Scottish National Party leaders have signalled they will not oppose a snap election after it was announced by Theresa May this morning.
The Prime Minister Theresa May made the shock announcement on Tuesday morning on the steps of Downing Street.
The First Minister of Scotland, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, described the announcement as “one of the most extraordinary U-turns in recent political history”.
She framed it as an election designed to destroy Labour in England: ““That means that this will be – more than ever before – an election about standing up for Scotland, in the face of a right-wing, austerity obsessed Tory government with no mandate in Scotland but which now thinks it can do whatever it wants and get away with it.
“In terms of Scotland, this move is a huge political miscalculation by the Prime Minister.
“It will once again give people the opportunity to reject the Tories’ narrow, divisive agenda, as well as reinforcing the democratic mandate which already exists for giving the people of Scotland a choice on their future.”
Read more: How Theresa May can call an early election under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act
Angus Robertson, the SNP deputy leader and head of the MPs at Westminster, tweeted: “Whatever happened to ‘now is not the time’? UK General Election: 8th June. Straight choice in Scotland between @theSNP and Tories. #VoteSNP.”
Among the reasons suggested for the snap poll, one is an attempt to nip a second Scottish independence referendum in the bud by undermining the SNP’s hold on Scotland. The Scottish Conservatives are already expected to do well in the May local elections.
However, the Prime Minister recently blocked a demand from Sturgeon for a second independence referendum, leaving her open to charges of hypocrisy.
Read more: Four thoughts on Theresa May’s general election decision
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