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Various news outlets are reporting that the UK's prime minister, Theresa May, has called for a general election to be held on 8 June. The Conservative Party Web site has a transcript of her public statement, which can also be heard in a video.
The call for a snap election has now been backed by parliament.
May surprised allies and opponents [...] when she announced her plan to bring forward an election that was not due until 2020, saying she needed to avoid a clash of priorities in the sensitive final stages of the two-year Brexit talks.
After addressing a rowdy session of the House of Commons, May won the support of 522 lawmakers in the 650-seat parliament for an election on June 8. Only 13 voted against.
With May seen winning a new five-year mandate and boosting her majority in parliament by perhaps 100 seats, the pound held close to six-and-a-half month highs on hopes she may be able to clinch a smoother, more phased departure from the EU and minimise damage to the UK economy.
[...] The former interior minister, who became prime minister without an election when her predecessor David Cameron quit after last year's referendum vote for Brexit, enjoys a runaway lead over the main opposition Labour Party in opinion polls.
This is a notable change from the position taken over the last few months where May had said after the EU referendum, a "period of stability" was needed. "There isn’t going to be one. It isn’t going to happen. There is not going to be a general election," said the prime minister's spokesman less than a month ago.
Coverage (many of these are editorials):
- The Sun
- New Statesman
- New Statesman
- The Independent
- The Independent
- The Guardian
- The Telegraph
- The New York Times
- The Irish Times
- BBC News
- Daily Mail
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Monday April 24 2017, @08:10PM
So, what would happen is the "Remain" parties during the referendum get a majority now?
AFAIK, the only "Remain" party now is the Scottish National Party, who can't win a majority unless they suddenly start fielding candidates in England - now that would be fun, but unlikely) and maybe some of the N. Ireland parties. Even the Liberal Democrats seem to be pursuing a "soft Brexit" (i.e. leaving the EU and staying in the single market).
I think the only "remain majority" scenario is that May's cunning plan collapses leaving no overall winner, Corbyn is forced to resign (as is traditional for Labour leaders who lose a general election) allowing the Labour party to oppose Brexit (Corbyn looks like a closet Brexiteer, like many on the traditional Labour left who would like more state intervention in industry than the EU woild permit) allowing two or more of Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP to form a pro-remain coalition. Not holding my breath. More likely the Lib Dems would (again) prop up the Tories in return for a few token concessions on Brexit, but most likely of all is that May has called it right and she'll get an increased majority. Then, its a case of trying to guess how much of the current "hard Brexit" policy is being forced on May (who was supposedly a remain supporter) by hard-liners and how much is her idea. Methinks she'll back whichever side looks like winning...