MPs are expected to back the Prime Minister's call for a snap general election in June.

Theresa May's motion, which will be tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday, is set to meet the two-thirds majority required under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have welcomed the move for a June 8 vote and the SNP have said they will not attempt to block it.

It follows the Prime Minister's shock announcement in front of Downing Street on Tuesday, where she said division in Westminster risked "our ability to make a success of Brexit."

She said an election was necessary before detailed negotiations with EU leaders begin.

The Prime Minister said: "I have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion.

"Since I became Prime Minister I have said that there should be no election until 2020 but now I have concluded that the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election and seek your support for the decisions I must take.

"And so tomorrow I will move a motion in the House of Commons calling for a general election to be held on June 8."

She said later she had come to the decision while on a walking holiday in Wales, with the Queen being informed on Easter Monday and Cabinet backing the move on Tuesday morning.

Nicola Sturgeon urged voters to "stand up for Scotland" as the country heads for the election.

In a statement released after the announcement, the First Minister said: "She is clearly betting that the Tories can win a bigger majority in England given the utter disarray in the Labour Party.

"That makes it all the more important that Scotland is protected from a Tory Party which now sees the chance of grabbing control of government for many years to come and moving the UK further to the right - forcing through a hard Brexit and imposing deeper cuts in the process.

"That means that this will be - more than ever before - 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."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "I welcome the Prime Minister's decision to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first.

"Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS.

"In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country. We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain."

The formal two-year process of the UK's withdrawal from the EU is due to conclude in March 2019.