Theresa May has insisted numerous times that she would not call for an early general election. One of the main reasons she cited for this is that the instability of an election could derail the complex Brexit process.

Yet, yesterday she [announced a plan](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-39630009) to call a snap general election, explaining that this would "remove the risk of uncertainty and instability".

As a complete outsider to UK politics, I am confused. Why the dramatic change of heart?