THERESA May has announced a snap general election on June 8.

The Prime Minister made the announcement in an unexpected statement outside 10 Downing Street at 11:15am following a meeting of the Cabinet.

Ms May said: "We need a general election, and we need one now"

The plans will be put before the House of Commons tomorrow.

Cumnock MP Corri Wilson was quick to make her feelings clear about the move. She said: “I am astounded by the gall of the Prime Minister. This is a blatant bid to grab complete control of power for the foreseeable future. She is putting the interests of her party ahead of the country, and trying to sweep away all opposition to her right-wing agenda of cuts, austerity, and a disastrous hard Brexit.

“She is clearly betting that the Tories can win a bigger majority in England, given the utter chaos the Labour Party are in at the moment.

“More than ever before, this will be an election about standing up for Scotland, in the face of a right-wing, austerity obsessed Tory government with no mandate in Scotland, but which now thinks it can do whatever it wants and get away with it.

“But it does give the people here in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock the opportunity to once again reject the Tories’ narrow, divisive agenda. I will always put the people of this constituency first, and between now and June 8th I will be working harder than ever to retain their trust.”

Two polls in the last 48 hours have put the Conservatives 21 points ahead of Labour. Ms May had repeatedly insisted she would not go early to the country despite some colleagues urging her to do so.