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. </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 yesterday overwhelmingly backed Prime Minister Theresa May's call for a snap election, paving the way for a June vote that she hopes will give her a "mandate to complete Brexit".

Mrs May surprised allies and opponents on Tuesday 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, reported Reuters.

After addressing a rowdy session of the House of Commons, Mrs May won the support of 522 lawmakers in the 650-seat Parliament for an election on June 8, an easy victory for the Prime Minister, who could see her majority increase by at least 100 seats in the poll.

"I believe that, at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in Westminster, not division," Mrs May told Parliament. "A general election will provide the country with five years of strong and stable leadership to see us through the negotiations and ensure we are able to go on to make a success as a result, and that is crucial."

In a sign of the key campaign issues ahead, Mrs 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, reported Agence France-Presse. Mr Corbyn accused the government of "broken promises" on health, education and the economy during its seven years in office. Mrs 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."
• Critics say snap elections have mainly been used by British leaders to hold early votes when it benefited their own parties. In response to that criticism, the then ruling coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats passed the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act in 2011 to prevent future snap elections from being used as a political tool. Under that law, general elections are supposed to be held on a regular five-year schedule, with the next vote due in 2020. Technically, there are now only two ways to call early elections. The House of Commons can pave the way for an early vote by approving it with a two-thirds majority, or it can defeat the prime minister in a vote of confidence and have that result stand for two weeks.

Labour's top ranks convened an emergency meeting after Mrs May's announcement on Tuesday, where Mr Corbyn told MPs he did not underestimate the task ahead, but "let's get out there".

Several Labour lawmakers told The Guardian they felt their leader was too hasty in supporting a snap election based on Mrs May's terms and in a climate of national instability because of Brexit.

In a worrying sign for Labour, three of its MPs have already announced they will not stand again.

Former British finance minister George Osborne, a Conservative who is a key opponent of Brexit, also said yesterday he was quitting Parliament, but would "go on fighting" for Britain as editor of London's Evening Standard newspaper. "I am stepping down from the House of Commons - for now," he wrote in a letter to his constituents.

For Scotland's First Minister, Ms Nicola Sturgeon, the move was a "huge political miscalculation" that could help the Scottish National Party's (SNP's) efforts to hold an independence vote, reported Reuters. "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," she said.

The president of the European Commission, Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, believes "real" Brexit talks will only start after British snap elections, an EU spokesman said yesterday. Mr Juncker had spoken to Mrs May on Tuesday after her call for early elections.

The spokesman noted that this did not mean there will be a delay in Brexit talks, "because negotiations were meant to start in June regardless of the UK government's decision to call an election on the 8th".

May can secure her mandate on Europe

Brexit gambit clever but not smart </s> British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a surprise 'snap' election Tuesday, ending months of speculation as to whether she will pull the trigger in order to exploit the weaknesses of the opposition Labour Party and strengthen the government's Brexit position.

But May can't just simply order an election to be held. Instead, she needs approval by a parliamentary supermajority. Here, a guide to the process:

Why can't she just call an election?

It's due to a law introduced under her predecessor as Prime Minister, David Cameron. Until 2010, prime ministers could call an election whenever they wanted. The coalition government of then-Prime Minister Cameron introduced the Fixed-Term Parliaments Bill, which his administration said would be a way to remove the unchecked right of the prime minister to dissolve Parliament and trigger the election for " pure political gain ."

"For the first time in our history, the timing of general elections will not be a plaything of governments and Prime Ministers will no longer have the power to go to the polls at a time of their own choosing," Deputy Nick Clegg told lawmakers during the bill's second reading in Sept. 2010. "Instead, there will be greater stability in our political system and people will know exactly how long a parliament can be expected to last."

The Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA) came into law a year later and provided a fixed polling day for general elections— held every five years on the first Thursday in May. The next election is due to take place in May 2020.

So how is she planning to hold one?

The FTPA allows for two ways for the fixed five-year term to be cut short:

May has chosen the first option, which requires a parliamentary vote scheduled for Wednesday.

Under the terms of the FTPA, May will need 434 out of the total 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons to back her. This means May needs more than 100 lawmakers from opposition parties to vote for an early election, as her party only has 330 seats.

Is there a risk of her losing?

It's highly unlikely. Opposition parties will find it hard to vote against the chance to defeat the Conservative Party at the ballot, despite the vulnerability of some of their seats. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose party holds the most seats in opposition, has already said his lawmakers will vote for an election on Wednesday.

During her speech on Tuesday, May goaded the opposition to pass her Wednesday motion. "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" she said. "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" she said. </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> 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> 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> 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> 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.
British Prime Minister Theresa May proposes that a snap election for the House of Commons will be held on the 8th of June. A two-thirds majority of the House of Commons is needed to approve this, eventually tomorrow. The Labour and Liberal Democrats party leaders have expressed their support.