Your questions answered on the general election in June

MPs vote on whether to hold a snap election on Wednesday's - it's expected they will say yes

We get answers to your questions after Theresa May called a surprise general election, taking place in seven weeks.

The prime minister revealed her plan outside Downing Street on Tuesday morning.

She says the vote will deliver "certainty", "stability" and "strong leadership" as Britain exits the European Union.

No-one saw it coming but Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he welcomes the decision.

We put some of your questions to the BBC's Reality Check team.

Election 2017: What, why, when?

What is a snap election?

A snap election is an election called earlier than we thought - in this case, the next one was expected in May 2020. We haven't had a snap election for ages. The last time Britain went to the polls by surprise was back in 1974.

Could the new PM call off Brexit?

Claudio tweeted: Could the new Prime Minister call off Brexit?

Article 50 has already been triggered meaning the UK will leave the EU at the end of March 2019. There is no formal process for calling off Brexit, but it might be possible if the British government wanted it to happen. Both the Conservative and Labour Party say they want to carry out last year's vote to leave the EU, so calling off Brexit looks very unlikely.

How will this affect exchange rates?

Neil tweeted: how will this affect the pound/euro exchange rate? worth changing money sooner rather than later??

The pound has fallen substantially against the euro since last year's referendum result, but, at the news of the election, it climbed to a five-month high. It is very difficult to predict changes in the future.

Does this mean the next general election will be in 2022?

The prime minister won't be ditching the law ensuring an election takes place every five years, meaning it's likely the next general election will take place in May 2022. But as the past couple of years have shown, politics is very unpredictable at the moment.

Can somebody please confirm to me that this does not mean our next election will be done via snapchat?

What role will UKIP play in this election, especially after the EU referendum?

Unlike in 2015 UKIP are going into this campaign with no MPs, but this doesn't mean they are giving up. Their new leader Paul Nuttall says "this election will provide a perfect opportunity for the 52% to vote for UKIP, the only party wholeheartedly committed to a clean, quick and efficient Brexit".

What does this mean for a Scottish Independence referendum?

We don't know for sure. Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon wants another referendum before spring 2019, but Theresa May has said the Brexit negotiations mean "now is not the time". If parties win or lose seats north of the border, it might change the tone of the debate.

What does the election actually mean? What are we actually going to be voting for?

This election will decide the 650 MPs who will sit in the House of Commons and vote on laws about Brexit, the economy, health, education, and other important issues. The next prime minister will be the leader of the party that manages to win majority of the seats - 326.

Would a change in government change our relationship with the US and other countries?

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would change our foreign policy. He has criticised Theresa May for being too close to new US President Donald Trump. He is also very critical of the current government's policies towards Israel, Syria and Yemen.

See more from the BBC's Reality Check team here.