Prime Minister calls general election

PRIME Minister Theresa May has announced a snap general election on Thursday 8th June. The PM made the announcement on the steps of 10 Downing Street on Monday morning. Stratford-upon-Avon MP Nadhim Zahawi doubled his majority at the last general election in May 2015.

It’s thought the PM has chosen to go for an early election because opinion polls have her ahead of Labour by as much as 20 points.

Reacting to the news Mr Zahawi told the Herald: "With many Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs and Members of the House of Lords promising to frustrate Brexit legislation in any way they can, and other parties like the SNP using Brexit to further their own political agendas, threats to a smooth and orderly Brexit are very real indeed.

"Our interlocutors in the EU will be looking for any divisions in the British Parliament that might give them an upper hand in negotiations. A General Election now, before the substantive negotiations begin, is the only way to stop this happening, return a united Parliament and allow our Prime Minister to achieve the best possible deal."

He also tweeted:

Louise Bennett, Chief Executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Businesses have had to weather a great deal of uncertainty in the last 18 months or so, and have continued to drive forward our economy. That has to continue especially as Brexit starts to become a reality. A general election must not be allowed to derail what has been impressive progress, and our economic fortunes must not be hostage to political points scoring from the parties in the run up to the election.”

For more on this story read this week's Stratford Herald.