Theresa May secures overwhelming backing from MPs for snap General Election on June 8 2017

THERESA MAY has fired the starting gun on a snap general election to secure support for Brexit.

The PM promised that she will put her case for stability and a smooth Brexit front and centre of her election campaign - as she comfortably won a vote in the Commons to hold an early election.

MPs were in favour of a fresh vote by 522 - 13 - which will take place in just 50 days time.

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The PM made her pitch to voters this lunchtime as she put forward a motion to call an early vote in June.

Just 13 opposed her plea.

Parliament is set to be dissolved on May 3 at midnight - but No 10 are not yet clear on which day the House of Commons will stop sitting.

As she opened the debate this afternoon, she promised to give the people their say in whether she should continue to lead the country through Brexit and beyond.

Mrs May vowed to provide "strong and stable leadership in the national interest" in an attempt to put her in stark contrast to the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

She said: "We are determined to bring stability to the United Kingdom for the long term and that's what this election will be about - leadership and stability.

"The decision facing the country will be clear. I will be campaigning for strong and stable leadership in the national interest with me as Prime Minister and I will be asking for the public's support to continue to deliver my plan for a stronger Britain, to lead the country for the next five years and to give the certainty and stability that we need."

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Earlier during PMQs the PM had hit out at Mr Corbyn for being "not fit to lead".

She tore into the Labour leader, saying he would "weaken our defences and bankrupt our economy" if he got into power.

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Under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, the next election was scheduled for May 2020.

But the PM shocked Westminster yesterday by declaring that Britain needed a fresh vote now.

An overwhelming majority of MPs backed her call today - 522 voted in favour of her June election.

She told The Sun that she needed her own mandate to stop anti-Brexit MPs from derailing her plans.

She said they were "trying to stop us every step of the way" and were making it "harder for us negotiating with Europe" as we gear up to quit the EU.

The Prime Minister made the decision for a fresh vote while on a walking holiday in Wales over the Easter break, she said.

Standing outside Number 10 she revealed she thought another election was the “only way to guarantee certainty and security for years ahead”.

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Mr Corbyn told MPs he welcomed the call - as it would give voters a chance to reject the Tories.

He said: "The Prime Minister talks about a strong economy, but the truth is most people are worse off then they were when the Conservatives came to power seven years ago. The election gives the British people the chance to change direction."

MPs have already begun their fundraising campaigns - with a number of politicians asking for donations for the upcoming vote.