British Prime Minister Theresa May has called for a snap general election, moving up the date of that ballot by two years. Her announcement was a surprise, particularly since only a month ago she had ruled out such a maneuver. The decision reflects the need for May to strengthen her hand domestically as she enters into difficult negotiations over the terms of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. It was a bold and likely successful move, given the state of the opposition in Britain.
Britain last held a general election in May 2015, in which the ruling Conservative Party won a surprisingly large victory. It claimed 330 seats and 36.9 percent of the vote, a sufficient margin of victory to claim a working majority in Parliament. Despite that victory, Prime Minister David Cameron then miscalculated and a year later held a referendum on Britain's EU membership to quell a revolt among his back-benchers. In an equally stunning result, Britain voted to pull out of the EU, an outcome that forced Cameron to resign and propelled May into 10 Downing Street last July.
While May was a member of the "remain" camp (meaning she voted to stay in the EU), she accepted the mandate to negotiate the terms of Britain's withdrawal. The lead-up to London's formal announcement in March of its intention to withdraw — technically referred to as invoking Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon — has been messy with the Conservatives proving to be as divided as the country as a whole over the terms of the negotiations. May has accused opponents of undermining the British negotiating position, charging that "division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit."