this programme contains scenes of repetitive flashing image. it's on. mp's vote for the snap general election to take place onjune 8th. the ayes to the right, 522. the noes to the left, 13. the vote is passed overwhelmingly, though some mps and the snp abstain. the party leaders waste no time in getting on the campaign trail tonight. it's a choice between strong and stable leadership under the conservatives, or weak and unstable coalition of chaos led byjeremy corbyn. are we going to be a country that works only to make the richest even richer? i know which side i'm on. you know which side you're on. this election is going to be fought on the streets of this country. the prime minister says she won't take part in any tv debates and the former chancellor george osborne takes the opportunity to quit as an mp. we'll bring you all the latest.

also tonight. the mystery of the missing warships. president trump said he'd sent an armada to north korea, so where is it? prince harry says he's amazed at the response to his comments about his difficulty in coping with his mother's death. and the volcanic eruptions that can be predicted using technology in space. and coming up in sportsday on bbc news. sam warburton is picked to lead his pack of lions again. he'll captain the squad on their tour of new zealand and their tests against the mighty all blacks. good evening. so it's official, the country will go to the polls in seven weeks‘ time after mps voted overwhelmingly to approve it this afternoon. just 13 mps voted against it.

a handful of others and all the snp mps abstained. the prime minister says victory in a vote onjune 8th would give her a stronger hand in her brexit negotiations with eu leaders and stability after britain leaves. the labour leader has described the coming election as a chance for the british people to change direction. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. day one of the national argument that we'll decide who is in charge. applause event one for theresa may. she went straight on the road. it's great to be here in bolton, fresh from the house of commons and winning a vote in the house of commons which has approved my decision to hold a general election on the 8th ofjune. the placards are ready. the cameras are poised. those cheers already ringing out. not technically

underway but this campaign is coming soon to a place near you. but while the prime minister had the power of surprise, questions about her motivation chase her through the day. having gone back on her promise not to call a vote, can she be trusted? i trust that the british public, i'm asking them to put their trust in me and if they do that, if they give me a mandate for these negotiations, for the plan for brexit that the government has come ina plan brexit that the government has come in a plan for a stronger britain beyond brexit that we have, then i think that will strengthen our hand. order, questions to the prime minister. labour says she simply can't be believed. on both sides, prime minister's questions was a glimpse of the weeks to come. over the last seven years, the tories have broken every promise on living standards, the deficit, debt, the nhs and school funding. why should

anyone believe a word they say over the next seven weeks? we will be out there fighting for every vote whereas the right honourable gentleman opposite would bankrupt oui’ gentleman opposite would bankrupt our economy, we can our defences and is simply not fit to lead. none of the leaders have time to waste, with brexit the backdrop for this election, the lib dems see their resista nce election, the lib dems see their resistance to the prime minister's plans of their selling point. ran to the other side, great stuff, hello. in leafy parts, they hope that sells like here in richmond outside london. there's an opportunity for the british people to choose and change the direction of our country, to reject brexit voters day in the single market and however you voted lastjune, single market and however you voted last june, devote to single market and however you voted lastjune, devote to have a beaded, strong opposition in this country that we desperately need for the

good of democracy. onlyjust over a dozen mps tried to stop it happening. the opposition could have blocked theresa may's desire to hold the election three years early. the ayes to the right, 522. but not a chance. the noes to the left, 13. summit is now officially on. the realities of brexit tipped the timing of this election but theresa may was also tempted by the draw of the polls and her desire to get things done at home. the challenge 110w things done at home. the challenge now for the opposition parties is to make the arguments on their terms. he is no stranger to this. jeremy corbyn had two successful rounds of campaigning to win his party's leadership. but he is already on the road in marginal croydon, facing a much bigger task this time around. are we going to be a country that works only to make the richest even richer? i know which side i'm on. you know which side you're on. this

election is going to be fought on the street of this country, up and down, in town halls, in streets, on beaches, an seafront. and look who dropped into westminster! is it realistic for the snp to defy gravity and keep their record—breaking number of mps? the tories already claim with echoes of 2015, they would be included with labour. the snp in this election will, as we always do, stand up for scotland. a vote for the snp is a vote to protect scotland's interests. if the parliamentary arithmetic lent itself to the snp being part of a progressive alliance that would keep the tories out of government, then the snp would seek to be part of that, as we said in 2015. you have just opened the door toa 2015. you have just opened the door to a coalition. do you believe, you've suggested he might work with the other parties? i don't think that if the territory we will be in

in this election and i don't think you will find anyone in any part of uk who thinks it is. i was simply stating a fact as i did in 2015 that i don't want to see a tory government. feeling confident, prime minister? can you unite the country? she may be feeling the first but achieving the second will be hard to do. much stands in theresa may's way of driving back in, still prime minister, in 50 days. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. so with the official starting gun fired for the election, attention turns to the battleground seats with slim majorities, where the parties will be out and about over the next 50 days fighting for every single vote. one of those key constituencies is bolton north east, currently held by labour with a majority ofjust over 4,000 votes. the prime minister wasted no time in going there tonight. our political correspondent vicki young was with her. the conservatives are heading into labour territory, with ambitious plans to grab seats like bolton north east that have been beyond their reach for 20 years. labour areas which voted for brexit could

be fertile territory for the tories. and theresa may thinks she can win them over. it's a choice between strong and stable leadership under the conservatives, or weak and unstable coalition of chaos led byjeremy corbyn. and as the voters of bolton digest news of the snap election, some have already made up their minds. i voted liberal democrat last time. but now, theresa may has got my vote. can you tell me why that is? i think she's a strong leader. notjust because she's a woman but she is strong and i think she will do the country well. she's not messing around with all this bickering in parliament and, you know, she's trying to do a good job of a bad situation that she's been left in. i voted conservatives last year, last time. i won't be voting at all this year because i've no confidence in none of them. labour hope to succeed by attacking the government's record on the nhs

and school funding, things they hope will matter to people. i will vote forjeremy corbyn, yeah. i definitely think he's... relates closely to... you know, the lower, well, under the middle—class. labour, but then obviously, it depends on issues on health care and education. those are my main two priority things. bolton is just the kind of place where the tories think they can make real progress in this election. theresa may will be appealing to ukip and labour voters who backed brexit in the referendum, telling them that she is now the person to deliver on that promise to leave the european union. and as voters focus on choosing their next prime minister, some questioned the labour leader's credibility. i usually vote ukip but i will vote conservative. so rather than have... that idiot, jeremy corbyn, i will go for theresa may because like she says, he can only lead a political demonstration but he can't lead his

party. i've always been labour and stuff like that but i can't, ijust can't. he can't be trusted. itjust seems that he doesn't know what he's doing. this battle has just begun, but today, theresa may signalled she is ready to challenge the labour party on their own turf. vicki young, bbc news, bolton. the prime minister says she won't take part in any tv election debates. theresa may insists campaigning should be about getting "out and about" meeting voters. labour has accused her of running scared, and itv has announced it intends to host a leaders' debate nonetheless. our home editor mark easton has more. election debate. since the first uk tv debates in 2010, they've proved a popular addition to election campaigns, particularly with young voters. i agree with nick and i think he agrees with me about the

new house of commons. a boyish nick clegg stole the show in the first—ever, a reminder that under the tv lights, poll ratings and political experience can melt away. the prime minister revealed her views about tv debates on bbc radio this morning. we won't be doing the television debates... so you won't faze jeremy corbyn on any stage at any time? i will face him later in the house of commons. and when she did come his attack was swift and predictable. she says it is about leadership. yet is refusing to defend her record in television debates. why will she not debate thoseissues debates. why will she not debate those issues publicly now? what she scared of? can the prime minister to other people why she's running scared of a televised with nicola sturgeon? if you are a prime minister and head in the polls, then atv minister and head in the polls, then a tv debate probably looks like all risk and no gain. but there is a risk and no gain. but there is a risk in staying know for theresa

may. —— in saying no. the danger this becomes a running story in the election campaign. and that wrist just got greater with itv announcing they will hold a debate whether to may takes part or not and the bbc saying no party leader should stop a programme that is in the public interest. the candidates need no introduction. televised debates have become part of america's electoral process. the first—ever in 1960s or the favourite, richard nixon, looking shifty and sweaty compared to the cooljohn kennedy. some say it cost him the election. during last yea r‘s it cost him the election. during last year's campaign, many thought hillary clinton beats donald trump in the debates. donald trump is not in charge of the law in our country. because you'd be injail. but in charge of the law in our country. because you'd be in jail. but then maybe the tv studio is now being usurped by the power of social media. a tory chicken stalked tony blair in1997 media. a tory chicken stalked tony blair in 1997 when he was accused of ducking tadic —— tv debate. labour

supporting took busy david cameron as he tried to negotiate terms for the debate in 2010. today, the daily mail reported that in has come out of retirement. mark easton, bbc news. the former chancellor, george osborne, has announced he's standing down as an mp to concentrate on his newjob as editor of the london evening standard. he'd faced intense criticism after taking on the newspaperjob alongside several otherjobs plus his role in parliament, as our deputy political editor john pienaar reports. from political big beast to big city editor, and the greenest hack in the newsroom. the new boss in fleet street chooses to see his future as moving on, not coming down. george osborne told me today he will use his new role to fight for his liberal conservative views against any harsher vision of brexit. myjob as editor of the evening standard is to speak for london, speak for my readers, speak for this country and its future. our country's got some big decisions to make now about the kind of britain we want to be. and those values of openness, tolerance, diversity and enterprise,

they are the values that i hold dear. they are the ones i fought for in government as chancellor, fought for in parliament as the mp for tatton and now i'm going to fight for them in that editor's chair at the evening standard. strategist in a hard hat, visionary in hi—vis, out to build tory support in areas off—limits since margaret thatcher. close to david cameron, they rose and fell together over brexit. theresa may, not he, moved from the wings to centre stage. can being an editor ever compensate for never being prime minister? the exciting thing is not how you engage in the public debate but whether you engage in the public debate. i have found... no, come on, let's be realistic, you wished to be prime minister and you won't now be prime minister. do you know, i count myself as nothing other than incredibly fortunate, first of all, to be an mp, represent the great cheshire seat i did and also to be chancellor of the exchequer for six years, and i'm very proud to have been part of the team that turned around the fortunes, first of all of my

party and then of the country. perspective or a brave front on a broken dream? the coalition government hung together as george osborne planned, and in the end, just as he planned, the lib dems were hung out by the voters. i don't think he himself would ever claim that he had great sort of popular public appeal in the country at large, but he loved the kind of game of politics in westminster and whitehall. he relished that kind of thing. now looking back, he insists he is proud. bad days, his so—called omnishambles budget, with its tax on hot food, glossed over. brexit, he is philosophical. what else could he be? what do you regret most? would it be losing brexit or taxing pasties? laughter. you know, when you do budgets, and i did eight budgets, you know, you don't get all of them right. in the end, you have to, i think, be judged on whether you are true to your own values. how do you want history to remember you, george osborne? someone who left britain in a better shape than i found it.

john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. let's get more on our main story then with our political editor, laura kuenssberg. the party leaders wasting no time in getting their message across and this isjust the beginning? it certainly is. it already feels like it's fully up and running, doesn't it? you know, today and yesterday theresa may had the power of surprise on her side. she had first mover advantage. of course, it's quite easy to look like you're somehow ahead of the game if you're the one who has set the rules. i think we've seen from her a couple of things that are very clear. she is going to go very clearly after jeremy corbyn‘s leadership. he is aside to her comparatively untested. right now, very much the underdog. it's also clear, from the conservatives, that they are going to try to accuse labour and the snp of somehow looking at some kind of dodgy collaboration, some kind of

dodgy collaboration, some kind of dodgy coalition even though it has explicitly already been ruled out by both of those parties. tomorrow, it's very much over tojeremy corbyn. he is going to make his first big speech of this election campaign. it's his first big chance to try to say that he's going to set his own rules in this campaign. i understand that instead of saying he's going to somehow be criticised and allow people to push him around. he will say in fact that he will loudly and proudly set his own rules. he's quite happy to break the rules. he's quite happy to break the rules that are set by the establishment and he will accuse the powerful of taking the result of this election for granted. taking it asa this election for granted. taking it as a foregone conclusion that labour will be way behind. now, of course, let's be clear, there are very few people injeremy corbyn‘s own party, here in westminster, who think that is in anyway how he will capture the keys to the castle. jeremy corbyn won the labour leadership in the first place by defying convention

and what is a very different race, it appears that is the strategy he will take on again. jeremy corbyn will take on again. jeremy corbyn will bejeremy corbyn. he will be prowledly defying convention because he believes that's his best chance. sglit laura kuenssberg, at westminster, thank you. there's plenty more about the general election on our website, including an ‘all you need to know‘ guide. that's at bbc.co.uk/news. president trump's announcement, two weeks ago, that he had despatched an "armada" towards the korean peninsula was a show of force amid rising tensions between his country and north korea. so why are the warships far away off the coast of australia, taking part in a training exercise? rupert wingfield hayes has more. the sight of a us vice—president on board a nuclear powered aircraft carrier is a very rare event, even more so when it's sitting in japan. was this an elaborate piece of theatre or a sign america is really preparing for action

against north korea? we will defeat any attack and meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective american response. applause the united states of america will always seek peace, but under president trump the shield stands guard and the sword stands ready. if president trump is planning some sort of military action against north korea, there is no sign of it here. this is the uss ronald reagan, the flagship of the 7th fleet, but it won't be ready to leave this port in japan for at least another month. meantime, the other carrier battlegroup president trump said he's sending to the korean peninsula has been seen sailing in the indian ocean. the carl vinson saga began on the 8th april when the us pacific fleet commander ordered the aircraft carrier to leave

singapore and sail north to waters near korea. three days later, president trump confirmed he was sending an a armada, "very powerful", he said. but instead for a whole week, the carl vinson and its escorts sailed in the opposite direction, into the indian ocean. the us navy now says the carrier battlegroup is finally heading to korea. back on board the ronald reagan, vice—president pence hinted its departure may also now be accelerated. god speed on the uss reagan's imminent deployment. figuring out what the trump administration is planning for north korea isn't easy, perhaps deliberately so. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, at the yokosuka naval base, in japan. thousands of commuters to and from london have been facing major disruption this evening after a fire forced the evacuation of euston station. network rail said it damaged signalling equipment and temporarily

cut the station's power supply. engineers have warned that full timetables are unlikely to resume until tomorrow morning. police have named a man they're searching for in connection with an acid attack at an east london nightclub on monday, in which 20 people were injured. arthur collins, who's 25 and from hertfordshire, is the boyfriend of a reality tv star, ferne mccann. officers found firearms and cannabis plants when they searched his home in broxbourne. prince harry says he's been amazed by the response to his comments about his difficulty in dealing with his mother's death. his brother, prince william, has also opened up about coping with diana's death, saying the shock of losing her is still with him, 20 years later. our royal correspondent peter hunt's report contains flash photography from the start. harry and his little helper, melissa, getting the london marathon preparations under way. it's a race which this

year has a special focus on a princely passion — mental health. prince harry has attracted widespread praise this week for his honesty when he spoke of the anguish and the anxiety he suffered for years after his mother's death. it was only right to share my experiences and to help, and really, sort of, reduce or smash that stigma. to make it easier for them to talk about their own experiences. so, i wasjust doing my bit. and was it liberating? or scary? no. look, i mean, i think when you've heard so many stories, from so many other people, and if you can relate to that, then it's only right that you talk about your own experiences. but all the experts you've met will have told you that one of the key issues is funding and that there isn't enough money in some places? what are you going to do about that? that's not for — as you probably know — that's not our mission. our mission is to remove the stigma of mental health so that we can provide a platform for people to be able to discuss it.

but the risk is you could be encouraging people to seek services that aren't there? no, and that's something that we've been completely aware of over the last year, but the fact and the reality is that, as i said, the appetite is there. once the appetite is there, things will change. i'm confident of that. it's not my position and it's not our position or ourjob to do that. we are non—political. so we'll do everything that we can to encourage the conversation, remove the stigma, so that everything else then can take place. opening up about the past is a brotherly trait. in a bbc documentary, prince william has provided an insight into the trauma of his bereavement. the shock is the biggest thing and i still feel, you know, 20 years later, about my mother, i still have shock within me. you know, 20 years later. people go — shock, that can't last that long, but it does. you never get over it, it's such an unbelievably big moment in your life that it never leaves you, you just learn to deal with it. an upbeat harry believes their

campaign is at a tipping point. the uk, he hopes, will lead the way and the world by removing the taboo surrounding mental health. sorry i gave you such big scissors! peter hunt, bbc news. three of the front—runners in france's presidential election are speaking at their final campaign rallies tonight with the centre—left candidate, emmanuel macron, just ahead in most polls. his main rivals include francois fillon — the right—wing former prime minister — as well as the far—left candidate, jean—luc melenchon, who's enjoying a late surge in support. but with the first round of voting this sunday, all three face their sternest challenge from far—right national front leader, marine le pen. her pledge is to hold an eu referendum and slash immigration have attracted widespread support. it's a eurosceptic theme that appeals to a large swathe of the electorate who see their chance to change the country's direction.

our special correspondent allan little's report contains flash photography. france has two faces — the proud, independent nation, its imperial past still visible, and the france that has led the drive to ever closer european unity. two rival ideas of what france should be. france would love to see a french europe. you know, that was the plan, in a way, in the 50s and the 60s. it's a kind of bonapartist vision for europe. there's an ambiguity, contradiction in french politics and in french minds about one's love for one's country and one's love for europe. you know, it's a contradiction, but it's what makes us. that contradiction has never been sharper. marine le pen has brought french nationalism in from the cold. she is slowly shedding her party's association with the shaming memory of france's wartime collaboration with nazi germany, she has allied it instead with euroscepticism. unlike in britain,

that euroscepticism is growing among the young. this group hold different political views — some left, some right — but they all reject what they see as a rigid, pro—european orthodoxy. france has a long history which has always fought out for its independence and its ability to rule itself by its own means and its own will. i cannot understand obstinate will that some people, especially in the older generations now, they seem to have to surrender this independence and this sovereignty to unelected bodies. our generation didn't know the war, so we are not as afraid as they were about the conflict between nations. the framework for politics, the framework for democracy, is the nation state. we're in a europe right now where there is rising insecurity. there is no growth,

there is high unemployment. we have to get rid of that eu which is doing harm to the people. this revolt has been brewing for years. a generation ago, the french nearly derailed the european train. in a referendum then, they voted to accept the euro byjust 51% to 49%. a tiny majority for so profound a change. post—war europe's founding statesman was a frenchman. robert schuman‘s vision has guided french thinking for 70 years, but that other france, the france that wants a return to national sovereignty and clear borders, is getting stronger in its challenge to his legacy. in the end, every generation has to hand its dreams and hopes down to the care of posterity and it's up to those who come afterwards to decide whether to nurture or amend or discard those dreams altogether.

but france has always been, even in their day, in two minds about how far it wants to be absorbed into a broader european identity and that's at the heart of this election campaign. allan little, bbc news, in eastern france. rugby, and sam warburton, of wales, has been chosen to captain the british and irish lions for this summer's tour of new zealand. he's become only the second player to captain the side for two consecutive tours. head coach, warren gatland, said there'd been some "pretty lively debates" over his a1—man squad. the england skipper, dylan hartley, was among those who missed out. you might remember a few weeks ago we brought you the story of the bbc camera crew caught up in an explosion on mount etna. well, now we can bring you the story that they were there to film. while such explosions are difficult to predict, researchers have devised a new method of detecting when volcanoes will erupt using satellite technology. our science correspondent, rebecca morelle, reports.

it's one of the most active volcanoes in the world and last month we experienced mount etna's devastating power first—hand. wow! we'd gone to see a lava flow, but the boiling hot rocks mixed with icy melt water underneath, the pressure built up, causing this. we were lucky to survive. this sort of explosion is rare and hard to predict. by contrast, though, the eruption from the crater that caused it can be forecast. that's because etna's monitored 24/7 by scientists using an array of instruments. mount etna is one of the most thoroughly monitored volcanoes on earth but,

obviously, there are many other volcanoes and many dangerous volcanoes, especially in poorer countries where monitoring is much more rudimentary or, in many places, completely absent. but now a groundbreaking project will change that. using our satellites, with radars on board, we can actually see magma moving beneath the earth's surface. at leeds university, scientists are about to start using satellites to monitor every volcano on earth to provide an early eruption alert. so for people that are living on volcanoes that really aren't monitored this could have a huge impact, of course. if a volcano becomes restless and through this mechanism we are able to provide warning to these people, this could really save lives. this will be a worldwide volcano watch, and this is how it works. before a volcano erupts, magma begins to rise from deep beneath the earth, causing the ground to swell.