UK parliament backs snap election

Lawmakers approve plans to hold June 8 general election

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - A snap general election will be held on June 8 in the U.K. after a majority of lawmakers backed a parliamentary motion approving the vote on Wednesday.

MPs agreed to the early election by 522 votes to 13, well above the two-thirds majority sought by Prime Minister Theresa May.

On Tuesday, the British premier described her move to call a snap election a "recent and reluctant decision".

May had opposed the idea of a snap poll since she came to office following the resignation of her Conservative Party predecessor David Cameron over Brexit.

British voters decided to leave the European Union in a referendum last year, signaling the end of the country's 44-year membership of the bloc.

Recent opinion polls suggest a clear lead for May’s Conservatives over the main opposition Labour Party.

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