PRIME MINISTER Theresa May has announced that she plans to hold a snap general election on June 8.

This decision, which will need the backing of Parliament to go ahead, is intended to allow for security and stability following the EU referendum and the recent triggering of Article 50.

Ms May said: “I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet, where we agreed that the Government should call a general election, to be held on June 8.

“I want to explain the reasons for that decision, what will happen next and the choice facing the British people when you come to vote in this election.

“Last summer, after the country voted to leave the European Union, Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership, and since I became Prime Minister the Government has delivered precisely that.

“Despite predictions of immediate financial and economic danger, since the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain high, record numbers of jobs, and economic growth that has exceeded all expectations.

“We have also delivered on the mandate that we were handed by the referendum result.”

Speaking to BBC news a few moments ago Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn MP said:

“I welcome the opportunity to stand up against this government and its failed economic agenda. We want to put a case out there to the people of Britain for a society and economy and a Brexit that works for all.

“We’re going out there to put the case of how this county could be run, how it could be different, how we can have a fairer society for all. That is what we are doing.

“It’s about an economy that works for all.

“We’re challenging the economic narrative which says there needs to be huge cut in public expenditure to pay for the banking crisis of 2008. We say we need to invest. We have massive inequalities between the rich minority and sadly too many people living at the other end of the scale.

“We will take our message to every part of this country. We are campaigning to win this election this is the only thing that matters now. We will give real hope to everyone, and above all give a principle of justice and economic opportunity for everybody.”

Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire’s Conservative MP Simon Hart welcomed Ms May’s decision: “As the PM has said the time is now right to provide voters a chance to express a view about a whole range of subjects and to give her the mandate she needs to negotiate the best possible deal for Wales and the UK,” he added.

“I have loved very moment of my time as MP for my local area and will be fighting this election as positively and enthusiastically as ever.”

Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb agreed: “Theresa May’s decision to call an election for 8th June is both courageous and correct. We need this election now to secure the strong and stable leadership the country needs to see us through Brexit and beyond,” he told The Herald. “This is a key moment to strengthen Britain’s hand as it goes into the negotiations in Europe.

Confirming that he would also be seeking to regain his seat, he added: “Theresa May is the only political leader who can unite the whole country at this time. I look forward to getting back out on the doorsteps in Preseli Pembrokeshire to make the case for a strong Conservative government.”

However, the announcement has been met with caution by the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

FUW President Glyn Roberts commented: “We have long been calling for the creation of a post-Brexit UK agricultural framework and we know discussions between UK and Welsh Government  have been frustratingly slow.

“The timing of this election will do nothing to aid progress in establishing a UK framework for agriculture and we therefore urge the Westminster Government not to ignore the critical issues at hand.

“As the independent voice for Welsh farming, the FUW we will of course continue to remind all parties about the importance of the rural economy and why #FarmingMatters and is actively going to engage with candidates about the future of agriculture in the coming weeks.

“The Union will shortly release its own general election manifesto outlining our expectations and will work throughout the campaign to ensure MPs understand that the future of the rural economy must be a national priority, now and in the years to come.”