British Prime Minister Theresa May called on Tuesday for an early election on June 8, saying she needed to strengthen her hand in divorce talks with the European Union by shoring up support for her Brexit plan.
Standing outside her Downing Street office, May said she had been reluctant about asking parliament to back her move to bring forward the poll from 2020, but decided it was necessary to try to prevent opposition parties "jeopardizing" her work on Brexit.
Some were surprised by her move — she has repeatedly said she does not want to be distracted by time-consuming campaigning — but opinion polls give her a strong lead, the economy is weathering the Brexit vote and she has faced opposition from her own party for some of her domestic reforms.