He said Labour respects the referendum result but will ensure EU-enforced workplace rights and environmental protections are not watered down after Britain leaves the bloc.
"We don't accept that it is natural for Britain to be governed by a ruling elite, the City and the tax-dodgers".
May continues to be the favored choice for prime minister, with 54 percent of people preferring her to Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, who is backed by 15 percent of voters. Britain formally triggered the Brexit process on March 29.
He vowed: "We will no longer allow those at the top to leech off of those who bust their guts on zero hours contracts or those forced to make sacrifices to pay their mortgage or their rent".
So far, Labour's stance has been to allow the government to go ahead with the European Union divorce - but only under certain conditions, such as retaining strong economic ties with the bloc.
"These rules have created a cosy cartel which rigs the system in favour of a few powerful and wealthy individuals and corporations".
However, Matt Zarb-Cousin, who recently stepped down as a Labour spokesman, said the leadership had both predicted and prepared for a snap election.
Chelsea Win The Premier League
The 1-0 win meant second-place Spurs could only look up at the west Londoners and winder about what might have been. The Blues had 14 shots on goal in the first half, including Cesc Fabregas' bending effort which went wide.
There is a strong case for a second referendum on EU membership as demanded by the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, that can be put as follows: if people had known that: (a) nearly all fellow Europeans already in Britain would continue to reside in the United Kingdom; (b) immigration would only be cut by 15%; and (c) there would be no extra £350 million a week for the NHS, would a majority have voted for Brexit?
Corbyn, who voted to leave the EU's predecessor in 1975 but supported "Remain" previous year, has been criticised for muddling the party's position on Brexit and failing to effectively challenge May's push for a clean break with the bloc.
But the near-unanimity of the decision to summon voters to the polls followed a rancorous debate that highlighted some of the thorniest issues Britain faces today: whether it is ready to leave the bloc's single market and customs union - a so-called hard Brexit; the stark and rising inequality among the country's regions; and the future of Scotland, where there are growing calls for a new referendum on independence. By comparison, ahead of the 2015 general election, which the Conservatives won, polls showed the two parties were roughly level.
Because she was not leading the Conservative Party at the time of the last general election, she has no personal mandate as leader.
A large majority for the Tories would strengthen the Government's hand in negotiating a good Brexit deal and provide "strong and stable leadership in the national interest", she said.
Theresa May easily cleared the hurdle needed under the Fixed Term Parliament Act to bring the poll forward from the scheduled date of 2020.
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