British Parliament approves snap election

MPs are expected to give their approval to Theresa May's plan for a snap election on June 8, in a Commons vote the day after her shock announcement.

THE Prime minister has been accused of "running scared" by refusing to take part in televison election debates. She's nearly certain to win the motion given that opposition legislators also support an early election.

Defending the measure, Mrs May told MPs there was a "window of opportunity" to hold a poll before Brexit negotiations began in earnest in June and that the country needed "strong leadership" to make a success of the process. The government has a majority of just 17 MPs. Last year, a month before Britain's EU referendum, she told a Goldman Sachs audience in London that she supported membership of the European Union.

"The decision facing the country will be clear".

"I don't think you can just stand aloof from it, I think people would look down on that rather". A spokesman said: "Our answer is no". The mid-term election has already been dubbed a "Brexit election".

Jeremy Corbyn will on Thursday launch the Labour party's general election campaign with a populist appeal to voters to overthrow a "rigged system" run by a "cosy cartel" of the rich and the powerful.

"We welcome the general election but this is a prime minister who promised there wouldn't be one, a prime minister who can not be trusted", he told the Commons on Wednesday.

May enjoys a runaway lead in opinion polls over the main opposition Labour Party, and the British economy has so far defied predictions of a slowdown, offering her a strong base to launch a poll some lawmakers described as "opportunistic".

Britain will have no influence over where key EU agencies concerned with health and banking are located after Brexit, the European Commission (EC) has said.

"The notion that the United Kingdom prime minister might be empty-chaired because she was not prepared to stand up for her arguments is just not sustainable", he said.

May returned from an Easter break in the Welsh mountains to announce that she would make a televised statement on an undisclosed subject early Tuesday outside 10 Downing St. Speculation swirled and the pound plunged against the dollar amid uncertainty about whether she planned to resign, call an election or even declare war.

Theresa May said that Jeremy Corbyn was not fit to lead, but faced criticism over her refusal to take part in TV debates. "This election can change the direction of our country, from the consequences of a potential hard Brexit outside the single market to the future of our NHS and social care, our schools and our environment", said Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron.

Under current legislation, parliaments have to sit for five years before new elections take place.

May has repeatedly said that "now is not the time" for a Scottish vote. UKIP no longer has any Members of Parliament.

Despite getting backing from Corbyn, voting figures suggest that many Labour MPs chose to abstain, as 174 Labour MPs out of 229 voted in favour.

He added: "A vote for Labour is a vote for the best possible access to the single market, a vote for giving European Union citizens living in Britain the certainty they and their families deserve and a vote to ensure our businesses get the access to the skilled workforce they need to grow and create jobs for all Londoners".