MPs back June election with 509 vote majority

The Fixed-Term Parliament act required a two-thirds majority in the House of Commons, meaning 434 votes with the SNP abstaining.  Wednesday's margin of 509 by far exceeded that target. The election is scheduled to go ahead on 8 June - in just 50 days' time. The vote came after May called for a snap election on Tuesday afternoon, claiming Britain needed political stability ahead of the Brexit negotiations.  Sterling surged to a six-month high on Tuesday following the Prime Minister's speech, while the FTSE 100 suffered its worst daily fall since the Brexit vote. Industry players ...