May calls for early election for unity in Brexit talks
POLITICS
By Wang Zheng

2017-04-18 22:30 GMT+8

8149km to Beijing

‍British Prime Minister Theresa May has called for an early general election as division within the UK government has posed a threat to making a success of Brexit.
May announced Tuesday, just three weeks after announcement of the formal Brexit process, that the election will be held on June 8. 
The general election was due to take place in 2020 when Brexit negotiations are due to be finalized.
British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks to the media outside 10 Downing Street in central London on April 18, 2017. /CFP Photo
"At this moment of enormous national significance there should be unity here in Westminster but instead there is division," said May.
"Division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty."
The prime minister blamed opposition parties and the House of Lords for weakening her negotiating position with the EU, reported The Financial Times.
May, in favor of a hard Brexit, was not elected by the UK citizens but won a Conservative party leadership contest in 2016 after David Cameron's resignation in the wake of the Brexit vote.
Jeremy Corbyn, the UK's opposition Labor Party leader, welcomed the early election and said he expected an "effective alternative." 
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, arrives at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey, following the attack on Westminster Bridge two weeks ago, in London, Britain April 5, 2017. /CFP Photo
Tim Farron, Liberal Democrats leader, who will likely campaign to stay in the EU's single market, also embraced the election and said it can "change the direction of our country [UK]."
Liberal Democrats party leader Tim Farron speaks to the media in Westminster on March 22, 2017 in London, England. /CFP Photo
However, May's governing Conservative Party is in a leading position with 44 percent of public support, according to a recent YouGov poll.
The Labor party garners 23 percent, while the Liberal Democrats fall behind with 12 percent.
May "reluctantly" made the decision on the early election, but will still need a two-thirds majority by lawmakers to confirm it. She will present it to the House of Commons Wednesday.
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