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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 19 APRIL 2017 News Theresa May calls snap 8 June election seeking unity The British Prime Minister's decision to call a snap election on 8 June is not without risk, but given a 20 point lead in the polls the Conservatives should be able to materially increase their working majority in Parliament. That in turn would give the government more room for manoeuvre during the Brexit negotiations, and make the government less exposed to the more right wing factions within the party. PAUL COCKS UK Prime Minister Theresa May yester- day called for a general election to be held on 8 June, hoping to put to bed questions of leadership as Brexit negotiations com- mence. Shortly after she came into power, May said with some certainty that no general election would be held before 2020, as scheduled. However, she now explained, the current political landscape – replete with disagreement and uncertainty as it is – is not one fit for Brexit negotiations to take place in. "Division in Westminster," she said, "will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country." The idea is that a general election will remove this risk of uncertainty, and give the victor the direct mandate to take the helm during Brexit negotiations. May pre- sented the call for an election as a "simple challenge to the opposition parties" to put their money where their mouths are. "Let us put forward our plans for Brexit and our alternative plans for government and then let the people decide." Her change of heart, May said, came "re- cently and reluctantly", but the move was a tactical one. Recent polls put the Con- servatives 18 points ahead of Labour, and others showed them with a similar lead. Instability within the Labour party, the relative small platform of the Lib Dems and the persistently open question of UKIP's leadership all currently work in the Conservatives' favour. Parties back election call May's call for an election will have to be put to a vote in Commons, which will hap- pen today. Both Labour and the Lib Dems have said that they will vote for an elec- tion. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said that the election would represent an opportunity to "change the direction of our country" and to "avoid a disastrous hard Brexit". Jeremy Corbyn also announced that a vote for Labour represents a vote for an "alternative", but put more focus on the economy, the NHS, and "falling living standards" than on Brexit in his state- ment. Labour's division on Brexit is some- thing May hopes will solidify her position. Prior to May's announcement on Tues- day morning, the pound had slumped somewhat, but recovered well following the call for an election. Carlo Alberto De Casa, chief strategist at City firm ActivTrades, said the market was confident that May would win a larger majority on 8 June. "Markets tend to like a stronger govern- ment – they are predicting one in the UK due to the apparent weaker situation La- bour is in – and we have seen in Turkey what a similar situation can do for the currency. City experts are in broad agreement. Dean Turner, an economist at UBS Wealth Management, said that he be- lieved it highly likely the Conservatives would increase their majority and firm up the future direction of government policy, particularly in regard to Brexit. Simon Derrick of Bank of New York Mellon agreed. "I guess people see that this may give Theresa May a better major- ity," he said. "It is a politically astute move and it should provide more stability going over the immediate aftermath of the exit from the EU." Odds favouring Tories According to the bookies, a Conservative victory in the general election is almost a racing certainty. The odds on a Conserva- tive outright majority are 1/5, said Ladbro- kes, with Labour's chance of winning the most seats put at just 7/1, with even longer odds, 12/1, for obtaining a majority. Lib Dem hopes of a huge anti-Brexit surge in support are slim, judged by the odds. Boyle Sports reckons the party has just a 25/1 chance of winning the most seats in the House of Commons, with UKIP priced at 50/1 whilst the Green par- ty are the 200/1 outsiders. But they also give 5/1 on there being no overall majority. It's now also a 1/5 shot Jeremy Corbyn is replaced as leader of the Labour party be- fore the end of 2017. Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party I welcome the PM's decision to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the in- terests of the majority first. Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a govern- ment that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS. In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country. We look forward to showing how La- bour will stand up for the people of Britain. Sal Brinton, Lib Dems This is a time when liberals must stand together, and people across the country are doing just that. The surge in our membership proves that the Liberal Demo- crats are seen as the real opposi- tion to this Conservative Brexit Government. While Theresa May is seeking to divide the country, the Liberal Democrats are the only party fighting to keep Britain Open, Tolerant and United. Sal Brinton, Lib Dems "The prime minister is clearly betting that the Tories can win a bigger majority in England given the utter disarray in the Labour party," she said. "That makes it all the important that Scot- land is protected from a Tory party which now sees the chance of grabbing control of govern- ment for many years to come and moving the UK further to the right – forcing through a hard Brexit and imposing deeper cuts in the process. "That means that this will be – more than ever before – an election about standing up for Scotland in the face of a rightwing, austerity- obsessed Tory government with no mandate in Scotland but which now thinks it can do what- ever it wants and get away with it." Paul Nuttall, UKIP "We welcome the opportunity to take UKIP's positive message to the country. "However, we believe that the Prime Min- ister's decision to call this election is a cyni- cal decision driven more by the weakness of Corbyn's Labour Party rather than the good of the country. There is also the prospect of a slew of Tory held by-elections caused by the seeming systematic breach of electoral law at the last election, predominantly in places where UKIP were pressing the Con- servatives hard. "We are in the midst of Brexit negotia- tions so this election will provide a perfect opportunity for the 52% to vote for UKIP the only party wholeheartedly committed to a clean quick and efficient Brexit." UK Prime Minister Theresa May