you're watching bbc news. i'm christian fraser live at westminster, as the prime minister calls for a snap general election. i in a surprising u—turn, theresa may says divisions i j in parliament were putting at risk the country's ability to make a success of 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. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, says he welcomes the announcement, as a chance to fight for social justice. we are going out there 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. for some, the election is a political opportunity. for others, it's political opportunism. it's very clear the prime minister's announcement today is one

all about the narrow interests of her own party not the interests of the country overall. she was saying that nicola sturgeon can't have a referendum on independence before 2020 because it would create uncertainty. and how are voters feeling about a second general election in two years? not another one? oh, for god's sake. i can't stand this. there's too much politics going on at the moment. why does she need to do it? good evening, welcome to

westminster. the prime minister has announced plans to call a snap general election on june 8. theresa may said britain needs certainty, stability and strong leadership following the eu referendum. explaining the decision, mrs may said she has reluctantly come to the conclusion that a vote is necessary, adding: "the country is coming together but westminster is not." she will need parliamentary approval to formally call the election — a vote on that will be held tomorrow. in the last hour, the prime minister has called president trump, the german chancellor, angela merkel, and the european council president, donald tusk. jean—claude juncker and also the taoiseach, enda kenny. in the first of tonight's reports, our political editor, laura kuenssberg, on this year's general election. did she surprise them? did she surprise you? did theresa may even surprise herself? her biggest decision

as prime minister, taken only days ago. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet where we agreed that the government should call a general election to be held on the 8th ofjune. that was not her plan. but she says to get brexit done, she needs more support around here. 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 formally repeals 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. our opponents believe because the government's majority is so small, that our resolve will weaken and they can force

us to change course. they are wrong. so tomorrow there will be a vote in parliament that will all but certainly get the process going. if you are in any doubt about how the tories will frame your choice... 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. every vote for the conservatives will make me stronger when i negotiate for britain with the prime ministers, chancellors and presidents of the european union. every vote for the conservatives will mean we can stick to our plan for a stronger britain and take the right long—term decisions for a more secure future. most of her ministers

had been in the dark. only in the last few days did she decide. theresa may only moved in here 279 days ago. and she has said consistently that there should be no early general election. quite simply, she has changed her mind. what happens next for theresa may will be up to you. when did you know there was going to be an election? great opportunities ahead. when did you know, secretary of state? reluctant to tell us when you knew? when did she change her mind? when did the prime minister change her mind? good morning. lovely day. when did you know there was going to be an election? when i heard it this morning. labour will support tomorrow's thought to push the button, —— tomorrow's vote to push the button. even though the weakness ofjeremy corbyn is one of the reasons why an early election is on. yet his supporters hope that his ideas will cut through. 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 with problems, our schools underfunded and so many people uncertain.

we want to put our case out there for the people of britain, for a society that cares for all, an economy that works for all and a brexit that works for all. more than ever, perhaps, this election won'tjust be about what happened here but the whole country's constitution. the tories will not promise another vote on independence in scotland but nicola sturgeon will. this is the biggest u—turn in recent political history. it is very clear that the prime minister's announcement today is one all about the narrow interests the narrow interests of her own party and not the interests of the country overall. on the road already, as planned, for the local elections. the lib dems see opportunity to come back from rock bottom. it is an opportunity for the people of this country to change the direction of this country, to decide that they do not want a hard brexit, they want to keep britain in the single market

and indeed it is an opportunity for us to have a decent, strong opposition in this country that we desperately need. and don't the tories start this election having gone back on their promise not to hold one? many people in this country will think, theresa may told me she would not do this and now she is. how can i trust her? why should i? when the facts change, you change your mind. she was reluctant to make this decision but she was brought to the decision by the fact that presenting herself with a mandate that allows us to get the best outcome for brexit and for britain is a policy, that is the thing that is in the national interest. that looks like this election is entirely about brexit, that theresa may is so worried about how hard it will be, she feels she needs a thumping majority of tory backbenchers to get it through. of course we want a strong mandate, but the aim is to do two things, one is to provide a strong mandate for brexit and the other is to provide a strong mandate for the future. the country will be asked

for its view again, less than a year since the referendum, when everything around you changed. i think she has been changing her mind over a little while. i think her instinct was not to do it for strong reasons, and she did not want the public to think it was political. i think this sense of the nature of parliament has changed quite a lot in the last month or two. this is the ultimate test for us because that is what we are in politics for. we are in politics to win elections, to win power, to put our values into practice, and we've got to seize any opportunity that we get to do that. how many more times are you going to change your mind, prime minister? win well and theresa may escapes some political problems, but the hurly—burly of any campaign claims casualties, too. just ask anyone who has ever lived at this address. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. well, as you heard there, both labour and the liberal democrats have welcomed the decision to call an early election. they now have just seven weeks to make their pitch to the nation that they can be the ruling party

or at the very least, prevent a bigger tory majority. our deputy political editor, john pienaar, now on the challenge for some of the opposition parties ahead of the general election. westminster‘s shutting up shop soon, again. and they're off, again. the sound bites, the slogans, all desperate for your attention. why now? the tories start strongly. labour and its leader trailed badly. while jeremy corbyn supporters are working hard to beat the odds. to point up the issues on policies, they hope may somehow prove the polls wrong. the british public vote on leadership when it comes to general elections vote on leadership and jeremy corbyn is a mile behind, as of now. i think the more people focus on our as of now. i think the more people focus on oui’ programme as of now. i think the more people focus on our programme and our leadership, the more tawdry what theresa may's offering will seem. theresa may's offering will seem. the british public don't want a prime minister hand in glove with

donald trump. the british public did not vote to be poorer in the referendum on the eu. the more people focus on the issues and the people, the better it will be for us. what about jeremy corbyn? us. what aboutjeremy corbyn? is he going to be any kind of asset to you in yourcampaign, big going to be any kind of asset to you in your campaign, big on your election material? no, i'm the candidate in chester. it will be my picture on the leaflets. not jeremy corbyn? and my name on the ballot paper. i will be talking about my record and the things i achieve. paper. i will be talking about my record and the things i achievem jeremy corbyn an asset or liability, ina jeremy corbyn an asset or liability, in a word? erm...... jeremy corbyn an asset or liability, inaword? erm...... ah... he a tt ra cts inaword? erm...... ah... he attracts some people's favourable attention. good times for the lib dems seem a long time ago. in the last election, big hitters, cabinet ministers tumbled one after another. now they're the most pro—europe party in politics. survivors of that famous rout believe they can turn scepticism about brexit into support for them. they have a lot of recovering to do. if you look at the

british political spectrum there say large centre ground, which certainly jeremy corbyn as a backbencher has never occupied and which theresa may by pursuing the hard brexit doesn't also seem to want to occupy either thatis also seem to want to occupy either that is there for the taking for the liberal democrats. you're hoping this just liberal democrats. you're hoping thisjust might liberal democrats. you're hoping this just might be the beginning liberal democrats. you're hoping thisjust might be the beginning of the beginning of a come back? let's put it no more highly than that, i'd be very happy with the beginning of a beginning of a come back. tories sound account. some in former lib dem strong holds expect a tough fight and hope the lib dems aren't ready for the road back to westminster. i don't think the liberal democrats have restored their infrastructure from their dramatic losses over 2015. you know you're going to have a fight on your hands. we're of course going to have a fight on our hands. we're always going to fight to win as well. nigel farage... going to fight to win as well. nigel farage. .. since going to fight to win as well. nigel farage... since nigel going to fight to win as well. nigel farage. .. since nigel farage left going to fight to win as well. nigel farage... since nigel farage left to seek his own political fortunes, backing donald trump, not leading ukip after the eu referendum, the pa rty‘s lost ukip after the eu referendum, the party's lost ground, lost the odd election they might have won. the

referendum's gone, so is nigel farage, you're a party without a purpose. 0h, farage, you're a party without a purpose. oh, come on. i don't buy that at all. you know, theresa may may well have triggered article 50, the negotiations haven't started yet. if people want the brexit that they voted for on june yet. if people want the brexit that they voted for onjune 23, they'll only get that, i believe, if you get ukip mps elected to the house of commons. that's why we go into this brexit election buoyant. the greens too are sticking to their mission. you are looking optimistic. we are the party opposing extreme brexit, and provicing important environmental protections. the prime minister's chosen a time of maximum advantage as she sees it to call this election. just as prime ministers always have and quite possibly always will. now all parties will have to scramble to choose candidates to raise millions in donations and in a rush to put together the policy manifestos that will decide britain's future for the ne. xt five years. 51 days then to change or rehouse the tenants of

this place. excitement and drama for some, for others, maybe fed up with another election so soon, time may pass more slowly. it will be a brexit election, but britain's future remains to be decided. i'm nowjoined by the co—leader of the green party, caroline lucas. she voted to remain in the eu referendum — as did the majority of her constituents in brighton pavilion. thank you for being with us. it's very cold, but good practice for going onto the doorstep. were you surprised when you heard today?|j was surprised when you heard today?” was surprised. we've had a prime minister saying every time she's been asked this question that there's no chance of a snap general election. so i'm afraid it's another example of how you can't trust this tory party. they are saying they will campaign on leadership. what will campaign on leadership. what will the green party campaign on? our distinctive position here is that we are the party against both the extreme brexit that the government is pushing us towards, one that she has no mandate for, as

well as against the extreme social policies this government is pursuing. we're a country fifth or sixth richest in the world, yet at the same time, having five million children facing poverty over a million food parcels given out in this country. that is a scandal. for those who want to vote against an extreme brexit and extreme social policies, the way to do that is to vote for a positive vote for the green party. a lot of people are saying this is being dubbed the brexit election. are you worried that things that matter most to you and the people would vote for your party will be overshadowed by the brexit argument? there is a risk, for example around climate change, the environment, these are huge issues. people do care about them. sol issues. people do care about them. so i think the challenge is to make sure that of course, this is rightly an opportunity for people to have their say about what kind of future they want for this country when it comes to our relationship with the eu. it's crucial that we get the chance to say that a more prosperous country is one that invests in green energy, energy efficiency, in those kinds of technologies which are jobs rich and good for the country and

the environment. you told me while we we re the environment. you told me while we were watching john's report, that you were in your constituency today in brighton when you heard. with the smaller parties, there's an issue about funding and organising the troops, it's an enormous thing for you to do as a small party in just six weeks. it is a big ask. of course, in this country we don't have state funding for political parties, we don't have a fairer voting system as well, which is another issue. at the last election, over a million people voted green. that could have given us over 20 mps alongside me here. it's harderfor smaller parties. we have been organising on the basis that it might happen. we're certainly up for the fight. we're going to be taking a really strong, positive mess anning to the doorsteps. we that i —— message to the doorsteps. we think we offer that combination that no—one else offers, of opposition to the dream brexit and opposition to —— extreme brexit and opposition to extreme social policies. will you be campaigning strategically? there was word around the richmond park

election that you stood aside for the lib dems to take on zac goldsmith, the independent candidate there. is that the sort of tactics you might employ around the country? that's nothing to do with the green party being a smaller party. that's with trying to stop what could be a one—party state if theresa may has her way. i hope there will be discussions between opposition parties to see how we can best avoid a right—wing coup. parties to see how we can best avoid a right-wing coup. you would actually stand aside to let say the liberal democrats have a free run at it. i say we have discussions i hope about those kinds of issues. right now what we're talking about is the positive offer that the greens are making. people in the country will wa nt making. people in the country will want us to have those discussions, if it means we can avoid a one—party rule from this government. certainly my in—box is full of people writing to me saying they hope those kinds of discussions with other parties will happen. very good to talk to you. thanks for being with us. let's hear from the nation now. miss

sturgeon believes she can use this election to reinforce her mandate foran election to reinforce her mandate for an independence referendum. you'll remember theresa may has said that there can't be another referendum until well after the uk has left the eu. it's not going to be brexit that dominates this campaign in scotland. here, the arguments are all going to be about independence and whether there should be another vote.” independence and whether there should be another vote. i suspect there are many others who feel the la st there are many others who feel the last thing northern ireland needs is negotiate ranother last thing northern ireland needs is negotiate r another vote. there last thing northern ireland needs is negotiate ranother vote. there have been already two assembly elections in the past few months. the collapse of stormont is a crisis to be fixed. the parties have missed two deadlines to form a government. those talks were meant to continue in the days ahead. but calling this vote probably leaves them with virtually no chance of success and probably already adds to that sense of political instability here.

that's because election campaigns here tend to be divisive. they tend to push the parties apart. some commentators called the last nakedly sectarian. this one is unr unlikely to be very different. unionists are already calling this an opportunity to vote for the union. republicans are emphasising the potential negative impact of brexit and calling for a referendum on a united ireland. meanwhile, with the uk parliament now looking like it's going to be dissolved very soon, there is still that very real problem that there is no government at stormont. westminster has two choices, one of which is to take over the running of northern ireland. the other is yet another assembly election which would go alongside this general election. it's worth saying a number of political leaders in wales have given their impression that they wa nt to given their impression that they want to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into this general election campaign. the leanne wood the leader of plaid cymru said it was game on as soon as of plaid cymru said it was game on as soon as she heard. the obvious exception is welsh labour. the

leader carwynjones exception is welsh labour. the leader carwyn jones who exception is welsh labour. the leader carwynjones who said he questioned whether it's in the national interest, questioned the timing, even questioned what impact it would have on the peace process in northern ireland. the obvious owe mission here is the potential vulnerability in wales for the labour party on a number of parliamentary seats. labour is the dominant force, but two years ago, the conservatives were effective. wales voted to leave, the calculation from the tories will be that there will be many people in wales who will want to give theresa may a mandate to take the uk out of the eu. elsewhere, the lib dems and ukip will both feel there are opportunities. so no shortage of enthusiasm from any political leaders. the question is whether that's shared among the wider welsh public. there have been fewer votes and referendums than in scotland and northern ireland. but wales has had

more than its fair share of votes in recent yea rs. chris matheson joins us now. some labourmps, in your chris matheson joins us now. some labour mps, in your neck of the woods, in north wales and in the north west and north east as well, who might have a problem, because they voted remain and their constituents didn't. if theresa may wa nts to constituents didn't. if theresa may wants to make this an election about brexit, we'll talk about consumer rights, protecting rights at work, protecting the environment. i don't wa nt protecting the environment. i don't want my chicken washed with chlorine. we'll have lower standards, that might happen if we went into a free trade agreement with the united states. let's talk about a people's brexit and one that affects ordinary people. at the moment, she's giving no consideration to that at all. it will be disastrous. that's why she has called the early general election. we saw jeremy corbyn earlier in birmingham. he was trying to turn the debate to the nhs, to housing, to education, which are

important matters for everyone. but you must a little bit worried as i said to caroline lucas, that brexit will overshadow those things. brexit for the tories is about to get brown and sticky and they know it. they wa nt and sticky and they know it. they want the problems into the long grass. if they want an election about brexit, we will have that. we will stand up for rights at work. and stand up for protection for the environment. you're right, this is a much bigger issues in the general election than simply brexit. in my constituency, every single school is having to cut teachers and raise class sizes because of the tories education cuts. they want to close down the hospital. they want to close the barracks in chester and end a thousand years of military history. there are many more issues out there. social care is collapsing. we know that. the tories haven't got any answers to that. we'll be asking them the questions. there are some who say this will be a referendum on your leader, jeremy corbyn. how will you tackle that on the doorstep? what we know about

jeremy is that he's honest and decent. people respond to that well. what we found out today about theresa may is that she's dishonest. time and again she said no early general election and today she changes her mind and proves that she's being dishonest. people will not like that. she's saying there are circumstances behind that and she's pointing to the opposition benches, where they're making it very difficult on this brexit negotiation. she has an overall majority in the house of commons. if she's got problems, those are problems in the conservative benches. it was only a few years ago, that the conservatives got into bed with the liberal democrats and introduced the fixed term parliament act so they could cement their place in the coalition. first chance they get, they'rejunking in the coalition. first chance they get, they‘ re junking that in the coalition. first chance they get, they're junking that for short—term gain. theresa may this morning talked about the fact it was all about the country. it's not. it's about the conservatives political interest. the people in this country will not respond well. i was pointing to two of the most recent by—elections, stoke central eric bright spot for —— central, a

bright spot for labour, copeland not so bright spot for labour, copeland not so good. you'd held that for over 80 yea rs, so good. you'd held that for over 80 years, a brexit area. does that not worry backbench mps? copeland was a bad result. let's not gloss over that. a terrible result for us. people are thinking about that, but we're ina people are thinking about that, but we're in a general election and people will have a proper choice, a choice about what kind of brexit they'll want, a choice about whether they'll want, a choice about whether they want a government that is basically an elected dictatorship going for the hardest brexit possible or if they have mps like me prepared to fight for what we believe in in terms of all the benefits europe gives us. they'll have a choice about whether they wa nt have a choice about whether they want the nhs to collapse, a choice about education cuts, choice about decent public services. we will make thoseissues decent public services. we will make those issues on the doorstep. did you have any plans for the next six weeks? i was campaigning all over easter, because that's what i do. i speak to my constituents all the time. i'll be doing the same as i a lwa ys time. i'll be doing the same as i always do. best of luck. this is bbc

news. more than 44 million people are likely to be eligible to vote in this election. some constituencies where the vote was close in the 2015 election will attract particular attention, one of those is dewsbury in west yorkshire, a seat which labour gained from the conservatives at the last election. our correspondent danny savage has been to see it. lunchtime today at the west riding refreshment rooms in dewsbury. currently a labour seat, it's the customers here that theresa may hopes will swing her way. but this man, for one, isn't for turning. i'm still going to be supportive of what the labour leadership is seeking to achieve, and certainly extremely negative about what theresa may has been doing. so you'll be voting labour still? nothing's changed since the last general election for you? no. this snap election was the talk of the tap room. the upton family are surprised, but can see where the lines are going to be drawn. the key issue has to be brexit and i think if there was a party that was campaigning to either stop

the process or to come out of brexit, i think that certainly would be the party that i would vote for. i think it's a very brave and bold decision that she's made to go for a general election. do you think it'll work for her or it could backfire? i think here, possibly not such a big gamble, but across the country, i think it is more of a gamble. it's the first general election since i've turned 18, and a lot of my friends are really excited to vote, but i've got no idea which way i'm going to vote so i'm going to have to do some research. so the campaigning that the parties are going to do over the next six weeks is vital to you? yeah, it will be. dewsbury is home to a large asian community, but the voters we spoke to haven't changed their preference since the last election. i will vote again for labour. why? because labour do better for the working class. the conservatives didn't do anything for the working class, they make it more hard. labour, i would vote for labour again.

so your mind hasn't been changed over the last two years? no, i've been voting for a long time now and i've always stuck to labour. yeah. but in a nearby cafe, one businessman agreed with the reasoning behind today's surprise announcement. i think it's a good thing for theresa may, generally, and i do think hopefully it's needed to have a clearer mandate in order to go forward with brexit. back at the bar at the railway station, george fits the profile the prime minister is looking for. he voted labour last time, but is supporting the tories this time. i think they'll negotiate the best deal from the eu for our country's best interests. so everyone has a new talking point. the final decision for many of them, though, is still pending. danny savage, bbc news, dewsbury. the conservative mp and former culture secretary, john whittingdale

hasjoined us. he voted to culture secretary, john whittingdale has joined us. he voted to leave the eu as did the majority of his constituents. we were talking about what happens tomorrow. let's face it, it's never been done before. what happens tomorrow. let's face it, it's never been done beforem hasn't been done since we passed this act in the last parliament, the fixed term parliaments act, which was supposed to suggest we shouldn't have elections outside the five—year interval. i was never persuaded that was a particularly good idea. circumstances change and the prime minister should always have that right. but it makes it a bit more complicated. we have to have this two thirds majority tomorrow and members of procedure where we need to establish that nobody else can form a government. i'm pretty confident that the parliament will support it. you say there's an odd process , support it. you say there's an odd process, everybody on your side of the benches has full confidence in the benches has full confidence in the government but you have to vote for no confidence. that seems to be the case, but it's not been done before. the prime minister should have the right to call an election. that's what she's done. whatever the hurdles we have to get across to

require that will be done tomorrow. talk to me about the technicalities. the conservative party will have to draw awe the manifesto in the next few weeks and presumably, i was saying to michael gove earlier, that ma nifesto saying to michael gove earlier, that manifesto will be her blueprint for brexit. who does that? who is it within the conservative machine will pull that together? traditionally it's done by the prime minister and her policy team. she has a policy unit. she has a head of that unit, which is george freeman. i'm sure she will call upon ministers to contribute to it. that can be done reasonably swiftly. already she has made a number of speeches setting out the kind of britain which she wa nts to out the kind of britain which she wants to see. so, brexit, which undoubtedly will be the biggest issue in the election, we have a white paper, so her vision is pretty clear i think. do you get to pitch into that? you're a leading campaigner for brexit, do you into that? you're a leading campaignerfor brexit, do you get into that? you're a leading campaigner for brexit, do you get to feed into that? we have obviously been contributing to the formation

of policy for some considerable time. the writing of the manifesto is going to have to be done pretty quickly. the reason i ask, though, obviously there are differences on the backbenches. there are some who don't want compromise with europe on certain issues. they will watch what is put into the manifesto closely. the next two, three weeks within the conservative party will be something to watch. well, particularly in the area of brexit, i don't expect the ma nifesto to area of brexit, i don't expect the manifesto to look vastly different from the government's white paper. the government has set out a pretty clear view of the kind of relationship that they want to achieve with the european union in the future. i'm sure that the ma nifesto the future. i'm sure that the manifesto will reflect that. it will say, and she will be able to say at the dispatch box, here is the ma nifesto the dispatch box, here is the manifesto which says we are pulling out of the single market, we will have control of our borders, there's nothing can you do because she has the mandate of the general election. i think that's why it's right to have the election at this time. the british people voted to leave the european union, of course, at the time, we hadn't set out the vision of the kind of relationship we wanted. we have now done that. i

think the prime minister wants to go into the negotiation with other european countries saying i have a clear mandate for this new relationship which i have set out in the white paper and the manifesto. another conservative mp said to me earlier, the prime minister's got a very good pokerface. no—one earlier, the prime minister's got a very good poker face. no—one saw this coming at all. nobody did. absolutely. so does that throw your plans up in the air? it means all of us plans up in the air? it means all of us have to slightly rethink the next seven weeks. politics is all about uncertainty. you know, the events of last year have been a succession of unpredictable events. certainly today was unpredictable as well. that's what makes politics fascinating. i'm looking forward to the campaign. that's what it's all b, thank you very much. it has just passed 8:30, let's remind ourselves of theresa may's announcement seeking a general election. 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. and since i became prime minister, the government has delivered precisely that. despite predictions of immediate financial and economic danger, since the referendum, we have seen consumer confidence remain high. 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.

and 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. and 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 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 should of the european union. unelected members of the house of lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, welcomed the announcement and explained how his party was aiming to win the election. we are challenging the economic narrative, which says that there has to be huge cuts in public expenditure in order to pay for the banking crisis of 2008. we are saying instead, invest in the economy, invest in the future. we are a party that will put

forward a case that will bring about a much fairer, much more decent country than we are getting at the present time, where we have massive inequalities between the very rich minority and, sadly, too many people living in desperate poverty at the other end of the scale. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, accused theresa may of putting the interests of her party ahead of those of the country. but it is very clear that the prime minister's announcement today is all about the narrow interests of her own party, not the interests of the country overall. clearly, she seized the opportunity, given the total disarray in the ranks of the labour party, to crush all opposition, to get rid of people that disagree with her, and give herself a free hand to ta ke her, and give herself a free hand to take the country in the increasingly right—wing direction that she wants to ta ke right—wing direction that she wants to take it in. and that would mean not just the to take it in. and that would mean notjust the hardest possible brexit but more austerity andy burke cuts, so now

but more austerity andy burke cuts, so now is the time for scotland's voice to be heard and for people in scotla nd voice to be heard and for people in scotland to stand up for the kind of country we want scotland to be, and thatis country we want scotland to be, and that is the campaign i look forward to leading in the weeks ahead. let's ta ke to leading in the weeks ahead. let's take a look at the timetable of events leading up to the general election. this is on the 25th working day before polling day. and then on thursday the 8th ofjune, the country will go to the polls, and we shall do it all over again. joining me is the lib dem mp norman lamb, who voted to remain in the eu, but

his constituency, north norfolk, voted to leave. how does that put you with your constituents? we have been winning by—elections and council campaigns over the last few months in north norfolk. the campaignfor months in north norfolk. the campaign for the county council elections feels very good to me. and i think, elections feels very good to me. and ithink, in elections feels very good to me. and i think, in a way, people have had their vote, they voted in the way they wanted to vote, and now things have moved on in the minds, and i accept the results of the referendum. i think it is important, you know, to be clear about that. it is now about the deal we strike, and thatis is now about the deal we strike, and that is where, i think, there will be an enormous debates to be had at this general election, because for us this general election, because for us the importance of the single market, for the economy, which means forjobs and our market, for the economy, which means for jobs and our ability market, for the economy, which means forjobs and our ability to fund public services, is absolutely crucial, and at the moment we seem to be marching headlong away from that, which i think is absolutely against the country's interest. you

are against the country's interest. you a re clearly against the country's interest. you are clearly going to campaign principally on brexit, and that will play particularly well in the south—west, where you lost a number of seats, but how will it play north of, say, watford, because most of that area is in the brexit camp? well, the interesting thing is if you look at council by—election results over the last few months, we are gaining seats all over the place, in brexit areas, and in a may areas. it doesn't seem to make any difference at all. my area voted overall to leave, and yet we are winning by—elections. so as i say, i think people have had their vote, they wanted to be respected, they now want the serious job done of negotiating a good deal, and i think it is inevitable, what the outcome of this election will be. the conservatives will be returned, no—onein conservatives will be returned, no—one in this country... conservatives will be returned, no-one in this country... you think they will get a big majority?” think it could be considerable, because no—one in their right mind

believes thatjeremy corbyn will be prime minster, even labour mps do not believe that. and yet it is crucially important that there is an effective opposition voice in parliament. single parties date but come arrogant and complacent, we will not get a good deal unless the government is held to account through this process. that has to be ourjob, to make the case for an effective opposition voice. caroline lucas of the green party had something interesting to say, that she is happy to sit down and talk with the liberal democrats about campaigning strategically, and it did happen in richmond park, where reports were that the green party there stood aside or looked to stand aside for the lib dems. you think that will go on in this election? aside for the lib dems. you think that will go on in this election7m has not traditionally happened in british elections. no, and there cannot be any deal between, for instance, us and the labour party,

because we ourselves think that jeremy corbyn would be a disaster for this country. and ultimately, you have got to respect the british people to make their decision and not for us to carve things up for them. no, ithink not for us to carve things up for them. no, i think an individual seats, people will be finding the best way to cast their vote, and in my constituency, you know, labour mps tend to support... labour voters tend to support me in order to help the win against the conservatives, thatis the win against the conservatives, that is what happens, they vote tactically, and there will be a lot of that going on, but not formal deals, i think it would be wrong to do so. norman lamb, thank you very much for talking to us. ukip, of course, will be looking to expand on the 3.8 million votes they got in 2015, they performed very strongly then, the third biggest party in the uk in terms of vote share. joining me now is the ukip

mep for the west midlands, there are people suggesting, because brexit has happened, that ukip will be squeezed in this election. absolutely not, i have been a ukip member since 1986, my first general election was 1997, of course, when tony blair came to power, and you keep writing us off, but we have kept coming back. let's be blunt, this is all about brexit. we got brexit because of the campaigning, i was elected in 2014 european elections, we have done very well, and do you know what? this is going to be about what britain we are going to have after brexit. what sort of things are you going to be saying on the doorstep? there are some tweets i have seen today from people who voted ukip who say, we will vote conservative because we wa nt to will vote conservative because we want to give theresa may that thumping majority that she will need to negotiate brexit. and there are a lot of people saying that, actually,

do you know what? we are the patriotic working—class, and we cannot support were jeremy corbyn, john mcdonnell or diane abbott as saying, and there are people who will not vote conservative, and they are the sort of people ukip are appealing to. actually, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. if you look at the turnout at the referendum, a far higher turnout in the eu referendum than as previous general elections. brexit has made politics all the more relevant, and many people are sticking with ukip, saying, yes, we are voting for you in local elections, in police and crime commission elections, where we saw some great results, and we are showing ukip will continue to be releva nt. showing ukip will continue to be relevant. how does it work, though, james? you have lost some of your big donors, does it make it difficult for smaller parties to get things together in such a short space of time? it is always a

challenge, but life and politics is a challenge. we are a very close team, working far better than we have in a long time. financially, we are ina have in a long time. financially, we are in a stronger position than for quite some time, and i think the future is rosy for the party. i am not just saying that, future is rosy for the party. i am notjust saying that, i really do believe it. i am really looking forward to going into this campaign and supporting as many of our candidates as possible. so you will be knocking on doors tomorrow? well, actually, tomorrow i will be out with our candidate for the westminster mayoral election, we are standing in local elections, mayoral elections, across the country, and ukip is relevant, and we will continue to be so, because i caught the heineken effect — we've each the people that other parties cannot reach. james carver, i like it! thank you very much indeed. let's speak to eleanor garnier, our political correspondent, you are

going to see which battle bus you are going to be an! we don't yet know the shape of the election campaign, but it isjust around the corner. what changed while she was walking in the hills of wales last week? i think there has been a temptation all along, when you look at the state of the opposition and the small majority that theresa may has in the house of commons, bearing in mind that most of the trouble she has faced so far has been from her own backbenchers, from that small group of rebels sitting behind her in the house of commons. i think the temptation must have always been there, we know that opinion polls show the conservatives more than 20 points ahead, that is a huge difference, although obviously we don't go on the opinion polls just as they are. we know that anything can happen in campaigns, and there are can happen in campaigns, and there a re often can happen in campaigns, and there are often unlikely victims in campaigns. especially so at the moment! i spend a lot of time talking to europeans on our programme 100 days, and a lot of them say she does not have a mandate from the british people, and that

must play on a mind at the negotiating table. i think that is one of the big reasons as to why she has decided to go for this general election now. she always edgy at the mandate in number ten because the british people had voted for brexit, but if she can get the extra majority she is hoping for, she will get a new mandate, a fresh mandate, so get a new mandate, a fresh mandate, so that when she goes to negotiate with the other 27 members said, she can say, look, i havejust been elected and this is the kind of brexit that the people of britain wa nt brexit that the people of britain want me to deliver. one of the things we have picked up in the last hour is caroline lucas ain't she wa nts to hour is caroline lucas ain't she wants to campaign strategically, perhaps it down with the lib dems, they are saying, people will be voting strategically, and it is we will have a very odd general election, because they are not talking about the normal issues — the nhs, housing, education — we will be talking about where particular parties can win, as opposed to how they voted in the

referendum. i think there will be some of that in particular seats where there may be electoral pacts where there may be electoral pacts where there may be electoral pacts where the greens and the lib dems decide not to stand against each other, and yet in westminster we talk a lot about brexit and how it is playing out across the rest of the country, but there are clear local issues too, issues like the nhs, austerity, like the economy, that will play into this election. theresa may has said she wanted to be brexit general election, but lane don't want it to be that, they don't wa nt to don't want it to be that, they don't want to fight it those terms. we knowjeremy corbyn will be fighting on the nhs, on the economy too, so we will see different agnes play out, but we know the dominant thing in british politics at the moment, because of the nature of the change is brexit, so it will be spoken a lot during this campaign. the country will go to the polls in just seven weeks, theresa may will be hoping to build on her working parliamentary majority of 17. chief

political correspondent vicki young looks at the numbers and where the key battle grounds for seats are likely to be. theresa may says she wants certainty and stability for the uk and for her that means a clear conservative election victory. she's made the calculation that she can improve on her party's performance two years ago. this is the electoral map showing the results of the 2015 general election. most striking are the swathes of blue across england and snp dominance in scotland. but look at the number of seats. the conservatives picked up 331, labour won 232, the snp 56, the lib dems and dup eight seats each. with other parties factored in, it left the tories with a very slim majority ofjust 12. so where will the tories try to boost their numbers? the north west and the midlands are crucial battlegrounds, here there are numerous marginal constituencies where very few votes separate conservative and labour.

at the last election, labour made little headway here and they face a huge challenge. certainly, theresa may is calling this election against a backdrop where she is very, very much the favourite to win and, in truth, against the backdrop where no opposition party has ever gone into an election in such a weak position in the opinion polls. now, labour desperately need a revival in scotland if they're to form the next government, but the tories and lib dems will also be hoping to prise some seats away from the snp. fascinating too will be the south west of england, the lib dems' former heartland. they were wiped out here at the last election and are hoping for a comeback, but how will their pro—eu message go down in a region that voted for brexit? the prime minister seems to be trying to make this a brexit election. if you look at last year's referendum result, you can see why — remain in yellow, leave in blue. how britain voted then

could have a big impact on the result injune. will areas that voted remain deliver a bruising message to theresa may? general—election campaigns can be unpredictable, and just two years after the last one, voters must decide again whether there will be dramatic changes to the electoral map of britain. asnap a snap election means snp mps fighting for theirjobs again, in such a dominant position, can they perform even better, or are they at a high watermark? 0h, oh, i 0h, ithink oh, i think we have lost and the collier there, we will see if we can

come back to him later, obviously the audio was pretty weak. in the city, the announcement helped push the pound to its highest level across the us dollar today, since last december. rachel horne across the us dollar today, since last december. rachel home has this round—up of business reaction to today's developments. the biggest reaction was on the currency markets. we heard an announcement was coming, and sterling fell. once it was confirmed that it was about a snap general election, it recovered significantly, at levels not seen since back in october. lots of traders are saying this is a game changerfor sterling. traders are saying this is a game changer for sterling. the ftse traders are saying this is a game changerfor sterling. the ftse is down more than 2% come but there are a lot of factors at play there. lots of the global markets have been closed over the long easter weekend, so closed over the long easter weekend, soa closed over the long easter weekend, so a lot of catching up to do, things that happen over the weekend — lowball geopolitical tensions, the french presidential elections, and commodity prices were down, pulling the ftse down before we even knew this announcement was coming. when it came through and sterling then

rose, that pull down the ftse again, because lots of those companies are global companies. they bank profits in dollars and euros, so when sterling rises, it reduces the level of their profits, and that reduces their value. but looking at, traders are saying that this election is coming on the 8th ofjune, they are pricing in a majority, quinn. unless anything in the polls suggest that will change, we don't expect to see much more reaction on the markets, and we will wait to see what happens when the results come through. rachel horne when the results come through. rachel home with a view from the markets. we were talking about the by—elections, let's focus on copeland in cumbria, a by—election just eight weeks ago in which the conservatives won from labour, but now the voters are facing going to the polls again. adrian peterson this report from whitehaven in that constituency. it is not quite eight weeks since the conservatives took a majority in a seat they had held for 80 years

and turned it into a 2000 vote tory by—election triumph. theresa may came here the next day to say it was an astounding victory for the people of the copeland constituency. but do the people of copeland now think this is the right time for her to ask for their verdict again?” this is the right time for her to ask for their verdict again? i don't think it is, actually, i think the prime minister has got better things to think about, like brexit, and the general election isjust to think about, like brexit, and the general election is just a to think about, like brexit, and the general election isjust a political move. concentrate on getting us out of europe. just a distraction? yes. in some ways, i'm quite happy to have a general election, it might have a general election, it might have an opposition afterwards. we are having a general election! what do you think of that? you have just voted here. if they are going to do one, we will go down and vote, but i will be in a quandary.” one, we will go down and vote, but i will be in a quandary. i work for the nhs, that says it all, doesn't it? you will be casting a vote? oh,

i will! it will be risky, one assumes they will lose. let's go back to scotland to see we can speak to andy collier, we couldn't hear him earlier, but i think he is back with us on skype. i can hear you just fine this time! we were just saying the snp have 59 seats in scotland, at a high watermark or can they go even further? it is unlikely they go even further? it is unlikely they will go further, to be honest. last time round, it was a remarkable result, 56 out of 59 seats, leaving the three main other parties with one each. so it is going to be a pretty tough call for them to do even better than that. my suspicion is that they may lose one or two, but we will have to wait and see. i mean, whatever they do, i think they are probably once again in for a remarkable result, and, you know, inevitably, if they lose even one seat, the other parties will turn

around and say, the steam has come out of the snp, they are going backwards, which would be ridiculous, frankly, because if they came back with 50—52 seats, by any stretch of the imagination, that is still a remarkable result. how will they campaign, andy? they are talking about brexit down here, will it bea talking about brexit down here, will it be a campaign on independence? well, we are hearing this afternoon that nicola sturgeon is keen to try and keep this on domestic issues, not concentrate too much on the really, really big elephant in the room in scotland, which is the forthcoming planned independence referendum, indyref2, as it is cold. i think that is going to be hard for her to do, because the other parties will want to talk about that, and once again, it will be all about the constitution — in two different ways. yes, brexit will play in scotland, of course it will, and in

the referendum scotland voted to stay in the eu by a 62—38 majority. so that is going to play, of course, but the whole question of a second independence referendum will play as well. and there are little pools of red and blue on the map at the moment in scotland, pity the mp in edinburgh south, the spot of red — i presume the snp will campaign as much as they can in these places. they will, although the difficulty of edinburgh south is tactical voting, where it is a very well—to—do seat, it is a sort of natural tory seat, but the tories are likely to vote for labour and try to keep their unionist candidate. so it is going to be a tough one, there will be tactical voting. there are also seats in scotla nd voting. there are also seats in scotland which people might regard as being natural tory seats, on the borders, for instance, where the one seat that they do still hold, east

renfrewshire, a very wealthy suburb to the south of glasgow, these have got long tory histories. but apart from that, the one seat that the scottish secretary, david mundell holes, they fell to the snp last time around. i suspect that the tories will be rather hoping they can get at least one of those back, and perhaps more. andy, i'm glad the line has that, thank you for your patience, andy collier there. you can get more on the election on our website, plenty more on there full stop let's get a check on the weather with tomasz schafernaker. quiet on the weather front at there, a frosty one denied, particularly across the southern half of the uk. last night, it was frosty in the north, this coming night, with clear skies, the south will get the frost. you can see clouds streaming in off the atlantic into northern ireland

and scotland, preventing it from turning to cold. further spots of rain across scotland, clear skies across the midlands southwards. city centre temperatures will not fall below freezing this coming night, 5-6. in below freezing this coming night, 5—6. in rural and suburban areas, down to around zero. once again, a potential for a down to around zero. once again, a potentialfor a damaging down to around zero. once again, a potential for a damaging frost first thing tomorrow morning. and this is what the weather looks like around rush hour on wednesday, beautiful weather across the south, certainly that nip in the air, 5—7. further north, increasing cloud, spots of rain, guildford in places as well, around seven in glasgow and in inverness. —— he'll fog. in the south, we will keep the sunshine through the course of wednesday, lovely weather in the south—east, and devon, the isle of wight, midland is not doing too badly. up

to 15 in london, and also eastern parts of scotland should not be too bad on wednesday, sunshine on the way. thursday, high pressure building across southern areas, that keeps hanging around from central parts of europe, and out in the atla ntic parts of europe, and out in the atlantic as well. it might start on the cloudy side first thing, but the clouds will break up, decent sunny spells around. further north, cloudier with spots of rain, temperatures just that little bit higher on thursday in some areas, around the mid teens. on friday, we are anticipating this weather front to sink southwards and introduce slightly colder air into scotland, and eventually all of us later on friday will see that cold air coming in from the north. but ahead of it, in the south, temperatures peaking at around 17 degrees, so a warmish sort of end of the week for southern areas. the weekend, high pressure is close by, but when we have high pressure here, low pressure follows the direction of the isobars, from the direction of the isobars, from the north, so not warming up in a

hurry, but it is going to be mostly dry. i'm ros atkins. welcome to outside source. the uk is heading to the polls for the third time in three yea rs. polls for the third time in three years. i have just polls for the third time in three years. i havejust chaired polls for the third time in three years. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet where we agreed that the government should call a general election to be held on the 8th of june. theresa may says she wants a new mandate before brexit negotiations begin. her opponents, though, have other ideas.” negotiations begin. her opponents, though, have other ideas. iwelcome the opportunity for us to put the case to the people of britain. now is the time for scotland's voice to be heard. we're prepared for an election that we thought was going to happen. donald tusk is saying brexit is now like a hitch cock film, an earthquake followed by ever rising tension. we hearfrom other eu big hitters too. we report from all over the uk. we know for some of