and i think works for everyone. and i think sticking a stronger mandate from british people is a good way forward on that. it is not simply an attempt to stymie those in her own party who feel that perhaps a hard brexit is not the kind of thing that should be going on? actually there is a widespread agreement within the conservative party that we need to make brexit a success. even from my collea g u es make brexit a success. even from my colleagues who are passionately and strongly in favour of remaining in the eu. and i think bob brexit will just be one issue in the general election, one of the reasons why both leave and remain supporters should support theresa may as the future of the minister is because she is the only figure capable of making a success of the brexit process. she is head and shoulders above her rivals. the idea of a prime ministerjeremy corbyn just is not, he's not a credible candidate in comparison to theresa may. but she has a working majority, she

cannot push legislation through four brexit and you know from northern ireland how unstable this is going to be there. they have already had to be there. they have already had to the assembly elections in the past 12 months and now they will have to go through another poll.|j certainly understand people in northern ireland will feel a certain sense of exhaustion with the elections. but there the crucial issueis elections. but there the crucial issue is that the northern ireland political leaders keep talking to each other and keep trying to maintain the dialogue to get the devolved institutions back up and running. they serve northern ireland well since the good friday agreement. northern ireland leaders have got through tougher dispute than this. so i believe that a continuing that dialogue is going to be important. they have been through a lot but general elections are divisive, it hardens opinions on both sides. the unionists have any clear this will be a poll about the

union while sinn fein is saying this isa union while sinn fein is saying this is a referendum potentially on a united ireland. no doubt the general election will be as hard fought in northern ireland as anywhere else. the but the prime ministers clear northern ireland is a high priority for her, that is one of the reasons why she has put securing a soft border as a priority in brexit negotiations. i know looking ahead she will be doing everything she can to support northern ireland in its effo rts to support northern ireland in its efforts to get a devolved executive back up and running and of course get a successful outcome on the borderfrom brexit get a successful outcome on the border from brexit negotiations. many thanks. let's look at how the other parties have been reacting. liberal democrat leader tim farron says the election isa leader tim farron says the election is a chance for the public to avoid a hard brexit. the liberal democrats

have candidates across the country and we are prepared for an election we thought was going to happen in the autumn. we are here in cornwall, the autumn. we are here in cornwall, the place where our fight back really began almost immediately after the general election two years ago. from the springboard we had the chance to give the british people the chance to change the direction of our country, to be opposed to a ha rd of our country, to be opposed to a hard brexit and keep us in the single market and give the uk the strong opposition are desperately needs. the leader of ukip paul marshall described the decision to seek a snap election as the mother of all new trends and urged people to vote ukip. i do not think it is good for the country, it creates instability. strain she was saying nicola sturgeon cannot have a referendum on independence because it would create uncertainty. the general election creates more uncertainty than anything else. but ukip will fight it hard. she invoked article 50 but the negotiations have not even

begun. we know she's already backtracking on immigration. when people voted onjune 23 they backtracking on immigration. when people voted on june 23 they voted not just to control people voted on june 23 they voted notjust to control immigration but to cut it. they are now saying immigration figures will be the same for ten years. that is not for people voted for and i believe also she will renege on other things especially over fisheries. she's a lwa ys especially over fisheries. she's always been good at talking the talk but if you want the real thing go and vote ukip. in the city the announcement helped to push the pound was highest level against the dollar since last december. the biggest reaction was on the currency markets. when we heard an announcement was coming this morning sterling fell but when it was confirmed that the election was coming sterling recovered significantly and is at levels not seen “— significantly and is at levels not seen —— not seen significantly and is at levels not seen —— not seen since significantly and is at levels not seen —— not seen since back in october. many traders saying this is a game changer. but the ftse is down

more than 2% because many global markets have been closed over the easter weekend. there is a lot of patching up to do. global tensions over the weekend, the french presidential elections and also commodity prices down. that had pulled on the ftse before we even knew this announcement was coming. so when it came through and sterling rose that paul dunne the ftse again because many companies in the ftse global companies and bank their profits in dollars and euros. so when sterling rises it reduces the level of their profits and their value. but looking ahead traders are saying the election is coming on june the and they are pricing in a majority conservative win unless anything in the opinion polls suggest that will change. we janner expect to see much more reaction on the markets and will wait and see what happens when the election results through. john healey is the labour shadow housing minister. good

to see you. first, theresa may has made it clear she believes this is an election about brexit. is that what you think? brexit is going to happen and labour in government would see it through. but this election is about much more than brexit. this is an election in the end that is about which party has the plan for the uk after brexit, who is going to rescue the nhs. which party is best forfamilies who is going to rescue the nhs. which party is best for families and their living standards, who is going to improve schools for all children and build more affordable homes both to read and to buy. this is about what country we want the uk to be after brexit. that is what this election i think will be about. of course you'll want the election to be about all of those other issues and of course your own brief which housing. but labour want to focus on all that other stuff because your position on brexit is all over the shop? not the case. we are said from

day one from the referendum, we accept the result of the referendum. we will see this through. brexit will happen. the question is now the decisions that government makes, the deal is that the government is able to strike, on important things that matter to people, with have got a government at the moment that is blinkered by brexit and ignoring many of the issues that ordinary people faced that bother them that the most. the state of the nhs and social care, the huge funding crisis in school. the housing crisis which is growing. falling living standards and failure of the economy to see business and investment levels we need for the future. this is why this election may be about brexit for theresa may but it will be about much more than that and it's a chance for the country to ask what kind of britain we want after

brexit. the national executive committee is meeting tomorrow i understand. there is a suggestion that the labour leadership are going to force all mp5, labour mps, to face a trigger ballots. that will not happen. all sitting labour mps have been elected within the last couple of years by the public in their constituencies. there is a set procedure for circumstances like this and the last thing i think we will start to do is to meddle with their own internal processes when we have seven weeks to the general election and need to be carrying the arguments to the public and carrying the challenge to the conservatives. this is a government which has seen seven this is a government which has seen seve n years this is a government which has seen seven years of failure on the nhs, on housing, on rescuing the government finances. on living standards and theresa may has been at the heart of that failure in every cabinet meeting since 2010. and we will battle hard to make sure people have a real choice at the election. why are you convinced

there will not be a trigger ballots. i've served on the national executive committee and know what the rules are and how it works. we have an election triggered by the prime minister today. we have seven weeks to polling day. i doubt very much, i cannot see that happening. thank you. scotland's first minister and the scottish national party leader nicola sturgeon accused theresa may of putting the interests of the party ahead of those of the country. it is very clear that the prime ministers announcement today is all about the narrow interests of her own party and not the interests of the country. clearly she sees the opportunity given the total disarray in the ranks of the labour party to crush all opposition to her, to get rid of people that disagree with her and give herself a free hand to take

the country in the increasingly right—wing direction she wants to ta ke right—wing direction she wants to take it in. that would mean notjust the hardest possible brexit but more austerity and deeper cuts. now is the time for the scottish voice to be heard and poor people in scotland to stand up for the kind of country we wa nt to stand up for the kind of country we want scotland to be and that is the campaign that i will be fighting in the weeks ahead. for more on this story go to the website. you will get all the analysis there from all our editors and correspondence. all the very latest on the decision to call a snap election on june the on the decision to call a snap election onjune the 8th. a two thirds majority needed in parliament tomorrow and the labour party have already said they will back this move. so it is highly likely that the fixed—term parliaments act will be revoked tomorrow. and theresa may will get the election that she wa nts. now time for a look at all the

weather news. it is quiet on the weather front right now. a lot of sunshine around across the country. and we have a pretty chilly night on the way, clear skies are going to lead to a touch of frost across many areas of central and southern parts of the uk. so frost on the way tonight. last night we had the frost across northern parts of the uk and tonight it will be across northern england, particularly across central and southern areas. not quite so frosty across the far north because of cloud streaming in from the atlantic. temperatures in city centres closer to around six or 7 degrees. it is in the south where those temperatures could dip down to below freezing. so tomorrow starts off on below freezing. so tomorrow starts

offona below freezing. so tomorrow starts off on a sunny note across many areas of the south and centre of the uk. here the clouds breaking up from time to time and we will get some sunshine across wales. a little bit more clout in the north and some spots of rain around. a top temperature of 15 degrees in london, more like 11 or 12 in southern areas. then looking into thursday and friday, not much change. high—pressure close to the uk so a lot of dry weather and actually things looking like they will warm up things looking like they will warm upa bit things looking like they will warm up a bit across the south. any rain that comes our way will be mostly across northern areas. and here that little bit cooler. at the moment no real signs of any particularly warm weather heading way. just staying cool and calm. thank you for watching. —— heading our way. hello and welcome to this special edition of one hundred days. i'm christian fraser

in westminster, our headlines: hello and welcome to this special edition of one hundred days. i'm christian fraser in westminster, our headlines: hello and welcome to this special edition of one hundred days. i'm christian fraser in westminster, our headlines: theresa may takes the uk by surprise. the prime minister announces a snap election to be held onjune the 8th. 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. what does this mean for brexit? and will the snap election change anything? we'll get the view from europe. and scotland's first minister describes it as a huge political miscalculation — will this affect her independence bid? we'll be live in edinburgh. i'm jon sopel in washington. our other headlines: a legal battle is underway in arkansas, where authorities are trying to carry out