this is bbc news. the headlines at 11pm: an unparalleled attack by the prime minister on eu officials and politicians, accusing them of making threats to try to influence the outcome of the general election. threats against britain have been issued by european politicians and officials. all of these acts have been deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election on the eighth ofjune. the prime minister had visited the queen at buckingham palace as political opponents accused mrs may of poisoning the political atmosphere for partisan reasons. let's calm down, be serious, be sensible and approach these very very important negotiations with the seriousness they demand and deserve. it is a cold and calculated choice by theresa may to try and make neighbours in europe into our enemiesjust so she can win a few more votes. an eu source dismisses theresa may's claims as pure fantasty,

the eu chief negotiator denies planning to punish britain for brexit. a 20—year—old student is found guilty of planting a home—made bomb on a busy london underground tube train. accusations of lying, the two french presidential candidates hold a debate ahead of sunday's final round. coming up on newsnight, ramping up the rhetoric. britain is in danger of finding the rest of europe uniting against it. we'll be getting perspectives from the uk and the eu, asking who is provoking whom and how we're going to negotiate a decent brexit deal? —— we'll be asking. good evening and

welcome to bbc news. the prime minister has opened her election campaign by launching an outspoken attack on european politicians and officials, accusing them of trying to influence the outcome of the british general election. mrs may also claimed they were working against a successful brexit deal. her comments follow days of rising tension with brussels. opposition parties have accused the prime minister of poisoning the atmosphere and of conducting herself in a way that's unworthy of a british prime minister. our political editor laura kuenssberg has more details. what was on her mind with that raise of the eyebrows? not just the formalities at the palace of revving up for an election which she, remember, was not obliged to call. but theresa may seems determined to play the brexit card

for all it's worth. setting her face against brussels, she wants you to believe she won't be messed around. whoever wins on the eighth ofjune will face one overriding task, to get the best possible deal for this united kingdom from brexit. and, in the last few days, we have seen just how tough these talks are likely to be. britain's negotiating position in europe has been misrepresented in the continental press. the european commission's negotiating stance has hardened. threats against britain have been issued by european politicians and officials. all of these acts have been deliberately timed to affect the result of the general election which will take place on the eighth ofjune. yes, she did just accuse some in the eu of interfering in our election. the events of the last few days have

shown that whatever our wishes and however reasonable the positions of europe's other leaders, there are some in brussels who do not want these talks to succeed, who do not want britain to prosper. this brexit negotiation is central to everything. if we don't get the negotiation right, if we let the bureaucrats of brussels run over us, we will lose the chance to build a fairer society, with real opportunity for all. the last few days have seen the intensity of the jousting of the eu become even more troublesome. but, using all the trappings of downing street, theresa may has just upped the ante even further, even accusing some in brussels of trying to make trouble in the general election. just who could she have had in her sights? the chief negotiator at the eu commission? i give the floor to michel barnier. days after a tense downing street dinner, amongst suggestions the uk would have to pay 100 billion

euros as we leave eu. some have created the illusion that brexit would have no material impact on our lives, or that negotiations could be concluded quickly and painlessly. this is not the case. more cryptically, less diplomatically, he said... "just like when hill walking, you have to learn the rules, or accidents happen." the government didn't start the day with a subtle message. the tories, eager to make disputed claims about labour's plans for tax. but forget that, every question was about the possible bill from brussels. and ratherfrom ramp up the row, those two had tried to tone it down. can i ask you both not simply to hide behind the fact

there will be negotiations? in this election, don't voters deserve to know how much of their taxpayer's cash they may be asked to stump up? is that figure closer to zero, or100 billion? the public want one thing. they want a good outcome from this negotiation. they want the best possible outcome from the negotiation. we'll do that in the negotiating room, not by negotiating with a megaphone. i'm not remotely surprised that people are manoeuvring for opening advantage in that negotiation. that approach long gone by the afternoon, above all else, it is election time. and brexit creates opportunities and problems for every party. i voted leave, i'm proud to have voted leave. i knew what i was voting for. i don't think theresa may can expect to be taken seriously. it is a cold and calculated choice by theresa may to try to make our neighbours in europe into our enemies, just so she can win

a few more votes. it is a political decision by her, and it's not worthy of the office prime minister. theresa may has some formidable foes. they'll use this against her. i think what we've seen today is her trying to make the eu the bogeyman in order to do that. but she's playing a dangerous game here. by poisoning the atmosphere of these negotiations, she risks getting a bad deal, or no deal. her rivals wonder if she really means it. i don't think anyone in brussels really believes that theresa may is prepared to walk without signing a comprehensive deal. this doesn't seem to have a strong scent... but it's labour that is vulnerable in a big way. theresa may is after their traditional support. we will negotiate a brexit that works for all, for the many, not the few. we won't threaten europe on the way into brexit and, above all, in this election campaign, we'll put forward a proposal and a plan for britain which is about dealing with inequality and injustice.

behind the gates, theresa may was never going to be the kind of politician simply to agree. but even in the heat of an election campaign, strong words cannot be unsaid. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. a 20—year—old student has been found guilty of planting a home—made bomb on a london underground train. damon smith, who has asperger‘s syndrome, was caught on cctv last october leaving a bag filled with explosives in a carriage. the train was evacuated minutes before he had set the device to explode. our home affairs correspondent june kelly has the story. alone on a london underground platform, damon smith is caught on cctv priming his device to explode on the tube. it's inside a rucksack and he's timed it to go off just after iiam. surrounded by passengers, he feigns interest in his book. further down the line he gets off, but he's abandoned the rucksack in the carriage and left the device,

packed with ball—bearings, to detonate. the rucksack was eventually spotted, north greenwich station was evacuated. although parts of the device were viable, it failed to explode. if it had detonated, it certainly would have endangered life. without a doubt, it would have caused mass casualties and certainly would have caused substantial damage to the underground system. he had an unhealthy interest in firearms and violence, particularly mass shootings in america, and although he was in possession of some is material, we cannot prove his motivation or certainly his ideology. the tape's on. yeah. this was damon smith in a police interview. he has asperger‘s syndrome, a form of autism. when i was on the tube, i realised it was going to stratford. right. and i thought, it'd be a good time to leave my bag for a prank. a former friend witnessed his developing interest in extremist violence. he was showing me videos of isis

grabbing a knife and cutting off people's heads slowly. he was, like, "don't this look sort of fun", and all that. i was like, "no, it doesn't, it look as bit wrong actually." hello, everyone, i'm going to shoot my gun. he had posted this on the internet, this pistol fired blank rounds. he also showed off his knife and he posed on facebook with a knuckle duster. damon smith used an al-qaeda bomb—making manual to help him construct his device, but he denied he held extreme political views. however, the jury decided he did set out to attack tube travellers. june kelly, bbc news. the two candidates hoping to be president of france have been going head to head in the final television debate of the election. the latest polls suggest the centrist emmanuel macron is well ahead of his far right rival marine le pen, but his lead has narrowed in recent weeks. both are competing to win over large numbers of apparently undecided and reluctant voters ahead

of the final round on sunday. our correspondent james reynolds has been watching the exchanges. he calls her the candidate of hate. she says he has no qualities. tonight, they meet. emmanuel macron, the frontrunner, won't want to slip up. he's standing as a pro—eu, pro—immigration centrist and he's protecting a clear lead in the polls. marine le pen, from the front national, is trying to bring him down. i asked her what she wanted from the debate? translation: what do i expect from the debate? some clarification from mr macron. he's still being very vague. and tonight, on french tv, the two candidates faced one another and began immediate attacks. translation: mr macron, the candidate of savage globalisation,

uberisation, economic uncertainty, social brutality of every man for himself. translation: you have shown you're not the candidate for a balanced democratic debate. the question is, do the people want your defeatist attitude ? you say globalisation is too hard for us, so is europe. let's shut our borders, leave the euro because others succeed, not us. the atmosphere got heated. "i treat the french like adults," mr macron told his opponent. "you lie all the time." then each was asked about terrorism. translation: the safety of our people, the fight against terror and islamist extremism, you don't want to take it on and i know why. against terrorism, we have to close our borders straightaway, immediately, and that's what i'll do the moment i take power. translation: closing borders achieves nothing. there are many countries outside the schengen area that have been hit

as hard as this by terrorist attacks, and since 2015 we have put back border controls to fight terrorism. in this debate the french people have heard two very different visions. now they have to pick a side. let's have a quick look at some of the front pages. the i leads with theresa may accusing european politicians of making threats against britain to try to influence the general election result. the same story in the ft, with the prime minister saying some in brussels do not want brexit talks to succeed. may unleashes fire at europe is the headline on the telegraph. theresa may's warning to the eu also makes the front page of the express. the paper also reports on labour's tax policy, the conservatives describing it as a bombshell. the metro's top story is the student, damon smith, who has been found guilty of trying to set off

a home—made bomb on a tube train in london. one of the stories in the guardian is police urging more schools in the capital to install metal scanners to protect children from rising violent crime. the times says more than five million people could be stuck on waiting lists for nhs treatment within two years. that's according to documents seen by a health journal. and the mirror says the hollywood actor brad pitt has admitted to having a drinking problem in an interview since his split with angelina jolie. that's a summary of the news. newsday is coming up at midnight. now on bbc news it's time for newsnight. has our relationship with the eu come to this? britain's negotiating position in europe has been misrepresented. threats against britain have been issued by european politicians timed to affect the result of the general election.

are things are being said in the heat of an election, that may make our lives difficult afterwards? one doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. both sides think then other is to blame, the positions are hardening. we'll ask the irish foreign minister if the eu is trying to provoke the uk? and we'll ask whether the uk should have anticipated the apparent inflexibility of the eu? also tonight, the french election gets nasty in a head to head debate. mr macron has pulled off his mask. you have used arguments which are shameful and reveal a cold mind ofthe banker you have always been. and we'll hear from the legendary us conservative shockjock glenn beck. why does he now regret laying the ground for donald trump's presidency?