Let the games commence. By a resounding majority of 522 to 13 votes, parliament surpassed the two thirds majority required to allow the PM to call a general election under the fixed parliaments act. Britain will go to the polls on 8th June and will have a rehearsal on 4th May in the shape of the local council elections. The Tories have a commanding opinion poll lead over the opposition Labour Party and whilst the strength of the LibDems is growing it remains firmly in third place on about 11% support. If 2016 taught us anything, it is that opinion polls don’t always accurately reflect voter intentions (and as a Bruce Willis character used to say “…and then some!”).
Whilst the PM has called for a strong vote for her party to “strengthen” her negotiating position with the EU over Brexit (it won’t, but it would give her manoeuvring room within her own party), the vote is a de facto second referendum on the UK’s EU membership. Whilst at this point anything other than an increased Conservative majority seems implausible there is time for the electorate to change its mind. Roughly half of the nation was opposed to leaving the EU, it must be remembered. This time around, the government is in the curious position of defending Brexit to the people of the UK. The hard Eurosceptic wing of the Tory Party was always a minority and candidates may find it hard to answer specific questions on the “Brexit Plan” since many believe there is none and now it is not only a Conservative policy, but their responsibility to deliver.
Having been in power since 2010, the government is also vulnerable on its record for austerity cuts which have left many public services in dire straits and close to collapse. In contrast to the referendum, the government now finds itself having to defend both Brexit and its record so the outcome of the election could be much closer than Mrs May supposes. May has refused to take part in televised leader debates, a position which could harm her. In such a forum, she may struggle to answer the pointed, detailed questions of her opponents which is probably why she seeks to avoid it, but her absence would perhaps, leave these questions ringing in the ears of the TV audience.
In the event of a hung parliament with many MPs opposed to a hard Brexit, or indeed any Brexit at all, the government may find itself forced to radically change its policy – it is also possible, but at this point unlikely, that they will find themselves on the opposition benches when 9th June dawns.