UK Prime Minister Theresa May called for an early election on June 8, seeking a personal mandate and parliamentary backing for talks on leaving the European Union.. The pound surged.
The Conservatives have a 21-point poll lead and May - who became prime minister without an election - is betting she can extend the slim parliamentary majority her predecessor won in 2015. May said the existing schedule for an election in 2020, just after the deadline for an exit deal with the European Union, posed a threat to a successful Brexit.
