After debating the motion put forward by May in the Parliament, 522 of the 650 sitting MPs voted in favour of the June 8 election, passing the threshold of two-thirds needed to approve the plan.
She said the early ballot would strengthen Britain's negotiating hand with the 27-member EU.
But it also provides a new opportunity for Britain's anti-Brexit voices to be heard, potentially reopening the bitter disagreements that polarised Britons over their nation's future during the referendum campaign. Voters narrowly decided last June to leave the European Union.
"It's the right decision, it's in the national interest, and that's what this election is about". Yet depending on how well May's side does, it could affect her demands in the negotiations.
"A prime minister who can not be trusted". Other leaders indicated they will take part - she didn't!
While her government succeeded in getting its Brexit-authorising legislation un-amended through Parliament, the government's real battle is yet to begin, with reams of legislation needed domestically to bring about the Brexit process smoothly.
The financial markets bid up the pound on the news, apparently anticipating a Conservative sweep that would give May the mandate to override hard-liners in her own party who might resist concessions to the European Union in return for market access - the so-called soft Brexit.
Certainly, the Conservatives' election prospects look promising.
Following a meeting of the Labour National Executive, attended by Scottish party leader Kezia Dugdale, Mr Corbyn said the Nationalists had wrecked their progressive credentials by refusing to implement a 50p tax rate.
North Korea on "Maximum Alert"
The test was unsuccessful, with the device blowing up "almost immediately", according to US military officials. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi repeated China's line that the crisis could only be resolved by diplomacy.
Although the margins are sure to tighten, the Conservatives hold a double-digit lead over Labour, which, if it holds up, would translate into a working majority in Parliament of more than 100 seats, compared with only 17 seats now.
But the decision does carry political risks for May.
And he told MPs: "We welcome the opportunity of a general election because it gives the British people the chance to vote for a Labour government that will put the interests of the majority first".
Mrs May could also be ready to ditch promises made in David Cameron's 2015 general election manifesto, such as the commitment to spending 0.7% of national income on foreign aid.
"If we do not hold a general election now, their political game playing will continue", she told reporters at Downing Street.
Jeremy Corbyn accused the Conservatives of presiding over falling incomes, a struggling health service, cuts to school funding and rising child poverty, and asked: "If the Prime Minister is so proud of her record, why will she not debate it?"
Earlier, Mr Corbyn dismissed Mrs May's argument that she needs a fresh mandate to deliver Brexit, and said it was "extremely interesting" that she had chosen to call an election as the Crown Prosecution Service prepares to decide whether to press charges against a string of Tory MPs over allegations relating to 2015 general election expenses. She added: "Division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit, and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country".
Earlier, May said holding an election in June, rather than as scheduled in 2020, would "deliver a more secure future for our country" as it negotiates its departure from the EU.
The gap before talks begin in earnest in June gave her a "window of opportunity" to strengthen her hand by improving her slim 17-seat majority and pushing the next election date back to 2022, by which time the United Kingdom should have long ago left the EU.
Comments