OKEHAMPTON’S MP has said that Theresa May’s announcement that there will be a ’snap’ general election on June 8 is ’the right decision’.

In a surprise announcement on Tuesday morning, the Prime Minister announced that the cabinet has agreed on holding a surprise general election in just seven weeks’ time.

Mrs May said that division in Westminster ahead of Brexit negotiations was the reason the government was calling the election at ’this moment of enormous national significance’.

During her statement outside 10 Downing Street, she said: ’The country is coming together, but Westminster is not. In recent weeks Labour has threatened to vote against the deal we reach with the European Union.

’The Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business of government to a standstill. The Scottish National party say they will vote against the legislation that formally repeals Britain’s membership of the European Union. And unelected members of the House of Lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way.

’Our opponents believe that because the government’s majority is so small, our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change course. They are wrong.’

Mel Stride, MP for Central Devon, supports the announcement. He said: ’This is the right decision. The country is coming together behind securing a good strong deal for the UK in the Brexit negotiations but we need Westminster to unite as well and that requires a strong Conservative government with a stronger working majority.

’The alternative will be years of obstruction and dogfighting from opposition parties which, with a slim government majority will severely inhibit our ability to deliver the right result for our country.’

Opposition leaders also welcomed the call for the election. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party ’will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS’.

Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has called the election a ’huge political miscalculation’ and an ’extraordinary u-turn’ by the Prime Minister, which comes less than a year after Mrs May stated there should be no election before 2020.

Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has said the election offers a ’chance to change the direction of our country’ and his party’s campaign would be centred around avoiding a ’disastrous hard Brexit’.