The Watford MP said he "thinks" Theresa May has made the right decision to call for a snap election, but admits she had "no choice".

Conservative MP Richard Harrington has also ensured his constituents that he will stand for re-election following the shock announcement earlier today.

At 11.15am, the prime minister announced that she will call for a snap general election on June 8, despite months of repeatedly ruling out the possibility.

Mr Harrington said: “The Prime Minister is calling for a general election and Parliament will be voting on that tomorrow. Of course, I found out at the same time as everyone else, but I think the Prime Minister has made the right decision here.

“With the triggering of Article 50 round the corner, we need stability and unity, and this decision ensures that."

When asked why he believed the PM had made a U-turn on her decision to call a general election, he said: 

“It’s clear that the Prime Minister thought long and hard about this, and it wasn’t an easy decision.

“In the end, she had no choice. Labour have threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the EU, and the Liberal Democrats don’t want it to go ahead at all.

“If we don’t hold a general election now, the political game playing will only continue. The Prime Minister can only have a strong negotiating hand with a strong election result behind her.

“This is a unique opportunity to get this done, otherwise we risk having a General Election when the negotiation process gets to its most critical stage.”