British Prime Minister Theresa May called on Tuesday for an early election on June 8, saying the government had the right plan for negotiating the terms of Britain's exit from the European Union and that she needed political unity in London..



Below is a reaction from a selection of experts on politics and financial markets:



JOHN CURTICE, POLLING EXPERT AND PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE

"There is no doubt that the Conservatives are in a strong position in the opinion polls..."

"That clearly would be enough to give Theresa May a quite substantial majority."

"In a sense she's essentially saying the reason we need to have this (election) is because 'we need a government that has a clear majority that's committed to the version of Brexit I want'."

SIMON DERRICK, HEAD OF GLOBAL RESEARCH AT BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON IN LONDON:

"For the moment at least it is not being seen as particularly a negative."

"I guess people see that this may give Theresa May a better majority. It is a politically astute move and it should provide more stability going over the immediate aftermath of the exit from the EU."

PHILIP SHAW, CHIEF ECONOMIST AT INVESTEC

Asked: Is the prospect of a slowing economy a reason for an early vote?

"That probably is a factor in the sense that although the formal negotiations under Article 50 will have concluded by May 2020, we would most likely still be in a 'phased implementation' phase, which would indicate there would be a considerable degree of uncertainty about the fine print of trade prospects."

"The economy may well be a factor, but I suspect the Conservatives' lead in the opinion poll ranks above that."