northwest scotland and the southwest of england are the liberal democrats. if we modify the map to get a more accurate reflection of what happened, this time we have made each constituency the same size. >> the tories success is limited to the south. very little success there for the tories in the north, just that one seat in scotland. for some historical perspective with that piece up there, take us back to 1979. that was the last time the tories seized power from the labor -- from labour. >> court diffuse -- quite a few tories cities in the northwest. >> i will move us on.

1983 -- 83 still below. torras clinging on. that is a historic labour landslide bringing tony blair to power. a very different picture now. >> hastings going late. labour had never won or even dreamt of winning. >> back to 2005 when we voted last time around, it is often said that this election will be forced and one on just a few small areas. i will show you the marginality, how vulnerable each particular seat is. this is a bit of a patchwork map. bear with me. some of the dark strong colors, dark blue, dark red, those represent the safest seats. but in the pale colors. -- look at the pale colors.

this is giving you a sense of more vulnerable seats. we are going to look at labour in particular to give you a sense of one example, these very pale pinks compared to the dark red, the safe seats. these are the most interesting battleground. >> these are the seats that the tories really need to gain to have an outright majority. a loss in the north, a couple of interesting seats. two cabinet ministers could lose their seats to conservatives if they win an outright majority. >> before we go, a couple of key numbers for the election. if labor wants to stay in power, they cannot lose more than 24

seats. the conservatives want to become the biggest party, they need to win 71 seats. if david cameron wants to head a parliamentary majority, he needs the magic number of 116. even that only gives him a majority of two. we will be here on that night dolphin down into some of that in detail. something tells me you will be seeing a lot more of us before then. >> greek mythology said zoos have three daughters, the three graces week, on the other hand have these three. the two larger parties, a one- man band on one hand and a distinctive cabinet presentation on the other.

what do you make of it? >> i thought it was odd. you would not say let's have a photo with this person. i thought it was odd. both leaders were campaigning on this issue of energy. but both used the same word. they know that the government is trying to get past that and exploit that. in the photograph of david cameron with his sleeves rolled up, that was about energy and dynamism. he is going to struggle with small talk. he finds relatively few people on the trail wanting to talk about the history of democratic structures which is his specialty. >> you knock of the team. -- you mock of the team.

>> there is a team. i cannot think of a party seeking election that has so few people even george osborn is being hidden. >> that is the conservative's main electoral asset. i just think if i was surrounded by those people, that would not be my choice for a photograph you prefer to that in your introduction as part of the team as -- as his wife, sarah. this is gordon brown trying to humanize himself. sarah brown was formally a very experienced pr knows exactly what she is doing. >> you raised the question of wives. semantic cameron is a key part

of the tory strategy. -- samantha cameron is a key part of the tory strategy. >> i think she is going to take or leave part of the campaign. personally, i rather like that. i will contradict myself so forgive me but it is simply that the women's vote will decide this. it will decide it. how you present yourself is very important and that context. -- in that context. a wife on your arm is an excuse to win a vote. " you want to be who you are if you can be. the problem for the labour campaign is what gordon p. gordon is a bad piece of advice. -- let gordon b. gordon is a bad piece of advice.

>> i found it so inauthentic. and you have the formulaic sleeves rolled out. it was very staged. i actually think that off intensity over cameron will help. one word that was used was the granite versus plastic. that plastic is a word -- >> by think that gordon brown has the potential advantage but has not proven much since he has been prime minister. he will struggle on the campaign trail. whenever anybody -- >> he will struggle on the campaign trail. >> i think this could be played

up to his advantage. after a while, -- >> starting on a box -- >> it is a scratch the surface problem. scratch the surface and there is a real problem there. what rouses out is the homophobia and the racism. that is his big problem. what we saw today was the beginning of a big argument from gordon brown about over the next two or three years, who would want five more years of gordon brown? we are at a very fragile time with big challenges and you want somebody who is serious and has sound judgment to cut you are saying the vote for me and my party -- -- >> you are saying to vote for me and my party for the next two or

three years. >> you are totally contradicting what -- >> he was emerging with what i think has been his most -- >> it is a run on experience. we experienced his experience. the problem he has got is he is a man of sound judgment. that has yet to be demonstrated. the problem he has with running this change will defeat experience. people will decide it is time for a novice. i think the issue with the election and they think that will help the conservative party is the question of teacher of the challenge is about the deficit and what is going to happen about that. people want real answers. this is a different general

election from an it we have seen before because there is a need to detail how the deficit will be handled. i think that david cameron will find it difficult if he is allowed to get away with not saying there is a deficit -- >> the bigger the challenge, the more you want to go up if we -- -- >> the polls do not indicate that gordon brown -- >> what do the polls indicate? >> it is clear that people think it is time for a change. there is a relatively clear and fairly consistent, with the exception of view, about an 8% conservative lead, and people do not think that gordon brown is a politician of substance but where the conservatives have a problem is that have not decided whether david cameron represents a different

conservative leader. can you trust cameron? is he strong enough with his policy? >> i still think they will take gordon brown over david cameron to run the economy. everybody was talking about the may issue of the campaign being the economy. that is where david wants to fight the campaign. a lot of other general change stuff. on the economy, i think the tories are a bit weak. >> your faith and his skill is touching. the labor party is behind the conservative party on the economy, as well. gordon brown is running on experience having managed to produce the largest fiscal deficit in britain's history.

people do not believe him to get us out of that. >> let me ask you, how did you think this is going to turn out at the end of the day? >> personal prediction is it will be a small conservative majority but i think that will create problems itself for david cameron because of having that level of deficit without having made clear fiscal judgments and advanced means running that kind of parliament will be tough, indeed. i think it is very hard to predict because it is about whether they can pick up a lot of votes at labour's expense. if you are asking me if there will be a hung parliament scenario, my suspicion is not. but then i look back to 1992 and

i am skeptical. >> win some from labour and end up with roughly the same but i would anticipate a conservative majority at bit larger then what people are saying. >> they should do well. the other two parties have messed it up. they cannot capitalize this time -- >> the message is coming through. >> i think labour massively the underdog. they have to do something to change the game. is it a hung parliament or a tory majority? i would hope they could still get a hung parliament put the likelihood is a tory majority.

>> thank you. gordon brown has announced the date of the general election. people are expected to go to the polls on thursday, may 6. this was the reaction of leaders. >> local champions, national champions across the country. in scotland, we did not face the dismal choice between labour and tory. we have a real alternative. >> our message to the people of wales is this, the greater the vote for [inaudible] , the better for the people of wales. this is an opportunity to make a difference. >> at least 35 people have been killed in the iraqi capital.

the explosions were the latest in a five-day spree of attacks that have killed at least 119 people. the government said several bombs were planted inside and the apartments. two women are rested on the accusation of smuggling a dead relative onto a flight to berlin. they were arrested at liverpool airport on saturday when it transpired. he was in a wheelchair wearing sunglasses when officials checked his pulse. the pound was up against the dollar. there will not be much room to hide the next month. if we cannot inform those during the election campaign then there

is no point at all in the news media existing. watch out. >> as the election plays out, we will be keeping track of the stories behind the slogans and the spin. >> our political team will be on the campaign trail demanding detail on policy and pursuing answers to the questions that candidates may prefer to avoid. >> david. >> the politicians ultimately answer to you. tell us what you think matters. we are on facebook and took care. get in touch. >> you do not believe in politics? >> no. >> if you are lucky, one reporter will pop up in his backyard with a selection of cardboard boxes for memos for incoming ministers. >> [inaudible]

>> steve smith checks and to say what this crucial swing vote makes of it. >> our economics editor will be counting days of political promises. we have invited the leaders of the three main parties to face- to-face interviews and we will be live every friday night. if you have still not had your fill, i will be here for a saturday addition to out to the campaign. -- saturday edition throughout the campaign. >> can setting a message to music helped politicians

reconnect to voters? >> if that was not enough, we are asking for it or help to sort through the pamphlets and promises of the parties. if you receive an election pamphlet that strikes you as an unusual, we want to see it. perhaps it contains something that strikes you as odd or a glaring and order. send us your leaflets. tomorrow morning's front pages are preoccupied with the announcement of an election. here are some of

>> that is all for tonight. we have not mentioned the news that the manufacturers of scrabble have allowed proper nouns to count. all those years of eating a page of the dictionary at bedtime were in vain. good night. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010]

>> our coverage of british politics continues tomorrow morning with the last prime minister discussion before the election. tonight, a look at the recent toyota motor co. recalls and the government safety standards. at 8:00, a live program with former safety officials at the national highway safety traffic administration. that is tonight on c-span and [unintelligible] . robert gates said today that potential threats to maintain -- require the u.s. to maintain for strike options for nuclear weapons. the nuclear posture review is a report mandated by congress. he is joined by a hillary

clinton and stephen chu. this is about 25 minutes. >> thank you for being with us today. the department of defense is releasing the nuclear posture review, if reports that outline a balanced and comprehensive approach to dealing with the role of nuclear weapons in our national security. i am pleased to have secretary clinton and secretary chu joining us to make this announcement this is indicative of the importance of the issues and the significant of interagency cooperation. both secretaries and the admiral will make brief comments. we will take three or four questions. the npr provides a road map for implementing the agenda to reduce nuclear risk to the u.s., our allies and partners and the

international community. this review describes how the u.s. will reduce the role and numbers of nuclear weapons with a long-term goal of a nuclear- free world. driven by the changing nature of the security environment, they npr focuses on five key objectives. preventing nuclear proliferation and terrorism. reducing the role of u.s. nuclear weapons and the u.s. national security strategy. maintaining strategic deterrence and stability. strengthening regional deterrence and reassuring u.s. allies and partners. sustaining a safe and secure and effective nuclear arsenal. to these ends, the npr includes significant changes to our posture. new declaratory policies remove some of the calculated ambiguity in previous declaratory policy. if a non-nuclear weapon state is

in compliance with the non proliferation treaty and its obligations, the u.s. pledges not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against them. if any state eligible to this assurance were to use chemical or biological weapons against the u.s. or its allies or partners, it would face the prospect of a devastating conventional military response. still, given the catastrophic potential of a -- of biological weapons and the rapid pace of biotechnology development, the u.s. reserves the right to make any adjustment to this policy that may be warranted by the evolution and proliferation of biological weapons. the review rightly place is the prevention of nuclear terrorism and proliferation at the top of the u.s. nuclear policy agenda. given all tied up's -- given al qaeda's continued efforts and north korea's proliferation, this focus is appropriate and a central -- and is central.

it concluded that stable deterrence can be maintained while reducing strategic nuclear vehicles by approximately 50% from start one levels. the u.s. will pursue a high level, bilateral dialogue with both russia and china that are aimed at fostering more stable, resilient and transparent strategic relationships. n. pr determined that the u.s. -- thisnpr determined that the u.s. will not test new nuclear warheads. and we will not support new military missions or provide for new military capabilities. we will study options for ensuring the safety and security of nuclear warheads on a case by case basis. any decision to proceed to

engineering and development, we will give strong preference to refurbishment or reused. replacement of any nuclear components, it's absolutely necessary, would require a specific presidential approval. the u.s. must make needed investment to rebuild our aging nuclear infrastructure, both facilities and personnel. i have asked for $5 billion to be transferred from the department of defense to the department of energy over the next several years to improve our nuclear infrastructure and support a credible modernization program. there are also areas of continuity in this report. among them, the u.s. will continue to hold accountable any state, terrorism group or other non-state actor that supports or enables terrorist efforts to obtain or use weapons of mass destruction. whether by facilitating, financing or providing expertise or safe haven for such efforts. we will maintain the nuclear

triad of icbm's and we will develop non-nuclear capabilities including regional missile defenses to reduce the role of nuclear weapons and our defense posture. the u.s. will continue abiding by its pledge not to conduct nuclear testing. this report was from beginning to end an interagency effort. i want to express my appreciation to all the apartments and especially the leadership of secretary clinton and secretary chu. i would like to thank the men and women of the department of defense and energy who are critical to sustaining our nuclear arsenal. their important work under arrest the security of the u.s. as well as -- as well as that of our partners and allies. >> thank you. let me begin thanking for your

leadership in this effort and the collaboration that persisted throughout it. the review we are releasing represents a milestone in the transformation of our nuclear forces and the way in which we approach nuclear issues. we are we calibrating our priorities to prevent nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism. we are reducing the role and number of weapons in our arsenal while maintaining a safe, secure, and effective deterrent to protect our nation, allies, and partners. this npr provide a foundation in which we and our allies can build a more secure future. this is important not only for what it says but also the way in which it was conducted. i believe it is the first on classified npr in its totality. secretary gates is responsible for making this the most

inclusive nuclear posture review in history. admiral mullin has been instrumental in working for many of the issues that were raised. the department of energy has brought its expertise to the table and i am very proud of the world -- of the role the state department played in making the policy and we will be working with our allies and partners to explain it and implement it. it truly was a collaborative effort in keeping with the agenda and goals set by president obama. this included more than 30 of our allies and partners. we have provided non-nuclear allies the specific reassurances and securities but the policies outlined in this review allow us to continue --

allow us to continue this role. this makes it clear that we will cooperate with partners worldwide to prevent nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism. under president obama is leadership, we work to advance that agenda, beginning with last year's security council summit and the president's speech in prague. thursday, the president will be back in prague to sign a historic new start treaty with russia and next week, the president will host more than 40 heads of state to tackle the most dangerous threat we face today, the threat of nuclear terrorism. this posture review provides the strategic bases for all of these efforts and it demonstrates our commitment to making progress toward disarmament under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. we are stating clearly for the first time that the u.s. will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non- nuclear weapons against non- nuclear weapon states that are