General election highly likely as Labour, Tory leaders back vote
IN A SHARP U-TURN TORY PRIME MINISTER Theresa May has called for an early General Election to take place on the 8th of June.
Facing pressure during Brexit negotiations and the challenge of passing the Great Repeal Bill with a small majority, May said the election would focus on delivering a deal on exiting the European Union.
Signs of support from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the Scottish National Party, and the Liberal Democrats suggest that there will be enough support for an election in the commons.
“I have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet, where we agreed that the government should call a general election, to be held on 8 June,” May said
Explaining her next course of action, she added: “Tomorrow (Wednesday April 19) I will move a motion in the House of Commons calling for a general election to be held on 8 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.”
Current opinion polls suggest a variety of unpredictable factors as the responses to both the independence referendum and EU referendum on both sides of the border continue to change traditional voting patterns.
“The Tories see a chance to move the UK to the right, force through a hard Brexit and impose deeper cuts. Let’s stand up for Scotland.” Nicola Sturgeon
First Minister of Scotland and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon responded first through a tweet stating: “The Tories see a chance to move the UK to the right, force through a hard Brexit and impose deeper cuts. Let’s stand up for Scotland.”
Sturgeon added: “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. She is clearly betting that the Tories can win a bigger majority in England given the utter disarray in the Labour Party.
“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.” Jeremy Corbyn
“That makes it all the important that Scotland is protected from a Tory Party which now sees the chance of grabbing control of government for many years to come and moving the UK further to the right – forcing through a hard Brexit and imposing deeper cuts in the process.”
She said supporting the SNP, which won a landslide in 2015, would succeed in “reinforcing the democratic mandate which already exists for giving the people of Scotland a choice on their future.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “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. Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS.
“In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country. We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain.”
Meanwhile the LibDems, bullish from recent local victories in England, said an election would be a “chance to change the direction of our country. If you want to avoid a disastrous Hard Brexit. If you want to keep Britain in the Single Market. If you want a Britain that is open, tolerant and united, this is your chance.”
Picture: Sky News
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