At 11.10am this morning, Prime Minister Theresa May called an early General Election, scheduled to take place on 8 June.

The statement took place outside her official residence,10 Downing Street, immediately after a meeting of her Cabinet.

xView full post on X

The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, confirmed the news on Twitter earlier today, adding that such an impromptu statement from a prime minister is 'only normally used for most serious moments'.

Following May's statement, Brits took to Twitter to share their reaction to the unexpected news:

Christopher Hope, assistant editor and chief political correspondent for The Telegraph tweeted the statement would most likely announce a general election, which he earlier presumed would take place on 20 May.

As a a result of the news, the media went into a frenzy as to what else the statement outside Number 10 could mean for the United Kingdom.

The last time May spoke to the country outside the iconic Number 10 door was following her succession of David Cameron as PM, while Cameron used the setting to confirm his resignation.

Theresa May | ELLE UKpinterest
Getty Images

Let the voting commence.

Headshot of Katie O'Malley
Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.