Theresa May has announced that she wants an early General Election on 8 June. However, this is no longer a simple matter of the PM going to see the Queen and requesting that Parliament be dissolved and an election called. Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, Mrs May will require a two thirds majority in the House of Commons to vote to call an early election.
The odds are on May getting a two thirds majority because the leaders of the Labour and LibDem parties, Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron have both welcomed the idea of an early election. However, the position is not quite as straightforward as it might seem. The two thirds majority in the Commons is not two thirds of those who vote, but two thirds of the entire Commons personnel, that is, 417 of the 650 MPs. If there is a heavy abstention – the coward’s way out for an MP – May could struggle to reach 417 voting in favour.
The odds are on May getting a two thirds majority because the leaders of the Labour and LibDem parties, Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron have both welcomed the idea of an early election. However, the position is not quite as straightforward as it might seem. The two thirds majority in the Commons is not two thirds of those who vote, but two thirds of the entire Commons personnel, that is, 417 of the 650 MPs. If there is a heavy abstention – the coward’s way out for an MP – May could struggle to reach 417 voting in favour.
