THE Prime Minister Theresa May has called a snap General Election.

Speaking in Downing Street the PM said there would be a poll on Thursday, June 8.

Referencing Brexit, she said: "The country is coming together but Westminster is not."

"I have concluded the only way to guarantee certainty and security for years ahead is to hold this election."

The House of Commons will vote on the proposed election on Wednesday.

Conservative Halesowen and Rowley Regis MP James Morris welcomed the General Election being called.

He said: "This election will add stability and security to the lives of people in Halesowen and Rowley Regis. What Britain needs now is clarity, and a Prime Minister with a strong mandate to lead us out of the European Union.


"Labour, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats want to try and stall our exit. I am determined to ensure that the will of people here in Halesowen and Rowley Regis is fulfilled - and a General Election is a way of doing that."

Ms James, Conservative MP for Stourbridge and Cradley, said she was “very surprised” by the shock announcement and she added: “I did not see it coming but we will be ready for it in Stourbridge. I welcome it and I’m up for it.”

She said there are “a number of areas the Prime Minister wants to consolidate that were not in our manifesto” and she believes a mandate is the best way forward for Mrs May to proceed in pursuing those areas “which are quite different from the previous Cameron-led government”.

Dudley South MP Mike Wood - who is still recovering from a near fatal bout of sepsis – was also taken aback by the PM’s anouncement and he said: “It could have come at a better time – it’s certainly taken us all by surprise.

“But I can understand why Theresa May has decided on this. With difficult Brexit negotiations ahead – it makes sense to get a clear mandate to support a strong British position before those negotiations hit the nitty gritty detail later this year.”

He said he will be contesting his Dudley South seat, which he has held since 2015, “assuming the Dudley South Conservatives adopt me as their candidate”.

And he added: “I love election campaigns and I look forward to meeting as many local people as possible over the next few weeks.

"I hope once again they put their trust in me to carry on representing the area.”

Veteran Labour Warley MP John Spellar has announced he will be standing in the election. 

He said: "After all Theresa May's statements about not calling election she has revealed herself as a shabby opportunist politician.

"There is no need for this election, the Government has a majority and the electorate will be forced to vote twice in two years.

"The public will not be happy about this and Theresa May might not get the result she is expecting."

He added: "I will be standing in the election as I enjoy the cut and thrust of an election."