r m: its. quite as cold. for scotland and not quite as cold. take care. you are watching bbc news. in a surprise political u—turn, theresa may said she had recently and reluctantly come to the decision, to see the uk through brexit and beyond. at this moment of enormous national significant there should be unity here in westminster, but instead there is division. the country is coming together, but westminster is not. the general election would need parliamentary approval — mps will vote tomorrow. labour say they will back it. we are going out there to put the case. to put the case about how this country could be run, how it could be different, how we could have a much fairer society that works for all, for everyone in our community, that's the case i'm putting and i'm looking forward to doing it. scotland's first minister says the prime minister is trying to move the uk to the right and force through a hard brexit. the liberal democrat

leader, tim farron, said it was an opportunity for people to change the direction of their country and avoid a disastrous hard brexit. on the markets, the pound fell ahead of mrs may's statement, then rose during her speech. just a few hours ago the political temperature in london's sword. the prime minister has announced plans to call a snap general election on 8thjune. let's talk to diane abbott of the labour party. what was jeremy corbyn‘s reaction? he was very calm. we have long planned for the possibility of a snap election.

theresa may is doing a massive u—turn. we will fight her in her cut and run an election and we will win. the poll suggested to be in for the worst result in recent history. this will be the first time that the polls called a general election on board here and in america. we believe the general election will allow the general public to focus on theresa may's version of brexit which puts controlling immigration before every other thing, including gdp, jobs & ready, and focus on her values which dead in regard the values which dead in regard the values of the british public. why do you think she changed her mind? she has panicked. our whole brexit strategy is collapsing. most of the things she has promised will not happen. brexit strategy is collapsing sushi is cutting and

running. what does the labour party need to do? i have just come from the shadow cabinet this morning. what was the mood? it was calm. tom watson led the discussion talking about the need for unity. we have the people and the plans in place. it is the largest social democratic party in western europe. we want to unite to fight this election to win. theresa may says the country is united and westminster is not and thatis united and westminster is not and that is why she has done this. the country is not united. that is what we saw with the exit boat. theresa may wants to play on that list unity and we want to bring people together with the vision of brexit that protects jobs. how much is at stake

given the feverish speculation about jeremy corbyn‘s leadership of your party. if theresa may loses this election she will have to step down. at this point you will find that the party is united behind the leadership. the accident policies that we started to put out over the last few weeks, the party wants to unite and fight and win. then you woke up this morning, was this not the last thing you needed?” woke up this morning, was this not the last thing you needed? i can think of lots of other things in my life... i don't want to go into those! every time the shadow cabinet has come together we talked about the possibility of a snap election. neither is happening, we will fight and it. how many seats will you gain? and not in a position to speculate. people have looked at her

version of brexit and they don't like it and i think the richmond result, not the lib dems necessarily improving, but that will be replicated across the country. i'm sure this was the last thing on your mind,john! sure this was the last thing on your mind, john! what is the state of the parties at the moment? if you take double boast most recent poll done, they point to the conservatives on 4296, they point to the conservatives on 42%, labour on 27%, so a 15 point lead. some polls put even bigger than that. theresa may is calling this election against a backdrop where she is very, very much the favourite to win, and against the backdrop when no opposition party has gone into an election in such a wea k has gone into an election in such a weak position in the opinion polls. i don't think this is an entirely risk—free enterprise for her. what she has said to the country is that

i need a big majority in order to handle the brexit process. you might think she will get the majority, but the real answer is only maybe. both northern ireland and my scotland are effectively out of the game so far as creating a parliamentary majority. the snp will hang on to most of not all seats they have north of the border. you're left with having to create that majority in england and the mi with having to create that majority in england and the m! to start looking at the geography of labour's vote, it has a lot of safe labour seats and getting a large majority can be quite difficult. certainly, if the polls are exaggerating the leave a little bit or that lead comes down to say eight or nine points, that could still mean that

theresa may does not end up with anything like the kind of majority she might like. it took a seven point lead to get that majority of 12. it would take a very large lead to get that lead of 100 that theresa may might have in mind.“ to get that lead of 100 that theresa may might have in mind. if she is looking over her shoulder, it will be towards the liberal democrats, wanted? the liberal democrats would be happy with this election. they only have nine seats so it is difficult to lose any more, though it might happen. they have a clear vision on brexit, if you don't like theresa may's pigeon of brexit or don't like it at all, but for us. listening tojeremy corbyn today, he didn't want to talk about brexit and he wanted to talk about the unfairness of the conservative party, the he calls it. the labour party, the he calls it. the labour party in recent months seems to have struggled to reach a united position

on brexit and therefore perhaps if theresa may is successful in focusing the referendum on brexit and the leadership required to get a successful breadth of outcome for the uk, labour may be struggling. perhaps in the 1983 general election, they will be starting to look over the shoulders at the liberal democrats, but the liberal democrats have a long way to go before they become a substantial factor in the likely outcome of this election. how difficult could this election. how difficult could this election before ukip? that maybe one of the other things that tempted to reza may enter the selection. clearly see will be hoping that by her pitch she will persuade the 12% of people who say they would vote for ukip to switch to the conservatives. paul nuttall is untried and untested. ukip may well

be at risk of being squeezed. they certainly were in copeland and i think theresa may will be making her pitch very much for that section of the electorate as one of the ways she tries to build on the substantial majority she already has. you want planning a holiday in the next few weeks, were you? thankfully, it is the 2nd ofjuly, so thankfully, it is the 2nd ofjuly, so assuming somebody does manage to form a government after the 8th of junei form a government after the 8th of june i feel reasonably happy. hands up june i feel reasonably happy. hands up here, i didn't think she would go foran up here, i didn't think she would go for an early election. i believe the prime minister, maybe i was a bold to do so. 0h, john, back in the discussion for another time. thank you, john. out of the blue, they announced there would be a statement

from the prime minister, out of the blue, theresa may stunned westminster and the country with this. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet. where we agreed that the government should call a general election. to be held onjune the 8th. the next general election was not due until 2020, but theresa may said a poll was needed now. the reason she gave, to bring political stability to brexit. at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in westminster. but instead, there is division. the country is coming together, but westminster is not. in recent weeks, labour have threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the european union. the liberal democrats have said they want to grind the business of government to a standstill. the scottish national party say they will vote against the legislation that formerly repeals britain's never shipped the legislation that formerly repeals britain's membership

of the european union. and unelected members of the house of lords have without a fight as every step of the way. —— they have vowed to fight us. 0ur opponents believe that because the government's majority is so small, our resolve will weaken and they can force us to change course, they are wrong. the prime minister said she had only recently and reluctantly decided to call an election but said the political choice was now stark. it will be a choice between strong and stable leadership in the national interest, with me as your prime minister, or weak and unstable coalition government, led byjeremy corbyn, propped up by the liberal democrats who wants to reopen the divisions of the referendum, and nicola sturgeon and the snp. every vote for the conservatives will make it harder for opposition politicians who want to stop me getting thejob done. prime ministers now have to get the approval of pollard before they can call a snap election, two that mps will be needed. this morning jeremy corbyn said he was ready for the election fight.

i welcome the opportunity for us to put the case to the people of britain to stand up against this government and its failed economic agenda which has left our nhs in trouble and 70 people uncertain. we want to put the case out there for a society that cares for all, an economy that works for all and the brexit that works for all. the first minister of scotland said the prime minister was trying to force through a so—called hard brexit. the prime minister's announcement today is all about the narrow interests of her own party, not the interests of the country overall. she seized the opportunity given the disarray in the ranks of the labour party to crush her opposition, get rid of people who disagree with her and give herself a free hand to take the country in the increasingly right—wing direction she wants to take it into. the lib dems will fight against the government's

strategy for the exit. it is an opportunity for the people of this country to decide that they do not want a hard brexit, they want to keep us in the single market, and it is an opposition in this country that we desperately need. the ukip leader, paul nuttall, welcomed the general election but make no mistake, he said, this was a decision driven by the weakness of labour, not the good of the country. labour goes into this election very long way behind the tories in the opinion polls. labour mps in marginal seats are likely to be sweating at what could be seen as an audacious political ambush by theresa may. so she has rolled the dice, she is confident she will win but politics has never been more unpredictable and a lot can happen in a six—week campaign. joining me is kate mccann, the

senior political reporter for the daily telegraph. there are two aspects to this, one is the pollster says labour is about 20 points behind the government, which is significant. theresa may probably think she can win the election with these. if you listen carefully to what she said in the statement, it is all about brexit. the prime minister wants to have a clear run at getting a good deal energy fields in the house of commons she is being frustrated. this is a clear challenge tojeremy corbyn and tim farron to say, ok, if you want to oppose this, do it properly. jeremy corbyn will be feeling what?|j oppose this, do it properly. jeremy corbyn will be feeling what? i think i would be feeling worried now, if i was him. some predictions are saying that labour could lose many seats, which would be dire for the party. 0n the other hand, diane abbott has

been saying this morning thatjeremy corbyn was very calm when they heard the news and they welcome the opportunity to go to the polls because they think voters like labour policies. i would expect that labour policies. i would expect that labour would lose. the risk of a general election at this stage is perhaps that we run the whole brexit argument again. it will be a brexit election. theresa may up until this point has been clear that you doesn't want to reveal her hands. she doesn't want to talk about the specifics of the negotiations with the eu or policies or what could happen afterwards. that is exactly what will happen now. it will be difficult for her to avoid getting into a conversation, particularly when we get into manifestos about what will each party promise eu migrants in this country after the election. don't youjust migrants in this country after the election. don't you just say, back me, i will battle for britain, get what is best for the country. nobody at this stage can give a manifesto

promise because it is not in anybody‘s hands. promise because it is not in anybody's hands. i don't think you will be able to do that. a lot of questions remain open and those questions remain open and those questions will be put to the parties continuously, particularly if we have tv debates with the leaders go up have tv debates with the leaders go up against each other. theresa may has said this is about brexit, she said she will deliver brexit. if you vote forjeremy corbyn, they want to block brexit. she can fight an election on that basis and not explain what that means to the country. theresa may is said she made this decision recently and relu cta ntly. made this decision recently and reluctantly. why did you change your mind? it is a difficult one. ever since the referendum we have seen all kind of things that we could not have predicted. theresa may like things to be predictable and easy to

manage. she likes to hold the cards close to her chest but it is difficult to do that when you're under media scrutiny for weeks on end. it is a difficult decision for her but with a 20 point lead in most polls it would either be now or never. she would either have to do it now or wait until 2020. so come and exciting six weeks ahead. yes, very exciting. 0ur assistant political editor, norman smith, is at downing street. you had no clue this was coming this morning. no. all of us are the scent by the fact that theresa may has been so public previously about saying she would not hold a snap election but that is exactly what she is going to do. it also tells us that tight control that theresa may's team has over what happens.

there was no hint, no raised eyebrow over the weekend to suggest that theresa may was going down this road. 0ne theresa may was going down this road. one thing we have learnt about theresa may stjude became prime minister is that the theresa may of all, the careful, calculating, cortisone secretary, has evolved into the much bolder prime minister willing to take big risks. we have seen that again and again. almost from the day she stepped into number ten she took out the whole of team cameron. they were unceremoniously booted out of cabinet. then she brings back grammar schools, something that david cameron said he would never do again. that is big flagship policy. then she does at 306 or degree over brexit to become at passionate brexiteer. now, calling a snap general election. she

isa calling a snap general election. she is a totally different politician i would suggest as prime minister than she was as home secretary. undoubtedly, she has been buoyed by the opinion polls, but the fact she has total dominance of her party, an opposition which is terribly weakened and is really struggling. i think she takes the view that yes, she can pull this off. i think she is very confident. went to the battle buses hit the road? just now i have seen a whole load of senior cabinet ministers arriving all—star borisjohnson cabinet ministers arriving all—star boris johnson arrived, amber cabinet ministers arriving all—star borisjohnson arrived, amber rudd, michael fallon all arriving. that is probably the first election strategy meeting. they are already working out how they fight this general election. i can tell you, the issue is going to be brexit. it is hard to see any other issues, and there are

lots of other important issues like nhs, social care, the state of the economy, they are all important, but it is hard to see any of them breaking through the issue of brexit, partly because theresa may is pitching the election as that, but it is also the big generational question of times. it is colossal. it intrudes into every area of politics. it is going to be the brexit election and that is the big gamble. will the remainers decide they haven't got anywhere to go? jeremy corbyn has not put up much of a fight against brexit. the liberal democrats aren't in a position to do much about it. therefore, that remain electorate doesn't have anywhere to go. 0r, remain electorate doesn't have anywhere to go. or, in the course of the election, might they consistently vote for non—conservative candidates. does

that mean theresa may could face much more of a fight than the polls suggest? norman, thank you very much. it wasjust suggest? norman, thank you very much. it was just after nine o'clock this morning that downing street said there there would be an announcement at 11:15 a. m.. said there there would be an announcement at 11:15 a.m.. then, laura kuenssberg tweeted that she had heard from a source that there would be a snap general election. theresa may decided to come out five minutes before she was scheduled to do so to make her historic announcement. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet where we have agreed the government should call a general election to be held on the 8th ofjune. i want to explain the reasons for that decision. what will happen next, and the choice facing the british people, when you come to vote in this election. last summer, after the country voted to leave the european union, britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership since i became prime minister

the government has delivered precisely that. despite predictions in the immediate despite predictions of immediate financial and economic danger, since the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain high. record numbers of jobs. economic growth that has exceeded all expectations. we have also delivered on the mandate that we were handed by the referendum result. britain is leaving the european union and there can be no turning back. as as we look to the future, the government has the right plan for negotiating our new relationship with europe. we want a deep and special partnership between a strong and successful european union and a united kingdom that is free to chart its own way in the world. that means we will regain control of our own money, our own laws,

and our own borders. we will be free to strike trade deals with old friends and new partners all around the world. this is the right approach and it is in the national interest. but the other political parties oppose it. at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in westminster. but instead there is division. the country is coming together but westminster is not. in recent weeks, labour has threatened to vote have threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the european union. the liberal democrats have said they want to grind the business of government to a standstill. the scottish national party said it will vote against the legislation that formally repealed

britain's membership of the european union. and unelected members of the house of lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way. because the government's majority is so because the government's majority is so small that. because the government's majority is so small that opponents believe our resolve will weaken and they can force us to change course. they are wrong. they underestimate our determination to get the job done. i am not prepared to let them endanger the security of millions of working people across the country. what they are doing jeopardises the work we must do to prepare for brexit at home. and it weakens the government's negotiating position in europe. if we do not hold a general election now, their political gameplaying will continue. and the negotiations with the european union will reach their most difficult stage in the run—up to the next scheduled election.

division in westminster will risk our ability to make a success of brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country. we need a general election and we need one now. we have, at this moment, a one—off chance to get this done while the european union agrees its negotiating position and before the detailed talks begin. i have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion. since i became prime minister, i have said there should be no election until 2020. 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 the 8th ofjune. that motion, as set out

by the fixed—term parliaments act, by the fixed—term parliament act, will require a two—thirds majority by the house of commons. i have a simple challenge to the opposition parties. you have criticised the government's decision for brexit, you have challenged our objectives, threatened to block the legislation we put before parliament. this is your moment to show you mean it, show you are not opposing the government for the sake of it, to show that you do not treat politics as a game. let us tomorrow vote for an election. let us put forward our plans for brexit and our alternative plans for government and then let the people decide. and the decision facing the country will be all about leadership. it will be a choice between strong and stable leadership in the national interest with me as your prime minister, or weak and unstable

coalition government led byjeremy corbyn, propped up by the liberal democrats, who want to reopen the divisions of the referendum, and nicola sturgeon and the snp. every vote for the conservatives will make it harder for opposition politicians who want to stop me from getting the job done. every vote for the conservatives will make me stronger when i negotiate for britain with the prime ministers, presidents and chancellors of the european union. every vote for the conservatives will mean that we can stick to our plan for a stronger britain and take the right long—term decisions for a secure future. it was with reluctance that i decided the country needs this election. but it is with strong conviction that i say it is necessary to secure the strong and stable leadership the country needs to see us through brexit and beyond. so, tomorrow, let the house of commons vote for an election.

let everybody put forward their proposals for brexit and their programmes for government and let us remove the risk of uncertainty and instability and continue to give the country the strong and stable leadership it demands. so, a six—week election campaign gets under way after that but tomorrow. let's go to chris page in belfast. simon, this election comes in the midst of northern ireland's worst political crisis in a decade. this will be the fourth time the parties here have been going to the polls in a little over two years. the flavour of the election campaign here will be brexit and the border.

in northern ireland 56% voted to remain. i think they're given northern ireland is at the sharp end of breads because this is the only pa rt of breads because this is the only part of the uk with the land border to do eu state, brexit will be top of the agenda here when it comes to canvassing. the parties here have said that it is another opportunity for the people here to make at case for the people here to make at case for a special dealfor for the people here to make at case for a special deal for northern ireland in the brexit negotiations. after the stormont assembly elections which took place in march, sinn fein are the second—biggest party in northern ireland, just one seatin party in northern ireland, just one seat in stormont behind the democratic unionist party. that coupled with the ongoing debate about brexit has meant there is more talk than ever about the possibility of the united arab and one day. very few people, if any people expect

there to be a referendum on irish unity any time soon. the constitutional question here is back asa constitutional question here is back as a topic of discussion, so i think you can expect this election campaign to be focused on unionism versus nationalism. you have already had the dup leader, arlene foster, saying that this election will be a chance for the people here to vote for the union. michelle 0'neill, the leader of sinn fein in northern ireland, saying that this is the opportunity for people here to vote against brexit. jerry kelly has said that irish unity is closer than ever before. that gives you an idea of some of the issues on the agenda. as regards the bigger picture here, the nation still going on to restore power—sharing that stormont. there has been no power—sharing government here for almost three months. now with another divisive election campaign coming up, i don't think any appetite for, rather —— compromise will be improved with this new general election. be improved as a result of the general election happening now in

just over seven weeks' time. general election happening now interesting you use the word appetite, the people of northern ireland could be getting heartily sick and tired of a political system that as far as they are concerned at the moment is not working. as i say, four elections in two years, if you include the referendum, people in northern ireland will have gone to the polls six times in just over three years, and yet, still have political deadlock, still have no devolved government here, and no sign ofa devolved government here, and no sign of a deal at all between the parties to try to bring stormont back. northern ireland secretary james broken sire pressed the pause button. —— james brokenshire james broken sire pressed the pause button. ——james brokenshire eye. he says there must be a deal by early may, otherwise he will have no option but to oppose direct rule, devolution suspended, westminster taking over the running of northern ireland, new legislation, passed before the devolution of government. the other option, the only option in law, is to call yet another election

to the stormont assembly, so it is just about possible that as well as going to the polls for a westminster election on the 8th ofjune, the people in northern ireland could be voting yet again for another stormont assembly. wales, wales correspondent in cardiff for us, already being billed the "brexit" election. yes, that's right, the world's first minister, ca rwyn right, the world's first minister, carwyn jones, labour, right, the world's first minister, carwynjones, labour, has criticised the prime minister's decision, saying it is odd, strange that a general election is called while campaigning is already underway ahead of a set of council elections across wales in a little over two weeks' time. he thinks the focus should be on "brexit" and the economy, not on another election, does not think this general election is in the national interest, but has already said this could turn out to be another eu referendum. plaid

cymru leader leanne wood, she says her party is ready for this opportunity, ready to show what plaid cymru and over the people of wales, and the leader of the welsh conservatives, andrew martin davis, as you can expect, welcomes the decision by the prime minister. what does this mean for the electoral map, labour holds 25 of the a0 welsh parliamentary seats, it will be hoping to hold onto as of those as possible, but labour does have defaulted sees, as it does across parliament. there are many that are not impressed withjeremy corbyn. the liberal democrats will be looking to capitalise upon that. —— andrew rt davies. both parties trying to characterise themselves as the party of remain, trying to woo the party of remain, trying to woo the voters who voted remain, but remember that wales as a whole voted for brexit. the conservatives won 11

seats last time, gaining three, test performance in wales in a general election in more than 30 years, they will be looking to progress again, but it is difficult to see where they may gain any additional seats. we may get some clues following the council elections, seeing where parties have picked up seats, and certainly, those council elections have now taken on much greater political significance. markets initially, the pound took a nosedive, but then bounced back on the announcement today, let's go to the announcement today, let's go to the business correspondent, rachel is in the newsroom. stirling took a tumble this morning when investors heard there was to be an announcement, they did not know what the announcement was going to be, once confirmed that there was a general election called forjune eight, sterling recovered and has risen, at a ten week high, the ftse is down, down more than 2%. the ftse

was already down before all of this news happen. we have the long weekend, lots of markets closed, playing catch up, lots of geopolitical tension over the weekend that they were beginning to digest, trench presidential elections kicking off on the 23rd, now this added into the mix. because sterling rose, that rings the ftse down as well, lots of the companies in the ftse bank profits in dollars or euros because they are global companies, any rise in the strength of sterling brings down the value. that has been pulling the ftse down ever so slightly. traders are saying that apart from the initial knee jerk reaction, reaction is fairly muted, they don't expect to see a big reaction until the results come through, unless polls start to show that the conservatives will not win a majority. many are thinking, commenting on it is not a bad time to go foran commenting on it is not a bad time to go for an election, looking at the economic figures, looks to be in

fairly robust financial health but inflation is climbing, wage growth is slowing, retail spending peaking, and consumer debt is also at a record high, so before the figures start to slip, it could be a good time to go to an election. the result of the election, the market is pricing it a conservatives win, what that could mean for "brexit" negotiations seem to differ, some say a strong conservative wing could lead to a stronger mandate for theresa may and allow her to serve up theresa may and allow her to serve upa theresa may and allow her to serve up a softer "brexit" because she is not having to play some of the more hardline anti—eu not having to play some of the more ha rdline anti—eu backbenchers. softer "brexit" is something businesses could prefer. 0thers argue that a stronger mandate will allow her to serve up by harder "brexit", that encapsulates the uncertainty that the markets face over what the outcome of this could be. they are not expecting another major reaction on the market until we get the results injune. kristian frazier looks at a breakdown of recent polling data to

see how it could have informed the prime minister's decision and whether it holds any clues to the outcome of the snap general election. very difficult election for the liberal democrats, they were wiped out in the south—west of the country, they returned with just eight seats. compare that, then, to the referendum in 2016, you can see the referendum in 2016, you can see the map looks broadly the same, conservative areas voting broadly in favour of brexit, north wales, the north west, the north—east, labour heartland, going for "brexit", that will be the challenge forjeremy corbyn on the doorstep, the leadership is in favour of "brexit" but not all mps, and they are deeply divided over the terms of "brexit" that they want. let's look then at

the by—elections for some clues. this one is a bright spot for liberal democrats, they overturned a whopping 23,000 majority that zac goldsmith was holding, still an independent, that was taken from him, richmond park, very pro—remain area. this is a very big "brexit" area, stoke—on—trent central, labour hold, they can hold areas, they saw offa hold, they can hold areas, they saw off a very strong challenge from the ukip leader paul nuttall. the dark spot for them, of course, copeland, this was the first time a sitting government had won a by—election since 198a, labour had represented that seat for over 80 years. a big pro "brexit" area, 62% went for "brexit". there are some things that all the parties are going to have to bearin all the parties are going to have to bear in mind and look at the brexit map for clues but there are other things they will have to think about, voterfatigue, things they will have to think about, voter fatigue, three things they will have to think about, voterfatigue, three uk wide elections in three years, elections

in scotland, northern ireland and wales. three in northern ireland in little over a year. and then you will have to think about how the population splits down, there are differing views among different age groups, young people, you can see, in blue, went for remain. 0lder people went for leave. how will people went for leave. how will people like this vote in a new general election, we don't know, but there might be some clues in that for all of the parties. with me now, the conservative mp peter bone and labourmp the conservative mp peter bone and labour mp lucy powell. six weeks... first of all, are you surprised by the announcement? yes, and no, i have been calling for a general election because theresa may does not have a mandate, she should have a mandate, people should decide whether they want a central right government orjeremy corbyn and a left—wing government, people should have the choice. today, i thought

the announcement may have come later on in the year. this will be a vote about "brexit" and how "brexit" is carried out. and about who governs the country but a large part of what has happened is "brexit", in part it will be about brexit but what is the direction? unusual, clear choice, i likejeremy corbyn, i like the fact his left—wing views are very well asbo is, is that what the british people want? do they want theresa may? that is what this election will be about. is that a fight you are ready for? we are in the business of fighting elections. that is what we are here for, that is what politics is all they are the ultimate test for any political party and leader, we look forward to it with relish. do you feel like? we are shocked like everybody else, but we have been on election footing for some time, many of us fighting local elections, mayoral elections, we will roll this into that as well. there is a real choice for the

country, and we will set that choice out as the labour party in the weeks coming forward. some suggesting theresa may looked at the polls and thought, does not get any better than this. polls are tough but the real poll that matters is the general election, this is the ultimate test for us. that is what we are in politics for, we are in politics to win elections, to win power, to put values into practice, and we have got to seize any opportunity we get to do that and we must do that. peter, is the risk for theresa may that there are people out there that do not necessarily like the approach towards brexit and this could backfire. seven week campaign, if based on opinion polls, well, they have been wrong on president trump, the last general election and the referendum. this is about who leads the country, what sort of government you want, as lucy has said, we have been knocking

on doors for about four aches, now, another seven weeks. it is a great thing that the people will have this decision. we will get a prime minister who will be endorsed by the british people, that might be theresa may, i hope it is, it might bejeremy corbyn. theresa may, i hope it is, it might be jeremy corbyn. why do you think she changed her mind, last month she was saying she felt she had the mandate. finely balanced, the real issue is, she did not have a mandate, and there is a fixed stamp... there might not be a general election, if parliament does not approve it, it is not in the power of the prime minister to approve it, it is up to parliament, labourmps, approve it, it is up to parliament, labour mps, deciding it is right for the people to decide, if they don't agree with that, there will not be a general election. many saying that this is a vote of confidence in your leader. a vote of confidence in any political party, it is the ultimate test that we were saying. many issues at stake here, we are seeing

school funding being cut for the first time in a generation, theresa may wants to bring back the very divisive policy of grammar schools, she did not have a parliamentary majority for that. people don't want to see these policies going forward? well, then they need to vote labour and not vote conservative, we have that choice ahead of us. given that we are heading into the summer, is this something that you relish as politicians, a snap election?” this something that you relish as politicians, a snap election? i like knocking on doors and speaking to people. finding out what really matters. i do think it will be great for democracy and we will get a government that has a mandate, to carry out whatever policies it wa nts. carry out whatever policies it wants. i think it is good. carry out whatever policies it wants. ithink it is good. it carry out whatever policies it wants. i think it is good. it comes in different ways, your first thought, they have got to rearrange things. my two sons have got their birthdays at the end of may, i'm thinking if i can still organise that, one of my colleagues, emma reynolds, had a baby on friday, now

she has a general election with a baby only a few days old. you have those personal thoughts, after that, we are in the business of fighting for and trying to win general elections and wind power, and any opportunity that comes along we must sees. thank you. let's see what business links of this. in the central london newsroom. is this something that business want? we keep hearing this. will this lead to some kind of certainty? after we have collectively picked ourjaws from the floor, this was a surprise to everyone. if the prime minister is calling election for the purpose of not only time off the uncertainty about the mandate she has for negotiating a free trade agreement and trying to bring some unity together behind what she is campaigning for, then that is certainly to be welcomed, but we

don't necessarily want the election to be just about "brexit". don't necessarily want the election to bejust about "brexit". from don't necessarily want the election to be just about "brexit". from the king at the speech by the pm, that seems to be where focus is lying. 0ne business and europe like the fa ct 0ne business and europe like the fact they are talking to someone who they know has the backing of the british people, whoever wins? that strengthens the hand, going into negotiations, and make sure the europeans know that this is a united effort, so to speak, that is certainly true. in terms of... in terms of the outcome and what happens next, obviously, those negotiations will be crucial in the next 18 months. i think it will be very interesting to see to what extent the conservatives election ma nifesto extent the conservatives election manifesto talks anymore than the white paper speech that we have had from the prime minister, laying out further details of her plan going forward. i think a lot will rest on whether she sheds further light, whether she sheds further light, whether this is just reconfirming what she set out in lancaster house

speech. where is this rate in terms of the rest of europe, you have the focus on france, elections in germany, how important is an election in britain when it has already voted to leave the european union? never before has the direction and fate of the eu being so dependent on so many different national elections, in terms of importance, it ranks up there, to quote the prime minister herself, this is about giving her a stronger mandate going forward, one of the potential good things to come out of this is that there is a lot of uncertainty about how the timing of the election would square with the fa ct we the election would square with the fact we were withdrawn from the eu in 2019, would there be enough support for an interim bridging transitional arrangement, may be having some of the election at this point means there is flexibility that can be struck. good of you to join us. gauging the mood after the shock announcement, we are in

birmingham. we are in one of ten constituencies here in birmingham, ladywood, and it isa here in birmingham, ladywood, and it is a heavily labour constituency, it has voted labour since 1970, in the last general election, more than 70% of voters voted for that party. we have been speaking to people about what they think. we have gauged a range of views, if you like, the graphic here, incredibly diverse, in terms of ethnic make—up, a large asian and black population here, many people told us that this election will give them the chance to vote for somebody that actually is againstjeremy corbyn in the sense that it will give them the opportunity to voice their criticism, if you like. heavily labour constituency, and therefore, the people here feel at this point in time, they will be able to vote for somebody else who gives them the

opportunity to be critical of the labour leader. that is not what every body said, some people said the opposite, that it gave them the opportunity to endorse jeremy corbyn, many people feel he is doing a good job and this gives them the chance to say he should be the man in downing street. 0ne chance to say he should be the man in downing street. one year ago, labour gave jeremy corbyn in downing street. one year ago, labour gavejeremy corbyn a huge mandate, which he often talks about. is there such a thing as a fatigue, you have at that, you had the referendum. —— such thing as voter fatigue. when you talk about gauging a general election coming soon. how do you gauge the mood? that is coming through in spades, many people here have not even heard that theresa may has said this morning that she will be calling another general election, when i told them that, they were surprised, many said, not again, we havejust had

the referendum. that might play into the referendum. that might play into the election, some people may not wa nt to the election, some people may not want to vote, some may feel disengaged with the process, we have had quite a few people say to us we have had enough, they are all the same, we hear those words very often when elections come around. from looking at their faces, facial expression, body language, you can see the element of being exhausted with the process, if you like, and in six weeks, we will see if that plays a factor in the turnout. in scotland, we are in edinburgh. a general election before any chance ofa general election before any chance of a second referendum. is there a sense that theresa may has stolen some thunder? she has certainly taken everyone some thunder? she has certainly ta ken everyone by some thunder? she has certainly taken everyone by surprise. the snp have focused in on the fact that she said she was not planning to call a snap general election, look here, changing her mind on that, she says,

now, now is not the time for a second independence referendum and they are saying, really? should we believe you. touched on voter fatigue, there has been five, five significant votes here in scotland in less than three years. scottish referendum, general election, scottish election, the votes to leave the european union, where a majority here in scotland wanted to stay, and now, this second general election, that short period of time now on the horizon again. i think it is fairto now on the horizon again. i think it is fair to say that in scotland there will be a few people who will bea there will be a few people who will be a little bit wary of the politics going on, but not the politicians, they are saying they relish the opportunity to rehearse the arguments and fight their corner. yes, it will be about europe, a little bit, but inevitably, it will be about independence as well.

nicola sturgeon has been speaking this morning, she called this a huge political miss calculation. this is a big issue, it is clear that the prime and is one that is all about the narrow interests of her own party, not the interests of the country overall. clearly she sees the opportunity, given the disability in the ranks of the labour party, to crush all opposition to heart, get rid of people that disagree. —— crush all opposition to her. and take the country in the right wing direction she wants to take it in. that will mean notjust she wants to take it in. that will mean not just the she wants to take it in. that will mean notjust the hardest possible "brexit" but more austerity and deeper cuts. now is the time for scotland's voice to be heard and for people in scotland to stand up for the kind of country we want scotland to be in. given calls for another independence referendum and your resista nce independence referendum and your resistance to the approach to brexit, are you partly responsible for this early vote? i make no apology, no one would expect me to,

for standing apology, no one would expect me to, forstanding up apology, no one would expect me to, for standing up for how people voted in the eu referendum, against "brexit", but particularly against a ha rd "brexit", but particularly against a hard brexit. when you listen to the statement by theresa may, it is that democratic opposition which is healthy in any democracy, she sees the opportunity to crush it. that would not be, i think, the opportunity to crush it. that would not be, ithink, a the opportunity to crush it. that would not be, i think, a good way forward , would not be, i think, a good way forward, it would not be in scotland's interests. the question of what kind of country we want to be is going to be at stake in this election campaign, whether we want that to be a country, the future of which is steered and directed by a tory party moving ever further to the right or whether we want the people of scotland to be in charge. this is an opportunity to make scotland's voice heard and make sure we have people from scotland that will be fighting for scotland's corner. “— will be fighting for scotland's corner. —— make sure we have mps in scotland. some of the ways in which the snp will be framing their argument going forward, in the last

general election, the astounding success , general election, the astounding success, winning 56 out of 59 of the constituency seats here in scotland. that is a success they were hoping to repeat this time around. the other parties here also sending defined, labour saying they will start the process of selecting candidates this afternoon, and the scottish conservatives say that they are organised and optimistic of increasing their number of seats. tim farron says that his party will campaign on behalf of those that wa nt to campaign on behalf of those that want to remain in the european union and avoid what he called a disastrous hard brexit. it is an opportunity for the people of this country to change the direction of this country, to decide they do not wa nt this country, to decide they do not want a hard brexit, they want to keep britain in the single market and indeed, an opportunity for us to have a decent, strong opposition in this country that we desperately

need. you only get those things with the liberal democrats, only through the liberal democrats, only through the liberal democrats is there any pathway for the conservatives losing the majority. is it the right time for the liberal democrats? we have been calling for an early general election since theresa may became prime minister without a general election last summer, it is an opportunity for the country more importantly to say, this is the direction we want the country to go m, direction we want the country to go in, not the extreme direction that theresa may is taking us. the time for the tory party, the prime minister thinks, will it be a good time for you, with remainers being unhappy? across the country, people will want to express their view that britain, in north out of the european union, we want to remain in the single market, theresa may has no mandate to take is out of the single market and for a hard brexit, it is also the opportunity for the british people to have a decent strong opposition, something labour do not have stopped what are you organised and ready? we have candidates selected across the country and are prepared for an

election we thought was going to happen in the autumn, liberal democrats are always prepared, knew we are in cornwall, the place where the fightback began almost immediately after the general election two years ago. from this springboard, we have the opportunity to give the british people the chance to be opposed to a hard brexit, keep us in the single market and give britain the decent strong opposition that it desperately needs. cornwall, you were wiped out in the last election. i can't affect the result of the last election, i can jolly well affect the result of the next one, the team is here today to do that. we will have more from westminster, more on the snap election coming up, but first, a weather update. chilly old—style, frost will be continuing over the next few days, look at the early morning lows, —6

in scotland, temperatures just below freezing generally across the nation, with some spring sunshine, temperatures can recover and they are doing as we seek. by day, looking at temperatures around 12, 13 degrees. lots of blue skies and sunshine. that unfortunately means as we go through the overnight, we are likely to see the temperatures dropping away. but in a different style yesterday, more cloud across england and wales. today we have cloud. that is where we are likely to see temperatures falling away. it is pleasant enough, at 6pm, there will be plenty of wall—to—wall sunshine. further north and west, cloud building, even by 6pm, some showery bits and pieces, pushing into the western isles, steadily

drifting east, masking the sunshine across eastern scotland. 0vernight, blanket of cloud, moving through scotla nd blanket of cloud, moving through scotland and northern ireland, keeping clear skies, temperatures will fall away quite sharply, particularly in central and eastern england. likely to see lows down to _4’ england. likely to see lows down to -a, that england. likely to see lows down to —a, that will be pretty cold indeed for young spring blossom out there. not great news. there will be sunshine first thing in the morning, having over a little. the odd split and spot of rain. writing up into the north and east of scotland, if that happens, then we will see temperatures higher than recent days. —— spit and spot. generally 12 to 15 degrees. almost a repeat performance for the remainder of the week, clear skies, performance for the remainder of the week, clearskies, chilly, but some sunshine, week whether france into the north—west producing some nuisance rain. we will not see

significant rain as the front drifts out through the north sea, high pressure still in charge of the story at the moment. that basically means things may get a bit warmer towards the end of the week in the south—east, highs of 17 degrees not out of the question. still good dry weather. i will be back in half an hour. you are watching bbc news. i'm simon mccoy live at westminster as the prime minister calls a snap general election. in a surprise political u—turn, theresa may said she had recently and reluctantly come to the decision, to see the uk through brexit and beyond. at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in westminster, but instead there is division. the country is coming together, but westminster is not. the general election would need parliamentary approval — mps will vote tomorrow. labour say they will back it.

we are going out there to put the case. to put the case about how this country could be run, how it could be different, how we could have a much fairer society that works for all, for everyone in our community. that's the case i'm putting and i'm looking forward to doing it.