Last week, Prime Minister Theresa May called for a general election to take place on Thursday 8th June. This is because many people in Parliament are arguing against her policies regarding Brexit, and other social reforms such as the introduction of more grammar schools. She needs a majority to push her reforms through but she cannot succeed because of the amount of opposition. Her opponents come from the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, Liberal Democrats, led by Tim Farron, the SNP, led by Nicola Sturgeon, and some of her own Conservative Party.
Theresa May has called for a new election because she hopes that more Conservative MPs will get seats in the House of Commons, who will support her and make the Brexit process easier. This is taking a risk because she might not be re-elected.
An election such as this is called a snap election because it is earlier than expected. General elections, according to the law, are to take place every five years. The last General Election was in 2015 and the next one would be due in 2020, but because there is an election happening this year, the next election will now be in 2022. The last snap election was in 1974.
All the party leaders and MPs are now going around the country campaigning for votes. Tania Mathias, the Conservative MP for Twickenham, was handing out leaflets outside Twickenham train station on Monday encouraging people to vote for Theresa May. We have had leaflets posted through our door from Vince Cable of the Liberal Democrats, and also literature from the Green Party.
