs will vote on whether to grant May's wish after deliberations on Wednesday.

But opposition parties have said they will not block the move and have already begun soliciting support from the public, kicking of a swift seven weeks of campaigning.

If approved by parliament, the election will be Britain's third general election in seven years, and it comes less than a year after the referendum that decided the UK would withdraw from the EU.

May's call comes despite a law passed in 2011 under Cameron's coalition government aimed at keeping elections five years apart to prevent precisely this kind of uncertainty.</s>Here is the full transcript of the Prime Minister's announcement that there should be a general election on June 8:

“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 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.”</s>MPs have given the go-ahead to a snap General Election on June 8 after a Commons vote.

Theresa May announced her intention to have an early election on Tuesday in a surprise move to boost backing for Brexit.

And, on Wednesday, MPs overwhelmingly backed the election by 522 voted to 13.

It meant Ms May easily got the support of two-thirds of MPs needed under the Fixed Term Parliament Act to bring the poll forward from the scheduled date of 2020.

Both Labour's Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat Tim Farron saying they welcomed the election - though Scottish National Party MPs abstained in the vote.

However, there was deep division over the issues which should decide the election's outcome, with Mrs May casting the poll as an opportunity to secure "strong and stable leadership" for Britain as it forges a new position outside the European Union.

Mr Corbyn, meanwhile, said voters should take the chance to make their judgement on the Conservative record on austerity and public service cuts.

Telling MPs it was time to "put our fate in the hands of the people and let the people decide", Mrs May told the House of Commons: "We are determined to bring stability to the United Kingdom for the long term and that's what this election will be about - leadership and stability.

"The decision facing the country will be clear. I will be campaigning for strong and stable leadership in the national interest with me as Prime Minister and I will be asking for the public's support to continue to deliver my plan for a stronger Britain, to lead the country for the next five years and to give the certainty and stability that we need."

A large majority for the Tories would strengthen the Government's hand in negotiating a good Brexit deal and provide "strong and stable leadership in the national interest", she said.

But Mr Corbyn dismissed her argument that she needs a fresh mandate to deliver Brexit, and said it was "extremely interesting" that she had chosen to call an election as the Crown Prosecution Service prepares to decide whether to press charges against a string of Tory MPs over allegations relating to 2015 general election expenses.

He said Mrs May's U-turn on her previous insistence that she would not call a snap election showed she could not be trusted.

And he told MPs: "We welcome the opportunity of a general election because it gives the British people the chance to vote for a Labour government that will put the interests of the majority first.

"The Prime Minister talks about a strong economy, but the truth is most people are worse off then they were when the Conservatives came to power seven years ago. The election gives the British people the chance to change direction.”</s>In a surprise move, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has announced plans for an early general election on June 8. In an unscheduled speech delivered Tuesday morning, May said an election is needed because other parties in parliament are opposed to the Conservative-led government's Brexit plans. "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," May said.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Fox News.</s>MPs have voted in favour of holding a snap general election on June 8.The House of Commons voted 522 to 13, backing Theresa May’s call for an early poll in less than two months’ time.The prime minister needed just 434 MPs – two thirds of the house – to meet the terms of the Fixed Term Parliament Act to bring the election forward from the scheduled date of 2020.The Conservative leader has said a fresh endorsement from the electorate would strengthen her hand in Brexit talks and provide greater certainty.Jeremy Corbyn supported the idea of an early election but nine Labour MPs did not back the plans, including Lis McInnes and Fiona Mactaggart.Three Independent MPs and SDLP MP Alasdair McDonnell also voted against.</s>LONDON: British lawmakers on Wednesday (Apr 19) overwhelmingly backed Prime Minister Theresa May's call for a snap election, paving the way for a June vote she hopes will give her a "mandate to complete Brexit".

The House of Commons voted by 522 to 13 to hold a general election on Jun 8 - plunging Britain back into political uncertainty just weeks before the start of negotiations on leaving the European Union.

May stunned the country on Tuesday when she announced her plan for an early vote, despite having repeatedly said she would wait until the next election scheduled in 2020.

In fiery exchanges in the House of Commons on Wednesday, May said an early election would strengthen her hand against domestic critics seeking to "frustrate the process" of Brexit, which formally began last month.

"I will be asking the British people for a mandate to complete Brexit and to make a success of it," the Conservative leader said, to cheers from her lawmakers sitting behind her.

Riding high in the opinion polls, May is seeking to increase her slim majority of 17 in the 650-seat Commons before the battles begin with the EU over Britain's exit bill and future trade and immigration ties.

She insists an early election would provide "certainty and stability" in the negotiations, which will now start after the vote.

In a sign of the key campaign issues ahead, May traded barbs in the Commons with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose party is deeply divided and languishing up to 20 points behind the Conservatives.

Corbyn accused the government of "broken promises" on health, education and the economy during its seven years in office.

May hit back that Labour offered only "bankruptcy and chaos", but denied she was complacent, saying: "We will be out there fighting for every vote."

British elections are fixed in law but can be changed with a two-thirds majority in the Commons - a threshold easily passed during Wednesday's vote.

All sides are now gearing up for the fourth major election in four years, after last June's shock referendum vote for Brexit, the 2015 general election, and the 2014 Scottish independence vote.

Brexit will dominate the campaign, with May - who took office after David Cameron resigned following the EU vote - seeking public backing for her plan to pull Britain out of Europe's single market.

A European Commission spokesman said the "real political" negotiations on Brexit will start after the election.

Three weekend opinion polls put the Conservatives about 20 points ahead of Labour, and if translated into votes, this could give May an "election landslide" with a majority of more than 100, according to an analysis by The Times.

May, Britain's second female prime minister, also has strong popular support for her handling of the political earthquake unleashed by Brexit.

By contrast Labour is wracked by divisions, over Brexit and Corbyn's left-wing leadership, which is opposed by many of his more centrist MPs.

So far, Labour's stance on Brexit has been to allow the government to go ahead with the EU divorce, but only under certain conditions, such as retaining strong economic ties with the bloc.

That approach risks satisfying neither its traditional working-class supporters, many of whom backed leaving the EU, or its urban, pro-European members - leaving many commentators predicting an electoral bloodbath.

Three Labour MPs have already announced they will not stand again. Former Conservative finance minister George Osborne, a powerful voice in favour of Britain's EU membership during the referendum campaign, also said he would not seek re-election.

The smaller Liberal Democrats, who lost most of their seats in 2015 after entering coalition with the Conservatives, are hoping to capitalise on their strong support for the EU to win new support.

Meanwhile the Scottish National Party, which holds most of the seats in Scotland, is pushing its demands for a second referendum on independence in order to maintain close ties with the EU.

"Make no mistake, if the SNP wins this election in Scotland - and the Tories don't - then Theresa May's attempt to block our mandate to hold another referendum when the time is right, will crumble to dust," SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

Like almost everyone else in Britain, the election announcement caught financial markets off guard, amid concerns of the economic implications of Brexit.

The pound rallied on speculation that May will be returned with a stronger mandate, but this caused London's FTSE 100 index - which features many multinationals earning in dollars - to fall.</s>MPs have approved prime minister Theresa May's plan for a snap general election on June 8.May raised a motion calling for a poll in the House of Commons on Wednesday. She made an unexpected announcement on Tuesday that she would seek an early election less than halfway through her government's five year-term.She said an election was needed to prevent opposition parties at Westminster "frustrating" the Brexit process and provide long-term "certainty and stability."The next general election had been expected in 2020, but the Fixed Term Parliaments Act allows for one to be held earlier if two-thirds of MPs back the move.Speaking at the Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the prospect of an election but suggested May's U-turn on the issue proved she could "not be trusted."The Tories' record was one of falling wages, rising debt, increasing child poverty and an NHS that was in a "year-round crisis," Corbyn said.He challenged her to defend her record by taking part in TV debates, which she has so far refused to do.May responded by saying she is "very proud" of her government's achievements, including delivering record levels of employment and spending more money on the health service than ever before."We will be fighting for every vote, while the right honorable gentleman [Corbyn] would bankrupt our economy, weaken our defences and is simply not fit to lead."She accused opposition MPs of trying to thwart the Brexit process."What the people of the United Kingdom voted for last year was for the UK to leave the European Union. We must set that process in motion, there is no turning back.Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrats leader, told the Commons May is calling an election now because, having looked at the state of Labour, she could not resist the political equivalent of taking candy from a baby.</s>Prime Minister Theresa May has this morning called a snap general election. Here is everything you need to know.

The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 provides for general elections to be held on the first Thursday in May every five years. However, a snap general election is an election called earlier than expected.

What happens next?

The snap general election can only go ahead if two thirds of MPs vote in favour of it. The vote is due to take place on the House of Commons tomorrow.

When will the general election be held?

If approved in Parliament, the general election will be held on June 8.

Have snap general elections been held before?

Yes, on nine previous occasions. The most recent was in 1979, held six months before the deadline. It was called when the Labour government of James Callaghan narrowly lost a confidence motion. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher, then defeated the Labour government.
The United Kingdom House of Commons approves by 522 votes to 13 a snap general election to be held on June 8.