18/04/2017 South East Today

Welcome to Southeast is today. eight. And that is

Theresa May calls a snap general election -

what will it mean for some of the most fiercely fought

It is with strong conviction that I see it is necessary to secure the

strong and stable leadership of the country to see us through Brexit and

beyond. Will Labour the Lib Dems or you could be able to win back seats

from the Conservatives? Economic the country decide what we want so I

think it is a good move. It could potentially bring more instability.

reaction in Ramsgate, Hove and Westminster.

Also in tonight's programme: Her toddler died after drinking

methadone a Kent mother denies manslaughter by gross negligence.

And the Seagulls flying high, Brighton and Hove Albion

are promoted to the top division of English football for the first

It's the announcement that caught everyone unawares,

and it's already being dubbed the "Brexit Election".

Just two years after the last general election, we're

going to the polls again on June the 8th, after Theresa May

called a snap election, claiming divisions in Westminster

are jeopardising Britain's ability to make a success of Brexit.

It means 29 seats will be up for grabs across the South East.

Our Political Editor Helen Catt has been finding out

if voters and politicians in Kent and Sussex think the Prime Minister

From a Prime Minister not given to shocks, the biggest surprise

announcements. Division in Westminster will risk her ability to

make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and

instability to the country. So we need a general election and we need

one now. In Gravesham 65% of voters chose to leave the EU. So two people

in -- do people in Gravesend think she has made the right call? I think

she's calling that because she knows she is in a good position. In my

personal view I think she's in a good position. She probably does

care for the country but I don't know why she wants an election. For

me it is a total waste of money. Most people in the south-east will

welcome the chance to vote for a five-year term, a government of five

years that gives us the stability to get the EP in Deal laid out in

everybody's interests and lay the ground for a stronger fairer Britain

of the future. Calling a snap election is not without risk for

Theresa May she is giving other parties the chance to make a dent on

the blue map of the county 's three years early and by framing it as a

Brexit collection she could be making life more difficult for

Conservative MPs in remain voting places like Tunbridge Wells. Or

remain voting marginal Lois and the local MP is a strong Brexit backer.

If the people don't support this Prime Minister maybe they don't

really want to get out of the EU, that would be right. Brexit is

happening, it will probably just strengthen the hand. It will make

the country decide what they want so I think it is a related move. It

could potentially bring more instability, I think it would have

been better if Theresa May had not been -- had been able to see through

the process. I am very pleased that Theresa May has called this general

election, the Green party have asked her to do this ever since she has

pursued this extreme form of Brexit for which he has no mandate to the

Green party will put forward a positive alternative to this extreme

type of Brexit but also to the extreme cuts that we're seeing from

this government. Some political experts believe there is no better

time for Theresa May to go to the polls here. The further she goes on

in government and will likely see is to see her majority shrink, she had

a small working majority at the moment and it is likely that her

approval in the opinion polls will go down over time so things will not

get better for her and this is a good time to call a general

election. A calculated risk, then, we will see that pays off in the

south-east and seven weeks' time. This was the political map

of the South East after the last General Election on the seventh May

2015 - a sea of Conservative blue - with 27 of our 29

constituencies voting Tory, apart from one

Labour seat in Hove and Brighton Pavilion remaining

Green. Then on the 23rd of June last

year we went to the polls again to vote in the Brexit Referendum -

with the South East voting