Notts MPs have been speaking out about Theresa May’s announcement calling for a general election on June 8.
May announced the decision after meeting with her cabinet this morning (Monday April 18) and made the announcement shortly after 11am outside 10 Downing Street.
Labour MP for Nottingham North Graham Allen is ‘delighted’ with the news.
He said: “I’m born and bred in my own constituency so getting back face to face every day rather than being in Westminster both of the week is great from my point of view.
“We’re going to be working hard and we’re hoping to improve the Labour majority when it takes place.
“The national picture is different to the local picture and Nottingham has a very well organised Labour party, it runs the local council and has had the endorsement of people on the council and there are three Labour MPs for the city of Nottingham.
“From a Labour point of view, I think it’s going to be important that we have those three re-elected.”
MP Allen thinks there is ‘probably an impending crisis inside the Conservative party’.
He said: “They are finding it very difficult to get unity around how they are going to withdraw from the European Union and I think there is a lot of undercurrent of antagonism within the Conservative party.
“I think Theresa May hopes that she will get a victory and that will shut people up inside the Tory party who have daggers drawn at each other in a way I haven’t seen for many years.
“That’s why she’s putting people through another general election ahead of time but from my point of view, it gives people that chance to say we are unhappy with the way in which May is obsessed with one issue and letting all the other issues go on the back burner.”
Conservative MP for Sherwood Mark Spencer ‘feels May’s frustration’.
He said: “I understand the decision and I feel her frustration at times – other political parties are trying to stall the process of Brexit and are trying to make that job more difficult.
“She is saying to the public if you back me to be the Prime Minister with my own mandate, I will go and negotiate on your behalf the best deal I can for the United Kingdom.
“She is saying give me a strong hand to get a good trade deal and get our economy in the right direction to help fund things like the NHS and education.”
May calling for a general election puts MP Spencer’s seat for Sherwood up for grabs but he says he ‘hopes he has done enough’ to be re-elected.
He said: “It’s for the people of Sherwood to decide who they want to represent them – I hope that I’ve done enough to secure enough support from people in Sherwood to have their support as MP but it’s their decision.
“I shall be voting with the Prime Minister in favour of the general election and I think that’s the right decision for the country.
“Hopefully we can return her to Prime Minister with a larger majority and a stronger mandate to go and deliver the best deal we can for the UK.”
Notts MPs have also taken to Twitter to react to the news.
Conservative MP for Broxtowe Anna Soubry has shown her support for Theresa May.
She Tweeted that calling the election will give May ‘the mandate and authority she needs especially for Brexit negotiations’.
Labour MP for Nottingham South Lilian Greenwood is relishing the announcement of the election.
She Tweeted that it is ‘a chance to kick out this lousy Tory government’ and that she will be ‘fighting for Nottingham South’.
