Who will win British general election?

"She looked across the despatch box and thought "I can not resist the temptation of taking on Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party - the most ineffective opposition in inter-planetary history".

May had opposed the idea of a snap poll since she came to office following the resignation of her Conservative Party predecessor David Cameron over Brexit.

Theresa May has been accused of "political opportunism" by the European Parliament's Brexit negotiator who denied the election would strengthen her hand in negotiations.

"We will not let the elite extract wealth from the pockets of ordinary working people any longer".

His comments are likely to irritate Mrs May, who has argued that an increased Commons majority would strengthen her hand in the Brexit talks, making it more hard for the opposition parties at home to obstruct her plans. "It shows they can't provide the strong and stable leadership Britain needs at this serious moment in our history".

Theresa May has made clear that she will not take part in television debates to defend her record as prime minister or decisions over Brexit.

He also added that a Labour government would not "play by their rules".

Macron favourite for presidency in run-off with Marine Le Pen
Opinion polls suggest Macron is firm favourite to win the second round but Marine Le Pen said: "We can win, we will win". This is at least the perspective of punters as reported by Oddschecker which has seen a jump in bets for a Le Pen win.

"We respect the result of the referendum, but there still has to be an economic relationship with Europe".

During his first campaign event for the general election on June 8, he said the upcoming poll was not a "foregone conclusion" and Labour could defy the "establishment experts", the BBC reported.

Mr Corbyn said: "It is these rules that have allowed a cosy cartel to rig the system in favour of a few powerful and wealthy individuals and corporations".

May also said that a commitment from the Conservatives to spend 0.7 percent of national income on foreign aid would remain, following speculation that it would be scrapped in the Conservatives manifesto for the new election.

It is the largest lead for the Conservatives and their highest rating in a YouGov poll since 2008, while UKIP's standing is the lowest in more than four years.

Meanwhile one of the Tories' most controversial characters, Douglas Carswell, who defected to the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) in 2014, announced he would not run again.