IT IS safe to say Theresa May caught just about everybody - including many of her own MPs - by surprise with her sudden announcement that there is to be a snap general election.

She had repeatedly ruled out such an option, but said she came to the decision reluctantly after seeing other political parties ‘playing games’ with the process of preparing for Brexit negotiations.

“I trust the British people,” she said. “The British people gave the Government a job to do in terms of coming out of the European Union and I’m going to be asking the British people to put their trust in me in ensuring we deliver a success of that.”

York Central’s Labour MP Rachael Maskell has called the decision ‘reckless’, saying the Government should be concentrating on the Brexit negotiations, not campaigning. Even York Outer Conservative Julian Sturdy admitted it was a ‘big surprise’ - but said the Prime Minister was obviously looking for a clear mandate so the Brexit negotiations would not get hijacked by political game-playing.

Whatever your views on the rights or wrongs of calling an election, it will give voters the chance to have their say on the kind of Brexit we want. The referendum was a straight ‘yes/no’ vote. There was no room for consideration of the kind of relationship we want to establish with Europe in the future.

Mrs May’s snap election will at least give us the chance to express our views on that. We just hope the level of debate is better than the petty bickering which characterised the referendum - and that a general election doesn’t lead to even greater divisions within this already bitterly divided nation.