brexit, conservatives, plaid cymru, ukip and lib dems will be competing ina numberof ukip and lib dems will be competing in a number of seats across wales. the leader of the plaid cymru, leanne wood, has said that she has not ruled out standing in a role competing against a labour seat there, because they feel that is a seat plaid cymru can win. the leader of the conservatives is also positive towards it, as has been the lib dems. and ukip17 seat in cardiff bay last year in assembly elections, and neil hamilton, their leader, says he has not ruled out any consultancy mp in the general election. he hopes ukip will have someone election. he hopes ukip will have someone standing in all of the seats across wales. all the parties besides labour here are reflecting the national story, really, that labour is not really happy with this decision but the other parties seem fine with it and are ready to battle, come this next election. that is the view from cardiff bay in wales. now over to northern ireland. 0ur ireland correspondent, chris page, is in belfast. the parties are preparing for their

it is there for the taking for the lib dems.beginning of the beginning of a comeback? let's put it no more highly than that but i would be very happy with the beginning of the beginning of a comeback. the tories sound confident but some in former lib dem strongholds in london and the south west expect a tough fight and hope that the lib dems are not ready for the road back to westminster.” don't think the lib dems have restored their infrastructure after the dramatic losses in 2015. but you know you will have a fight on your hands? we know we will and we will a lwa ys hands? we know we will and we will always fight to win. nigel farage. since nigel farage left to seek his own political fortunes, backing donald trump, the party has lost ground. they have lost the odd election they might have won. the referendum has gone and so is nigel farage. you are a party without a purpose. i do not buy that at all. theresa may may well have triggered article 50 but the negotiations have not started yet. if people want brexit, as they voted f

fascinating too will be the south west of england, the lib dems' former heartland. 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. hello, iam ros hello, i am ros atkins with bbc outside source. theresa may has announced that she will ask parliament to vote one holding a snap general election on june parliament to vote one holding a snap general election onjune the 8th. let's ta ke let's take a few more minutes to get through some of the questions you have been sending in, with the help of christian fraser

there's also a bit of a remain vote for the lib dems, will vote go.emain vote forthe lib dems, and that's because jeremy corbyn was lfi’:;‘.if§ smut never very convinced about remain. there will be places like richmond and sussex, where labour voters labour votes to the lib dems are the well again. there is a lot more of a soft tory vote, where when the election campaign goes on and receive the relentless nature of it, they may decide they are remain first and tory second. it'll be better than they had, but it's not good to be huge. the impact will be about those who switch from labour to the conservatives. in northern ireland, there's the debate over the border with the republic of ireland and the snp are desperately wanting another referendum. bloggers create extra problems for the british government. this will be the great crack. this will be the time when they say, theresa may, helped by david cameron's appalling judgment on the referendum, hacked apart the united kingdom. ithink on the referendum, hacked apart the united kingdom. i think it will b

the lib dems and dup, eight seats each.th a very slim majority of just 12. so where will the tories try to boost their numbers? the north west and the midlands are crucial battle grounds. here, there are numerous marginal constituencies where very few votes separate conservative and labour. at the last election, labour made little headway here. in the west midlands, high on the list for the tories, will be places like wolverhampton south west and walsall north, both have slender labour majorities. but some argue that the current tory lead in the polls might not be easily translated into seat gains from labour. once you start looking at the electoral geography of labour's vote, it has a lot of very safe labour seats, and therefore, getting a large majority can be quite difficult and certainly if the polls are perhaps exaggerating the tories‘ lead a little bit or certainly if that lead comes down, to let's say seven, eight nine points, still quite substantial, that could still mean that theresa may doesn't end up with anythin

aside for the lib dems.ll 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

i think one of the accidents of this election is will be the revival of the lib dems.have huge vegan tim farrell, but because the centre—left belief in jeremy corbyn is so low, this would else will vote go. there's also a bit of a remainer move on for the lib dems, and that's because jeremy corbyn was never very convinced about remain. are a lot of soft or is all over all of the seats as well as getting back the tactical votes, places like richmond and sussex, where labour voters labour votes to the lib dems are the well again. there is a lot more of a soft tory vote, where when the election campaign goes on and receive the relentless nature of it, they may decide they are remain first and tory second. it'll be better than they had, but it's not good to be huge. the impact will be about those who switch from labour to the conservatives. anf ro the uk as a whole, northern ireland, there's the debate over the border with the republic of ireland and the snp are desperately wanting another referendum. is this election going to create extra problems for british governments?

good times for the lib dems seem a long time ago.st election, big hitters, cabinet ministers, tumbled one after another. now they're the most pro—europe party in politics, and survivors of that famous rout believe they can turn scepticism about brexit into support for them. they've got a lot of recovering to do. if you look at the british political spectrum, there is quite a large centre ground, which certainly jeremy corbyn, as a backbencher, has never occupied. and which theresa may, by pursuing hard brexit, doesn't also seem to want to occupy either that is there for the taking for the lib dems. you are hoping this might be the beginning of the beginning of a comeback? let's put it no more highly than that, but i would be very happy with the beginning of the beginning of a comeback. the tories sound confident, but some in former lib dem strongholds in london and the south—west expect a tough fight and just hope that the lib dems aren't ready for the road back to westminster. i don't think the liberal democrats have restored their

the lib dems were hopeful that had entered.hing to do with blogging. they need to win back supporters of conservatives in the south east. —— thatis conservatives in the south east. —— that is a fact, nothing to do with paul's. they needed to win over new voters, nonvoters. the evidence from by—elections, local elections and council elections is that has not happened yet. and so, as it stands, they are in a very difficult position. thank you very much for being with us. joe... christian, sorry, we have talked about policies, we have talked about policies, we have talked about policies, we have talked about polls, take me through procedure. what has to happen now? was a thing brought in some years ago called the fixed violence act which means that there should not be —— there should be five years between one election and the next and to overcome but you have to have and to overcome but you have to have a vote in the parliament, in the house of commons across the road, and two thirds of the mps have to vote in favour. we would be

the lib dems are very pro— remain.goldmans and they want to do it and overseas. “— goldmans and they want to do it and overseas. —— goldsmith. goldmans and they want to do it and overseas. -- goldsmith. the tories are taking a harder line. part of the reason we are in this situation is because of ukip will stop much as theircampaigning, is because of ukip will stop much as their campaigning, but also the threat that they pose to the conservative party. laura, do you see them as a real threat now? unending so. the parties are strong enough and i think nigel farage was such a big part of the ukip brand. without him, i think they will struggle. especially as brexit has been secured in terms of leaving the eu, how will look of courses be risen to the election in the first place. i think is a will be working ha rd to place. i think is a will be working hard to get some of those you get votes back. —— is the reason for. i did indeed do a u—turn, perhaps you could say. there is a lot to play forforgeries are made. i know the

and the lib dems, who have beena labour and the lib dems, who have been a bit more court on the hoof with their governing body to date and decide the rules. i think all parties nowjust need to get bodies in every seat ready to get bodies in every seat ready to get going. it'sjust seven weeks. the financial times front page is mr corbyn, he is in croydon, a marginal constituency. the caption at the top, "call to arms, corbyn targets the rich as mps vote to set election clock ticking, he clearly feels of course that he can win. he is supported, surrounded by the party faithful, there. and he is on the stump. i think my point and we might i’ow stump. i think my point and we might row about this, is that i see that picture of corbyn and i saw him on the television earlier and he walks into this rally amid cheers, someone said "i love you, i love you". this is where he's happiest, which is fine, because theresa may also pictured in the telegraph surrounded by her supporters. but critics of jeremy corbyn will say, this is the early thing he can do coming he loves these rallies, that is whe

and also some big names from the old lib dem benches.ment. george osborne, the former chancellor, has decided he only needs five jobs instead of six. he is on his way. nigel france is not going to make an eighth attempt to become mp. presumably he does not wa nt to to become mp. presumably he does not want to lose again. he is still an mep, although he has successfully abolished that position.” mep, although he has successfully abolished that position. i do not think that is a long—term career move for him. there will be some names we saw defeated in 2015, vince cable, for example, is trying to make a comeback. simon hughes. will the lib dems benefit from the remain constituency they seemed to discover in the richmond by—election? they could re—establish their presence in parliament. i do sometimes wonder if the new lib dem bounce is a bit of a media bubble. their national poll rating is not more than 12, 13%. only about a third of the voters know who tim farron is. he has not been able to give a concrete impression of who he is. if ther

with brexit the backdrop for this election, the lib dems see their resista nce election, the lib demsheir resistance to the prime minister plans as a selling point. in leafy parts they hope that that themselves, like here enrichment outside london. there is an opportunity for the british people to choose to change the direction of out to choose to change the direction of our country, reject the hard brexit and vote to stay in the single market. however you voted lastjune to vote to have a decent strong opposition that we desperately need for the good of democracy. onlyjust over a dozen mps try to stop it happening. the opposition could have blocked the desire to hold an election three years early. the ayes to the right 522. but not a chance. the noes to the left 13. so it is now officially on. the reality of brexit take the timing of the election but theresa may was also tempted by the lure of the polls and her desire to get 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 succes

fascinating too will be the south—west of england, the lib dems former heartland.y 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? it might be better received in some of the london suburbs which voted to remain in the eu. the conservatives could have a real fight on their hands in former lib dem constituencies such as kingston—upon—thames and twickenham where sir vince cable says he'll stand again. but if you look at last year's referendum result, you can see why the prime minister wants to frame this as a brexit election. the blue areas voted leave. but many of them have labour mps who backed remain. she also wants to attract some of the four million voters who backed ukip last time. 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. let's get some more reaction to today's news about an early general election. our europe editor, katya

what are the lib dems offering? won't just be that. in twickenham, which i represented, there are other issues bubbling up around cuts in schools, which go way beyond what is fiscally necessary. bits of environmental issues, heathrow airport. there was a lot to fight over. we mention this earlier, quite a lot of people don't know who your leader is, the liberal democrat leader. tim farron has done a very good job over the last year. it always happens, i remember when charles kennedy first came in as leader, became immensely popular but at the beginning never knew who he was, paddy ashdown have the same problem. it requires a general election to have the necessary protection but he has done very well and he will do well. mrs may said the country was coming together but westminster wasn't. is she right, is the country coming together?” westminster wasn't. is she right, is the country coming together? i think so. when we live that some of the polls today saying 68% of the electorate of people in this country wa nt elec

the lib dems provide that. of the campaign, even though officially it hasn't started, it has already turned out to be quite a busy one. it has been. all the parties really pushing for their core votes. you had ukip talking about one of their policies was about banning the burqa. that's going back to a policy from 2010 that they got rid of in the 2015 election. of course they no longer have the issue of the european referendum as there key issue. they are looking for other areas to appeal to their vote. labour are talking about having bank holidays, four new bank all days. and then the conservatives talking about capping fuel costs. that interestingly enough is being that the labour party talks about are the last general election. here we have it resurfacing under a different party. all of them really trying to get in their early with their offerings to the parties. we haven't got all of the manifesto is yet, so when you hearjeremy corbyn there talking about the manifesto and the issue around trident, we haven't

was there a surprise of the number of lib dems have rejoined the race?ned the race? people who were recently prominent but her coming back. ithink were recently prominent but her coming back. i think rick reflects the fact that the tales of the liberal democrats are up. considering the state they run 2015 and a dreadful till election for them, they do think that brexit has presented them with a golden opportunity and they see a chance to ta ke opportunity and they see a chance to take on of course some brexit supporting labour mps, there aren't many of them but for instance in south london the figure could come from nowhere to take that seat for the labour mp voted for gritters brexit. they are hoping to lead into the tory vote in the south—west, the classic heartland of these liberal democrats and they are pretty confident, they are loving the country and think this election is going to be for them and whether an increased lib dem vote translates to seats in parliament and gets them up from the name they have no... do they have a chance? tim farron has

so the only way to stop a tory majority is the growth and revival of the lib dems.it will not outline its negotiating stance any further than the dab rhetoric we have already seen. we have said that that is not good enough. if they will not tell us good enough. if they will not tell us what they are pursuing, they must instead trust the people with their say on the final deal. the prime minister has already confirmed that she will not do any tv debates, referring to bash machiavellian to hide behind the media that supports than face the public any tv debate. i will give way. i think you might have misheard the straightforward question, it is being afraid, do not be afraid, will you rule out a coalition with the tories, yes or no? the outcome of this general election is up —— uncertain and in the days and weeks to come we will no doubt talk about what will happen... honourable gentleman below, you as well, you have to be patient, your patience will be rewarded. i don't think he gave a straight answer to that question, so let's try another question. many of his viewer

elsewhere, the lib dems say the party now has more than 100,000 members.etween his party and the conservatives. there is a very clear dinks between the conservatives who want to take us the conservatives who want to take us out of the single market and who are desperate for there not to be a clear and decent opposition to they will. who want this to be a coronation and not a contest and the liberal democrats who believe that britain should be in the single market. a man has been arrested over the death of an ex—royal navy officer who was hit as his car was stolen from outside his home in manchester. a 21—year—old is being held on suspicion of murder and is due to be questioned. now the sport. newcastle united can be promoted back to the premier league at the first time of asking tonight if they beat preston in the championship at stjames' park. brighton have already secured their place in the top flight next season, but rafa benitez‘s side have had a dip in form taking just a single point from their last three games. the other teams they have to do somethi

the lib dems will fight against the government's strategy for brexit.unity 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 us in the single market. and it's an opportunity for us to have a decent, strong opposition in this country that we desperately need. the ukip leader, paul nuttall, welcomed the general election. but make no mistake, he said, this was a decision driven by the weakness of labour, not the good of the country. labour certainly goes into this election a very long way behind the tories in the opinion polls. labour mps in marginal seats are likely to be sweating at what could be seen by some as an audacious political ambush by theresa may. so she has rolled the dice, she is confident she will win, but politics has never been more unpredictable and a lot can happen in a six—week campaign. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. our political correspondent eleanor garnier is at downing street for us. theresa may would not call this if she did not think she w

he was going to stand as the lib dem candidate in his old constituency of bradford east.mr ward was unfit to represent the party. there's plenty more on the election on our website. you can follow the latest campaigning and developments at bbc.co.uk/news. west ham and newcastle united football clubs have been raided by tax officials as part of an investigation into suspected income tax and national insurance fraud. nearly 200 tax officers are part of an investigation into alleged fraud in football. 0ur sports correspondent natalie pirks is at the london stadium — home to west ham. we understand around 50 hmrc officers turned up at the taxpayer funded home of west ham at around eight o'clock. up until half an hour ago we could still see some officers clearly through the window, still hear some eight or nine hours later. boxes of evidence were lined up ready to be taken away. we understand they seized business records and documents, computers and mobile phones. we also know that st james' park, home to newcastle united, was raided and in the minds high—profile arrests of ar

ukip ii, the greens 4, the snp 5 and the lib dems 10.ak to a pollster in a little while. all the opposition parties are saying they welcome this election. let's hear from jeremy corbyn. i welcome the opportunity for us to put the case to the people of britain, to stand up to the people of britain, to stand up against this government and its failed economic agenda, which has left our nhs in problems, which has left our nhs in problems, which has left our nhs in problems, which has left our schools underfunded, which has left so many people uncertain. we wa nt has left so many people uncertain. we want to put a case out there for the people of britain of a society that cares for all, an economy that works for all and a brexit that works for all and a brexit that works for all and a brexit that works for all. that's labour, right after the announcement, the lib dem leader took to twitter to say, "this is your chance to change the direction of your country." he went straight into campaign mode in truro in the south—west of england. straight

i guess the lib dems, that's still where they have to reach two.tory itself. there is the suggestion that we and the americans will say, this is what you will do, mr putin. they say he should withdraw military support from damascus and begin a transition to a new regime, which is of course also a change. this change of course also a change. this change of regime, which has been off the table for a while. this claim of russian combo city rests on analysis q;==:=:e,=.—. --__|_- rib.» rgci'z: an ,=.—.,=!=;=;=;. .. .. that a qi==:=:i.=-. --__|_- rib.» rgqb: r..—. ,=.—.,=!=;=;=;. .. .. that a drone flew “fiftif'l “fir“? before i—off town shortly before i—off assad's warplanes dropped a serengeti bomb. they are investigating whether a russian plane of the hospital. —— sarin gas. different from the days where you could tell mr putin after the election that he could be more flexible because he doesn't have any more elections to fight, as he told i think it was the prime minister at the time. that famous quote. i think this is russia and assad and others who

the lib dems would talk about the idea of getting back into europe with a second referendum.a market for their policy. the lib dems have nine mp5. 56 the last time. let's have a look at the times. a different story. president trumper ‘s times. a different story. president trumper '5 eu ahead of britain in trade 0. merkel lands brexit victory for brussels. didn't donald trump say that brexit was great for britain. president 0bama put us at the back of the queue. the warning from the president 0bama administration, we love you guys. countries like to deal with the eu asa countries like to deal with the eu as a bloc. it took seven years for canada to negotiate a deal with the eu. the whole idea, if we are sophisticated enough, what will we do? sailaround on sophisticated enough, what will we do? sail around on the yacht britannia and try and individually knock on doors to ensure that we are trading with countries of the world. in the times they are going on a different line. knocking on doors is what we have been doing. boris says we're going to get a deal. in washington, they h

while he said being gay is fine, until today, the lib dem leader, a committed christian, has refusedi don't believe gay sex is a sin. i take the view that, as a political leader, though, myjob is not to pontificate on theological matters. this had become a talking point, an issue. in that case, if people have kind of got the wrong opinion of what i think about these issues, then that's something it is right to correct. it's taken him almost two years, since becoming the leader of the lib dems, to clarify his position. but the pressure has increased since the election was called. so, what's changed in the last 48 hours that you are now able to say that you don't think gay sex is a sin, yet for the last two years you have very blatantly swerved the question? well, i'm quite careful how i talk about my faith. i'm not... i mean, i don't bang on about it. i don't make a secret out of it. so you were either misleading people before, or you are misleading people now. which is it? so the answer to that is that i was asked a question early on, and i didn't want to get into a sort of series of

we saw it at the last general election, the lib dems being annihilated, from 57 seats down to eight.ckin seats down to eight. they got one back in richmond park, so they have nine. he suffered a great deal. now they see their moment, because they are, in terms of the main parties, a party that people associate with remaining in the european union. so if you voted remain, and labour's m essa 9 es if you voted remain, and labour's messages muddled, perhaps your vote will go to the lib dems. they're probably thinking they don't need to do gales with other parties, because they are a party with a clear message and they might be able to gain back some ground. if you look at some of the seats a loss to the conservatives, they will hope to win those back on the same issue.|j conservatives, they will hope to win those back on the same issue. i know we will top more in the cause of the morning. thanks very much for that. a record number of runners are expected to take part in the london marathon today. this is the scene live at greenwich park in south london where the main race has just got u

unleashed the dogs of war, and within a week, he was being accused of being a nazi sympathiser, and the lib dem is lost seats in the 2010 election. but the point was he did really well on camera in relation to gordon brown and david cameron. i think it demonstrated the idea that having the debate offered up idea that having the debate offered upa idea that having the debate offered up a platform to open up the conversations wasn't just about simple choices, but there was an alternative, there was nick clegg, and that was in a way, in 2015 it was very different, there was a seven way leaders debate, all of this chaos and noise, and there was even the opposition partys' debate, unbelievably noisy and confusing, and that played into the conservatives hands, because their narrative in 2015 which theresa may is trying to wheel out again is that it is stability with the conservatives or chaos with the other lot, but even if she does get the empty chair treatment, seeing sensible theresa may versus noise and chaos, that is the message she wants. and even if she is empty chaired, won't that make the br

at the other end of the spectrum, the lib dems think there's hope from their opposition to brexit.of the country that voted remain. they're promising a second referendum on the final brexit deal. we have, if you like, a coalition of chaos. conservatives, labour and ukip. all lined up backing the hardest of all brexits, exit from the single market, cutting off all our ties with our friends and neighbours in europe. yet even among usually mild mannered lib dems, there were heckles today, as tim farron faced questions about gay rights. it's fair to say that i've answered the question. polite politics in this campaign? maybe not in 2017. it's still a scramble for all the main parties to get their machines up and running. no—one‘s campaign is yet running at full pelt, but the broad thrust of having one to get you on board, their strategies, well, those are crystal clear. laura kuenssberg, bbc news vauxhall. the major ukip donor, aaron banks, says he won't stand as an mp in the general election. he'd previously suggested he would contest the seat of clacton, after the mp, douglas carswel

only three seats not held by the snp, one labour, one lib dem, one conservative. much confidence is their for the other parties that they can claw back some of the ground they lost? that is what they are working towards. there is a period of frantic activity at the moment from all parties. just down the road from where the snp are meeting this morning in that central glasgow hotel, labour are holding a meeting of their own. they will be focusing on candidate selection, as well. they only have one mp, that is ian murray. he was back out on the campaign trail yesterday. he will stand again in his edinburgh constituency. but they have decisions to make about where other candidates will stand across the country. we also expecting updates from the lib dems and the conservatives as to who might be standing. all of the parties have a difficult balancing act in scotland. because we have the local government elections coming a week on thursday. so, there is this consciousness that while they don't want overshadow that election, which, until tuesday when theresa may made th

it is my job to make sure the lib dems are the only pa rt make sure the lib dems are the only part waythe single market and have enough money to have the nhs and police force and the army. that is vital. there needs to be a contrast of propositions in the economy. in a position to brexit at any cost. the lib dems are equally clear. but labour is not clear and what they stand for. i am sure you sort —— saw brenda's opinion. are you concerned about voter apathy and people who are tired of voting? yes, people who are tired of voting? yes, people will be engaged, but what about the brendas of bristol?” people will be engaged, but what about the brendas of bristol? i have about the brendas of bristol? i have a lot of sympathy. my father would utterly agree with her. the reality is people are fed up of elections and referendums. it is people like me on the television all the time they get fed up with, not election. i understand. but people are not fed up i understand. but people are not fed up with democracy. people do not wa nt to up with democracy. people do not want to be told for the nex

while he said being gay was fine, until today, the lib dem leader, a committed christian, has refused. i don't believe gay sex is a sin. i take the view that, as a political leader, though, myjob is not to pontificate on theological matters. this had become a talking point, an issue. in that case, if people have kind of got the wrong opinion of what i think about these issues, then that's something it is right to correct. it's taken him almost two years, since becoming the leader of the lib dems, to clarify his position. but the pressure has increased since the election was called. so, what's changed in the last 48 hours that you are now able to say that you don't think gay sex is a sin, yet for the last two years you have very blatantly swerved the question? well, i'm quite careful how i talk about my faith. i'm not... i mean, i don't bang on about it. i don't make a secret out of it. so you were either misleading people before, or you are misleading people now. which is it? so the answer to that is that i was asked a question early on, and i didn't want to get into a sort of series

until today, the lib dem leader, a committed christian, has refused to answer this question: i don'tt as a political leader, though, myjob is not to pontificate on theological matters. this has become a talking point, an issue. in that case, if people have got the wrong opinion of what i think about on these issues, that's something it's right you correct. it's taken him almost two years, since becoming the leader of the lib dems, to clarify his position. but the pressure's increased since the election was called. so what's changed in the last 48 hours that you are now able to say you don't think gay sex is a sin, yet for the last two years, you have very blatantly swerved the question? i'm quite careful about how i talk about my faith. i don't bang on about it. i don't make a secret of it either. so, you were either misleading people before or you're misleading people now, which is it? so the answer to that is that i was asked the question early on, and i didn't want to get into a series of questions unpicking the theology of the bible. isn't itjust your christian belief and you did

while the lib dem leader, tim farron, said his party would fight to avoid a hard brexit.n telling conservative backbenchers why she wants an election. there will be a vote in the house of commons tomorrow to approve the ballot. the prime minister has announced plans to call a snap general election onjune the 8th. mrs may stunned westminster as she had previously insisted there would be no election until 2020. defending the u—turn, mrs may said she had reluctantly come to the conclusion that a vote was necessary, adding "the country is coming together but westminster is not." at this moment of enormous national significance there should be unity in westminster but instead there is division. the country is coming together but westminster is not. in recent weeks the labour party have threatened to vote against the final agreement will 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 they will vote against the legislation that formally repealed britain's membership of

none of the leaders have time to waste, with brexit the backdrop for this election, the lib dems seeir 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 de

the lib dems are also keen to fight the election on brexit, though from a rather different perspectivelib dem leader visited the scene of his party's by—election victory in richmond, south—west london, last year. it will be an opportunity for the british people to choose to change the direction of our country, to reject a hard brexit and stay in the single market. for a strong opposition in this country. theresa may may want this to be a brexit election, but prime ministers can't always set the terms of the debate and campaigns can have a life of their own. certainly, labour wants to pull the focus back towards public services and the economy. at pmqs, the labour leader criticised theresa may's decision not to take part in televised debates. but he also denounced the conservatives‘s record in government. 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? the snp expect labour to lose ground in england, so when their leader came to westmin

ryan sutton. —— lib dem run sutton.nd green places, that they are pleasant. we have published the first ever national litter strategy for england and we are supporting comprehensive and we are supporting comprehensive and frequent bin collections, but from what he says, that the liberal democrats run sutton council is doing, it shows that the liberal democrats charge the highest council taxes but, under the lib dems, you pay more and you get less. will the prime ministerjoin the scottish government, north ayrshire council and all ayrshire local authorities and all ayrshire local authorities and pledge today to support the ayrshire growth deal, requiring £250 billion of investment targeted to regenerate ayrshire and improve the lives and prospects of all the people of ayrshire? —— £250 million. is the honourable lady will know, we have already shown our commitment to growth deals in scotland from the deals that have been agreed. i understand the secretary of state for scotland has met with the scottish government to disc

what role, if any, did the lib dems had to play in the coming weeks?in wales, in carried again, and they will target cardiff central which they lost last time largely due to the tuition fee policy, it was a u—turn that lost them a large university student vote. the polls are indicating at the moment that the liberal democrats are flat—lining in wales and not making breakthroughs. i do not really expect them to make much ofan not really expect them to make much of an impression on the election in wales, it will largely be a labour and conservative battle. the conservatives trying to take seats and labour trying to hold on, with plaid cymru trying to get their voice heard. and get the labour voters to switch to plaid cymru instead. jonathan bradbury, it is good to have your thoughts. thank you. so theresa may says this election is about giving her a clear mandate for the tough brexit talks ahead. for labour, accused of sending confusing signals on brexit, today was a chance to clarify its position. the shadow brexit secretary sir keir starmer said labour

the lib dems take a strong view as juno on the way government is pursuing brexit, the so—called hard people in my area feel strongly about that. and this will be the top issue of the campaign. you are fighting a marginal seat, how does that make you feel with 50 days to go? i've never taken anything for granted. it was a conservative seat la st granted. it was a conservative seat last time and this time i'm finding my record, fighting for every vote. it is london, always different to the rest of the country. and i look forward to the next seven weeks. james, wejust forward to the next seven weeks. james, we just heard from jeremy corbyn talking about traditional labour subjects like any other election. not really talking about brexit. is that how it is going to go on the doorstep. i'm not so sure, brexit i think will be brought up by good number of people. i have those who voted labour all the knives contacting me saying they want strong leadership to see theresa may deliver that and progress the progress of brexit with a good outcome. so i think it will be an issue on the doorsteps

he wouldn't be standing as a lib dem candidate because tim farron wa nted lib dem candidate because tim to show the liberal democrats had a zero tolerance policy about anti—semitism. the bbc has been speaking to david ward. he insisted he was not anti—semitic and he did not understand the decision to sack him from the lib dems. this is what he had to say. this is all part of the plan, isn't it? how do you stop the house of commons raising issues of israel? what you do, you make sure that supporters of the palestinians don't get into the house of commons. and ask awkward questions. and this is the strategy and it works, doesn't it? tell us about the debates. we knew that theresa may wasn't keen and now jeremy corbyn isn't either? theresa may said she wouldn't take part in a televised debate and now we hear from jeremy corbyn that he won't ta ke from jeremy corbyn that he won't take part in a debate against other opposition party leaders because labour want to frame the election in terms of what they see is the choice between a labour government and a conservative government. so, he says,

with me now is the former deputy prime minister and ex lib—dem leader, nick clegg.will fight to retain his sheffield hallam seat for the liberal democrats. why? because i believe, this election, it is unlike any election i have ever encountered because there is only really one issue, which is to the british people think it is right to give theresa may a landslide majority are basically impose any kind of brexit that she once on the country with no meaningful opposition, no meaningful scrutiny. i think that is wrong not only because i disagree with the ha rd only because i disagree with the hard brexit she wants to pursue, i also fundamentally disagree with it asa also fundamentally disagree with it as a matter of democratic principle. healthy opposition holding the powerful's feet to the fire is an essential agreement of our democracy and what she wants to dubai calling this election to exploit the wea knesses this election to exploit the weaknesses of jeremy corbyn this election to exploit the weaknesses ofjeremy corbyn is to arrogate herself extraordinary amount o

the conservatives are planning a fresh wave of grammars, but labour and the lib dems are strongly againstc ashdown. this tuition centre in kent is popular with parents who hope it will help their children win a place at a local grammar school. a wave of new grammars in england is likely to be a key plank of the conservative manifesto. theresa may feels strongly they can boost social mobility. absolutely the mix, the demographic we have of children coming to any of our centres is not exclusively middle—class at all. i think it's aspirational parents, especially in areas where those opportunities are available. but today at their annual conference, head teachers will be asked to vote on a motion to vigorously oppose the expansion of selective schools. it is a policy, they'll be told, for the view at the expense of the many. grammars might be the hot topic but heads say there are also facing increasing difficulties recruiting and retaining staff. brexit is a source of uncertainty and the debate continues overfunding. it is, heads claim, a perfect storm of pressures. a storm which it's feared

the lib dems are also out, tim farron is out in leeds.is ambition to become leader of the opposition. 0ne talked about his ambition to become leader of the opposition. one week m, leader of the opposition. one week in, a lot of campaigning going on. it will be a busy you. solicitors representing patients of a breast surgeon, found guilty of carrying out a series of needless operations, say the true number of his victims could be in the hundreds — or even thousands. ian paterson was found guilty of intentionally wounding his patients at two private hospitals in the west midlands. simon clemison reports. patients are meant to be able to trust their doctor, but ian paterson practised at the exact opposite and betrayed his patients on some scale. he told people they were at risk of cancer and operated on them unnecessarily. the breast surgeon worked in private and nhs hospitals in the west midlands, and while staff in the public sector now hold each other to account, lawyers representing some of the victims are today calling for a full, indep

and the observer reports a pledge from lib dem leader, tim farron, that he won't do any coalition dealsn. hello to you both. let's plunge straight in with the mail on sunday. tory lead slashed in half after tax u—turn. what u—turn, and which poll? it is extraordinary. other polls elsewhere have the tories well ahead, sort of a8, but the mail on sunday suggests it is down to a0— wa nted sunday suggests it is down to a0— wanted nine. it is a triple the refusing to rule out any tax increases, refusing to contribute to the triple lock on pensions, and the commitment to .7% on aid, which appears to have gone down quite badly with the court tory heartland. the interesting thing about the poll they quote is that the fieldwork for they quote is that the fieldwork for the interviews was done later, yesterday after the story started to bubble about tax. it is a curious one because we know that the chancellor is looking for cash because he told us he was. he had his tax proposal effectively told he could not do it because it broke the last manifesto, so it won't be a surprise if the conservatives

what the lib dems themselves have described as anti—semitic remarks.t least for opposition. the legacy of this parliament is the utter, abject failure of her majesty's official opposition to effectively held her government to effectively hold her government to account for any of it. is it not time britain had a strong, decent, new opposition? forget campaigns, it felt a bit like the commons leaving do. of course, a few mps have chosen to go. but many more must wait to see if they are asked back or booted out by you. so take a last look. those green benches will not be the same again. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. labour says that if it wins the election, it will get rid of the 1% cap, on pay increases for nhs staff in england, and will end tuition fees for student nurses and midwives. the plan would be partly funded through an increase to corporation tax, but the details haven't yet been published. 0ur health editor hugh pym has been examining the policy. there've been protests about cuts to funding of student nurses and midwives in england

jeremy corbyn and the lib dems also out and about.hear what he had to say in a visit to the north—west of england. we will see a lot more of these kinds of appearances by the party leaders. let's hear from the questions that mrs may is facing from the media. as far as the trade deal with don donald trump is concerned, isn't it the case that you do need to eat in the case that you do need to eat in the freedom to have higher taxes after the next election, that there isa after the next election, that there is a distinct possibility you're going to raise taxes? let's be clear issue of taxation. at this election, people will have a clear choice. they will have a choice between a conservative party that always has been and will continue to be a party that believes in lower taxes, in keeping taxes down for ordinary working people. we've taken 4 million people out of paying income tax altogether, 31 million people have seen a tax cut under the conservatives. and the other choices are labour party whose natural instinct is always to raise tax

the lib dems see an opportunity for the party to come back from rock bottom.e 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 written in the single market, and indeed, this is an opportunity for us to have a decent and strong opposition in this country, that we desperately need. this election will notjust be about what goes on in westminster, but the whole country's constitution. theresa may won't promise another vote on scottish independence, that nicola sturgeon well. it is very clear that the prime minister's announcement is very much about the narrow interests of her own party, not for the country overall. remember, despite favourable polls for the tories and a weakened opposition, the last few months and yea rs have opposition, the last few months and years have shown the politics of this era have become rather hard to predict. the question is, what do voters think of this? we have been getting some reactions to the news from people around the uk. you arejoking? not another o

the lib dems think there is hope from their opposition to brexit. in parts of the country that voted remain. we have a coalition of chaos. conservatives, labour and ukip. all lined up backing the ha rd est of ukip. all lined up backing the hardest of all wrecks it is, exit from the single market and cutting of ties from our friends and neighbours in europe. even among unusually mild mannered lib dems, there were heckles today over questions about gay rights. like politics in this campaign? maybe not in 2017. it is still a scrabble for all the main parties to get their machines up and running. no one's campaign is running at full pelt. the strategies? those are crystal clear. a 21 year—old man is being questioned by police after a former royal navy officer died tackling burglars outside his home in manchester. mike samwell, who was 35, is thought to have been run over by his own car which was stolen in the early hours of yesterday morning. danny savage is in the manchester suburb of chorlton where it happened. danny.,, more than 36 hours after samwel