United Kingdom early elections 'dangerous': Tony Blair

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The majority of 509 votes gives UK Prime Minister Theresa May her two-thirds majority, which is required to call an election under the Fixed Term Parliament Act.

May, who had taken charge as Prime Minister just weeks after Britain's voted to leave the European Union in June 2016, had repeatedly dismissed the idea of an early election.

"I believe that at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in Westminster, not division", May told the parliament.

Labour and the much smaller opposition Liberal Democrats said they would vote in favour of the early election, all but guaranteeing her decision will be approved.

Before holding the election, May must first win the support of two-thirds of the parliament in a vote on Wednesday (April 19).

This shift to a large majority will allow May to negotiate a hard Brexit deal that will pass even if some in her party vote against the final agreement.

The British Prime Minister accused the opposition parties of stopping Britain from moving forward and frustrating Brexit negotiations.

She said that waiting until 2020 would mean the "most sensitive" part of the two-year Brexit negotiations would come during the run-up to an election.

PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina condemn Bangladesh genocide of 1971
India and Bangladesh also signed a financing agreement for the construction of 36 community clinics in Bangladesh. Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who separated Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971.

Unofficial electioneering kicked off in the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons, as May traded barbs with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that he had a "good phone call" with May about the election, and the council said the bloc's Brexit plans were unchanged by the announcement.

Both Sturgeon's Scottish Nationalists and the Liberal Democrats want Britain to remain in the EU's single market - something May has ruled out, along with a referendum on any deal she wins. With the Labour Party now, and for the foreseeable future, being in disarray with an unelectable Leader, and head-in- the-sand attitude towards uncontrolled migration, borders and loss of national Sovereignty, her prospect of winning the election with a greatly increased majority is looking very promising.

United Kingdom network ITV has already pledged to hold an election debate, with or without the current prime minister.

A European Commission spokesman said the "real political" negotiations on Brexit will start after the election. The election gives the British people the chance to change direction.

This is something that readers should bear in mind every time she makes a promise during the forthcoming general election campaign.

She said: "Since I became Prime Minister I have said that there should be no election until 2020. There can be no turning back".

May, who has described herself as "not a showy politician", said she would rather talk directly to voters.

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