| Author (Corporate) | United Kingdom: Conservative Party |
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| Publisher | United Kingdom: Conservative Party |
| Publication Date | 18/04/2017 |
| Content Type | News |
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The United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May announced on the 18 April 2017 that her Government had agreed to call a general election to be held on the 8 June 2017. She justified the unexpected move in the context of the forthcoming negotiations for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. She argued that '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 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'. Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 the next general election in the UK was only due in 2020. As a result the government would need to secure a two thirds majority of support to hold an early election in a motion to be proposed in the House of Commons on the 19 April 2017. On the 19 April 2017 MPs approved the motion for an early general election by 522 to 13. The support of two-thirds of all MPs required for this motion to pass was reached. |
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| Source Link | https://www.conservatives.com/sharethefacts/2017/04/we-need-a-general-election |
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| Countries / Regions | United Kingdom |
