Theresa May has called a general election for 8 June 2017 – a stunning U-turn. She and her spokespeople have repeatedly denied that she would call one.

Here are some of the times she has previously ruled out an election.

June 30 2016

"There should be no general election until 2020. There should be a normal autumn statement held in the normal way, at the normal time, and no emergency budget."

September 4 2016

“I’m not going to be calling a snap election. I’ve been very clear that I think we need that period of time, that stability, to be able to deal with the issues that the country is facing and have that election in 2020.”

October 1 2016

"Theresa May has ruled out the possibility of a general election before 2020 due to the risk of "instability" posed by a snap vote."

March 7 2017

"A No 10 source said: "It's not going to happen. It's not something she plans to do or wishes to do.""

March 20 2017