Theresa May ruled out an early snap general election on the Andrew Marr show on 4 September 2016 on the grounds that the country needed stability. “I think the next election will be in 2020”, she said. Fast-forward to 18 April 2017, explaining her decision to hold a general election on 8 June 2017, she said:
Since I became Prime Minister I have said there should be no election until 2020 but now I have concluded that the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election and seek your support for the decisions I must take,
Is it any wonder, then, that the public trust in politicians is rock bottom? In another phrase she used to justify an early general election, the Prime Minister said: “The country is coming together but Westminster is not”. How so, Prime Minister? The 48% who voted remain in the EU referendum haven’t suddenly changed their minds! The country is divided and parliament is reflecting the confusion and the uncertainty of the country.
One is left with the inescapable conclusion that the decision to hold an early general election is in the interest of the Conservative party and not that of the country. Having a substantial lead in the polls over Labour, Theresa May believes that all opposition to her extreme Brexit will be crushed by this cynical decision. Additionally, going to the electorate before the muck of Brexit hits the fan is an added advantage.
We have been here before. The EU referendum was…