A UK general election will be held on 8 June after MPs backed Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for a snap poll.
The House of Commons backed the PM by a margin of 522 votes to 13, above the two-thirds majority needed, as Labour and the Lib Dems supported the move.
The PM has argued a fresh mandate would strengthen her hand in Brexit talks and provide certainty for the future.
Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the poll but accused the PM of changing her mind and breaking promises on a range of issues.
The next general election had been expected in 2020, but the Fixed Term Parliaments Act allows for one to be held earlier if two-thirds of MPs back the move.
Defending the measure, Mrs May told MPs there was a “window of opportunity” to hold a poll before Brexit negotiations begin in earnest in June and that the country needed “strong leadership” to make a success of the process.
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Source: BBC