, lib dems up 296, tories, 14% down for ukip, lib dems up 2%, labourdown tories, 14% down for ukip, libone. back in 2013, ukip tidwell, the equivalent of 22, 20 3% in general elections, that is why they can fall so far. as a result, neither the conservatives nor labour did very well in 2013 so the big increase of the conservative vote is from a low baseline and a much lower baseline than they got in the general election. conversely, however, labour doing badly in 2013 and their vote even lower tells the tale of how, whatever doubts we have about how, whatever doubts we have about how good the conservatives are, the labour party not showing much sign of posing a significant challenge to the conservatives and the opinion polls showing the party is a long, long way from being able, apparently, to being a contender —— credible contender for power in this election, broadly confirmed by the evidence of those figures you have shown. i don't want to get bogged down into much detail but we are showing share changes since 2013, if viewers are wondering why we are not comparing with 2015, what wou

visa lib dem target voters in a lib dem target seat.the promises of politicians. 0ne ofjeremy corbyn's key allies, the leader of the unite union, says he believes labour is now in with "a real chance" of winning the general election. it's a change in the view of len mccluskey from yesterday, when he said in an interview that a labour victory onjune 8th would be "extraordinary". the interview i did with politico was a conversational piece, and it was against the backdrop of if the opinion polls are to be believed that i made those comments. of course, since then, labour launched their manifesto and it's fantastic. a manifesto for workers and ordinary working people. a manifesto that will change britain for the good. and the response that we've had from unite members has been incredible. that's why i was checking our polls that we do, constant rolling polls, and the response has been like something we've never seen before. so i'm now full of optimism — if i was having that interview today, i wouldn't be making those comments. in just unde

it's a big day for the lib dems?we had the labour ma nifesto yesterday, we had the labour manifesto and today we get the liberal democrats manifesto. maybe it isa liberal democrats manifesto. maybe it is a side bar because the lib dems have made pretty clear they're one, big message for this election is vote lib dem and we will have a referendum on the deal that mrs may negotiates. in other words, referendum on the deal that mrs may negotiates. in otherwords, brexit is their big pitch and they're appealing to those people who voted remain. the manifesto becomes not so important, although, it will contain measures for more money for schools, hospitals, social care, reversing some benefits, they will be looking to see where that cash is going to come from. they'll also be a pitch for younger voters, so they're suggesting there ought to be a rent—to—own scheme to try and help first—time buyers, they're going to bring back student grants, but brexit remains their big theme as vicki young now reports. the liberal democrat

the concern, ithink, among lib dems there was enormous anger.those young people who went through that period and now have big debts, they have been to university, will not be interested in voting liberal democrat. another problem is that the lib dems is pushing away, potentially, voters who did vote to leave the eu, they may well move to the conservatives, who currently have a big lead in the polls. with the labour party moving to the left, the conservatives moving to the right, you look at france and the success of the centrist candidate like a emmanuel macron, it is interesting that the lib dems are not making more ground in the centre? tim farron gave a speech in london tonight to launch the manifesto and said that if you look at the french elections, the previous two main parties in france came third and fifth, leaving the voters of france with a choice between macron and the national front. he said that was not something the lib dems were prepared to stand for in the uk, they will continue the fight. looking at the ma nifesto, continue the

a promise matched by the lib dems.nd £5.8 billion extra on schools in england over the next four years, and more for poorer pupils. £660 million on further education. the lib dems suggested they would also raise taxes on businesses. two thirds of schools, it now turns out today, are trying to lay off at least one teacher, losing at least one teaching post in the next two months. under that kind of pressure, there needs to be a response, a fully costed response, to build a future for all of our children so we can have a decent education and be confident in that. schools in cambridgeshire are among the lowest funded in england. all the secondary teachers here wrote to parents with a warning. we've said there will be fewer teachers and fewer teaching assistants, we've said there will be fewer resources in classrooms, whether that is exercise books, la pto ps. fewer opportunities for students to perhaps go on trips or sporting fixtures. we have said across the board there will be an impact and reductions. this school is on

lib dems are the only party offering hope -- corbyn.lib dems narrowly avoided a election wipeout but they are hoping the vote to leave the eu has thrown then a political lifeline. within the past half hour, it's been announced that the former labour first minister of wales, rhodri morgan, had died. he was 77. he was first elected as an mp in 1987 and rose to become the longest—serving first minister of wales, holding the position for nine years. he is widely credited with having bought stability to the fledgling assembly after its turbulent start in 1999. he is survived by his wife, julie, two daughters and a son. ca rwyn carwyn jones says wales hasn't lost just a great politician — we have lost a real father figure. president trump has been accused of trying to shut down an fbi investigation into the links between his former national security adviser and russia. the white house denies the allegation but there are calls for all records of a meeting between the president and the former fbi director, james comey, who was sacked by mr trum

pledges in the lib dem election ma nifesto. pledges in the lib dem election manifesto.is has given the figures a chris morris has given the figurese the biggest revenue raising to add one p2 income tax across is to add one p2 income tax across the board. they estimate it will raise £6.3 billion per year, money they would spend exclusively on the nhs, care services and public health _‘|p nhs, care services and public health —— 1p on income tax. this isn't as much as labour proposed, but they say they can raise £3.6 billion annually through the corporation tax. and there is an eye—catching proposal to legalise and tax cannabis. the lib dems say this will raise £1 billion per year. 0verall, this is a manifesto that will cost the country in the this is a manifesto that will cost the ct would in the ,: spend e‘ie’d billion spend sid billion more dems would spend £14.1 billion more in new day—to—day spending that they would raise in taxes. that would meana would raise in taxes. that would mean a small rise in the budget deficit by the end of the decade. if you strip out the m

the lib dems have lost 11 seats. our political editor laura kuenssberg. ..is duly elected as councillor for the said division. blue was the colour. in essex... teesside... derbyshire. .. lancashire... south, east, west and north. even in glasgow, where in some parts the tories went out with the ark. the conservative party candidate is duly elected as mayor. and in the marginal midlands, a big win. the area's first ever metro mayor, wearing a tory rosette. this is may's day. this is not about who wins and who loses in the local elections. it is about continuing to fight for the best brexit deal for families and businesses across the united kingdom. are you still seriously maintaining, today, that you are not looking at a victory and sweeping back into number ten, potentially with a very large majority? i'm not taking anything for granted. i will be going out for the remaining weeks of this general election campaign to earn the support of the british people. and it is labour that is suffering. red spilled in west dunba

the lib dems.re hasn't been the resurgence that you were expecting. where are the remainers in this? it's been, no question, disaint poking night it's been, no question, disappointing night for the lib dems and who would have hoped to do better. specially in the leave areas it's proved it's not possible tojust, sort of, win back areas that the lib dems had once before. in remain areas where the lib dems have a presence there have been points of light, good results for the lib dems. paul is basically right. i don't think i've ever said that before. we need to find a way. none of the parties of the left have anything to challenge theresa may, her popularity, her poise. something about her people like. something needs to change. if she's ever going to stop being prime minister. labour voters ringing in saying — i voted labour every election i could do. there's something about theresa may i like. when i asked them what it is, they can't explain what it is. i think that's a very interesting phenomenon.

a promise matched by the lib dems.ys it would spend 5.8 billion extra on schools in england over the next four years, and more for poorer pupils. 660 million on further education. the lib dems suggested they would also raise taxes on businesses. two thirds of schools, it now turns out today, are trying to lay off at least one teacher, losing at least one teaching post in the next two months. under that kind of pressure, there needs to be a response, a fully costed response, to build a future for all of our children so we can have a decent education and be confident in that. schools in cambridgeshire are among the lowest funded in england. all the secondary teachers here wrote to parents with a warning. we've said there will be fewer teachers and fewer teaching assistants, we've said there will be fewer resources in classrooms, whether that is exercise books, laptops. fewer opportunities for students to perhaps go on trips or sporting fixtures. we have said across the board there will be an impact and reductions. this s

in terms of what the lib dems are committed to, what the lib dems are committed to, what is the effectbout half of adults pay income tax in this country, so a one percentage point increase in each rate of income tax would cut on average household incomes by 0.6%. this would be mostly focused on people in the top 20% of the income distribution. it is progressive because it is linked to pay and income tax. you made a point about 196, income tax. you made a point about 1%, we are talking about a penny in every pound that is raised in income tax. what about the broader debate on tax in this election? we have heard labour say it is prepared to put up taxes on what it calls the rich, and that is people who are about 70,000 plus. we have heard the liberal democrats making this specific pledge saying this would be ring fenced. the conservatives say if you book for anyone other than theresa may, your taxes will go up. can we read into that that the taxes will not go up under the conservatives? i do not know if we can read into that. they have not made a specific pledge and like the last time. s

north norfolk is the only lib dem seatin north norfolk is the only lib dem seat in norfolk, suffolk orry big fun was drafted in. thejustice secretary today, a tory big fun was drafted in. the justice secretary and today, a tory big fun was drafted in. thejustice secretary and south west norfolk candidate liz trust. we have fought to get things like the aa 11 of grade, to get raf marham secured, to get the a 47 further upgraded. we want the great conservative mp here in north norfolk that can help us fight for a better deal for the whole county. the numbers are pretty stark. ukip withdrew their candidate here and if ukip voters from 2015 switch to the conservatives, lib dem norman lamb could be out. he took north norfolk from the conservatives in 2001 but defending a majority of 4500, he's fighting for his future as an mp. we knew that it was going to be a target seat and we're ready for them. norman has a huge track record that their candidate doesn't have. he's been their representative for 16 years and worked hard for them for that time. what can they put up against that? north norfo

the lib dems down 36.national party at this point having made one game in terms of seats. but of course more contests to declare. the greens have made four gains, they are on 19 seats at the moment. we'll talk more about all of those performances later. i'd like to show you the results before we have a quick update on the news from derbyshire. let's have a look at derbyshire. let's have a look at derbyshire. this is a very, very important derbyshire. this is a very, very im porta nt contest derbyshire. this is a very, very important contest that has happened. this is where labour had its big majority of 22 after 2013. look what's happened, tories on 37. a game from labour. 2a to labour. look at the difference from 2013, 19 seats up in derbyshire. it was a labour stronghold, labour having lost 19 seats. a punishing result for labour, a majority of ten in derbyshire for the conservatives. it's kind of telling us what's been going on in lots of parts of england. it's a complex picture and we're going to be lo

it is lib dem policy.unal for mental health patients and the absolute scandal is the lack of provision for young people. they have to be sent out of the county because there was no provision for them. they have to spend time in police cells because that is the nearest place of safety. and if 1p on income tax will help to assuage that situation then i think we should all support that. thank you very much. two pages of medieval text, which for centuries lay hidden inside another book, have been identified as the work of william caxton, who introduced printing to england in the 14705. there are no copies of the pages anywhere else in the world as duncan kennedy reports. it was in the rolling book shelves of the university's library that erica was carrying out some research. she picked up this box and made her extraordinary discovery. this is the box i found it in and here it is. it is a page of medieval latin printed by william caxton in 11177, just a year or so after the first ever british book came off the

the lib dems say they oppose a hard brexit.rliament on the proposed deal, but in this manifesto liberal democrats argue it is the british people who should have the final say. some are suggesting the liberal democrats have as much chance of winning the next election as liverpool have of winning the champions league. but there are some eye—catching pledges in this ma nifesto, eye—catching pledges in this manifesto, not least the possibility that the british public would have the opportunity for a final say on brexit. actually, to turn away from brexit, if the final deal is not good enough. the only unique selling point of the lib dems is they are going to be the campaign for the die—hard remainders. they are the only party who will offer you an in and out referendum marked two. the problem with that is that the lib dems are extremely unlikely to get into power and deliver that and people have to weigh that up against what is being dubbed by the conservatives as a coalition of chaos between the snp and the labour party. but also

the lib dems are not promising to scrap university tuition fees in england.mise that they broke in government. what you need to do is make promises you can keep. what we've laid out in the manifesto is fully costed on the base of the government's current figures, even with us heading out of the eu, is a plan that will boost education, further education, and schools, by £7 billion. at the last election, the lib dems faced the ghoulish nightmare of near oblivion. they are all smiles now but have a huge amount of ground to make up to get even close to where they used to be. chris mason, bbc news. this is a nightclub in bethnal green where they are to launch the ma nifesto where they are to launch the manifesto this evening. there is already a bit of dry ice and they expect 1000 people here to listen to tim farron launching the manifesto. 0ur correspondent is following the liberal democrat campaign throughout this election. first of all the promise of a second referendum is at the heart of this manifesto? brexit has been at the heart of the ma nifesto, has been a

and we will speak with ed davey from the lib dems later. i wa nt to davey from the lib dems later.s, the front of the times, labour‘s tax rate in tatters, and the front of the mail, jeremy colburn planned to bankrupt the uk, it is written in different ways, and then this is key, labour won‘t win, talking about len mccluskey. then this is key, labour won‘t win, talking about len mccluskeym then this is key, labour won‘t win, talking about len mccluskey. it is a remarkable intervention. what political parties are meant to do during general election campaigns, evenif during general election campaigns, even if they think they are not going to win, is talk and sells up, sound positive, and gee up the activists, and then enter len mccluskey, leader of the biggest trade union in history, unite, long—standing ally ofjeremy corbyn, says he doesn‘t think labour will win, not only that, he thinks they will go backwards and he reckons 200 seats for labour would be a good result. in context, they have 229 after the last general election, 200 seats by any measure would be a disaster for labour a

this time lib dems have a lot of hopes riding on this constituency.some responsibility for turning around an economy still haunted by the decline of traditional industries. after 20 years in a fairly traditional industry, fishing, this person is now successfully doing something completely different. the wine industry, as it is introduced, if it is given support to grow, from government, there is a huge growth and a huge impact to the economic situation of our region. we need that in cornwall. the cornish wine industry looks set for a bright future. but can the same be said for cornwall‘s liberal democrats? with all the sport here's james pearce at the bbc sport centre. huddersfield town have returned to the top division in english football for the first time in 45 years. they won the richest prize in the sport by beating reading on penalties in the championship play—off final to earn promotion to the premier league. david ornstein reports from wembley. the last game of the english season, arguably the most important, certainly the most lucrative. at s

the lib dems are middling, as i said.eats, former mps, getting seats on local councils. no fight back. they were talking about a fightback. it hasn't happened yet. and we offer an —— we often hear any local elections vote isn't the same as the general election because it is about local services. yes. we shouldn't think of them as what this means for the election next month. they matter for their own sake. councils control millions of pounds, to find so many services' operations, and someone will vote one way in a local election, and differently in the general election. what is telling is the national opinion polls, and they have proven inaccurate, seem to be reflected in what we have had in the local election results. and these are real vote for real politicians at real ballot boxes and that is why they will be analysed for next month. thank you very much indeed. i know that you will be with us through the morning to analyse the results as we get them. thank you. alongside the votes, you will be aware of the metro mayors

two years ago the lib dems narrowly avoided election wipe—out.t thrown them a political lifeline. vicki young, bbc news, teddington. as we've heard, the liberal democrats are hoping to attract young voters — notjust with that pledge to have another referendum on any brexit deal, but with several other policies, including housing and the voting voting age. our home editor, mark easton, has been to cambridge to see what issues are concerning young voters there. we are here to talk to you about the election today. let us know your thoughts and tweet us. the voice of the young. so often ignored by the politician, it is loud and clear, at cambridge regional college. politician, it is loud and clear, at cambridge regional collegem politician, it is loud and clear, at cambridge regional college. it could be about anything, brexit, student tuition. it broadcasts to thousand of potential young voters in the number one target seat for the liberal democrats. so what is on their mind? politicians have to start appealing to young people, because these young p

here, a lib dem had a lucky choice.what, overall, that party described as "a patchy performance". political speak for "not that much to be proud of, nor disaster instead". the liberal democrats are now your best route to prevent our country and our communities being taken for granted by a conservative landslide. not much sign of the greens becoming a significant force, gaining some small new footholds but losing others along the way. yet in a patchwork of results there was one big winner. on her party's first big day out with her in charge. of course this is not the general election. today's results may not translate directly into what happens next month. and after today theresa may has plenty to be confident about. yet there will be no letup. she and the rest will be straight back out on the trail. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. well, as we've heard labour have suffered poor results in the elections. they have lost a number of key strongholds including lancashire, derbyshire and bridgend. but they have taken

patricia says what are the lib dems ' views patricia says what are the lib dems ‘views on retaining tridentink they should be an independent nuclear deterrent but what we don‘t agree with is a like—for—like replacement of trident. we think that is far too expensive. so we want a proportionate response, one that does not cost the earth, bearing in mind the fact that the nhs and other public services are short of money. but we do need an independent nuclear deterrent. lord pannick, brian paddock, thank you very much indeed, good to have you come in and and so questions from our viewers —— lord paddick, brian paddick. just some breaking news coming into us just some breaking news coming into us from jonathan beale, our defence correspondent. the bbc understands that nato has asked britain to consider sending more troops to afghanistan. the suggestion is that this request was made within the last few weeks, so we are not sure when it happened but to give it a context, currently there are about 500 british troops in afghanistan, providing security in kabul and training at the officer academy. it

a promise matched by the lib dems.billion extra on schools over the next four yea rs, extra on schools over the next four years, and more for poorer pupils. 660 million forfurther years, and more for poorer pupils. 660 million for further education. the lib dems suggested they would also raise taxes on businesses. two thirds of schools it now turns out though, are trying to lay off at least one teacher, losing at least one teaching post in the next two months. under that kind of pressure, there needs to be a fully costed responds to build a future for all of our children so we can have a decent education and be competent in that. schools in cambridge are among the lowest funded in england. all the lowest funded in england. all the secondary teachers here wrote a pa rent the secondary teachers here wrote a parent with a warning. we said there will be fewer teachers and fewer teaching assistants and fewer resources in classrooms, whether thatis resources in classrooms, whether that is exercise books, laptops. few opportu

here in southwest london, the lib dems hope for a comeback. their promise of another referendum going down with remain voters? it is childish to thinkjust because you don't like a decision that has been made and voted for that you can go and reverse it or rearrange it. this is democracy, the country we live in, and we should support that and stand by that, even though the decision wasn't one i liked. i don't think that the fight should ever stop. i think it is far too important and it affects far too many lives. yes, we should carry on fighting until we have no fight left. i was disappointed with the news about a potential referendum. i think that ship has sailed now and it is about trying to get the best kind of brexit. so, how many seats do you need to gain to keep yourjob? my sense is we need to increase the number of seats, the vote share, but what we need above all else is to offer the british people this chance. this is the last chance for britain. if you believe britain is open, tolerant and united, if you reject the extreme version of

the lib dem leader, tim farron, is working this patch hard.upporters, confident they are tapping into discontent over brexit but some worry that won't be enough. there is a strong revive in the south—west and when you talk to people out on the streets, you can feel it. and you've got to keep away, to a degree, from the brexit issues as well, because i really think down here, we have major, major problems with the nhs, education, housing and jobs. people think, they weren't happy that we went in with the tories a few years back. but i think they are now returning greatly to us and we'll carry on. if theresa may is to achieve her aim of a decisive election victory, she'll have to hold onto the dozens of seats the conservatives won here last time round. and that means fighting off any suggestion of a liberal democrat revival. the tories think brexit could be their winning card. in many cornish seats, ukip performed strongly two years ago, but recent local elections show them on the slide and the tories are ready and waiting to plunder their votes

now, we will be taking live coverage of tim farron‘s manifesto launch and the lib dem election pledgesu can see it in a moment on bbc four. i'm for the weather. it has been a tonne of england to catch up on rainfall today after some dry weeks. let's take a look at the radar and satellite rickshaws. underneath this band of rain, some we re underneath this band of rain, some were wet day. it is moving now. not eve ryo ne were wet day. it is moving now. not everyone had it in wales but most parts saw the rain. now across eastern england. it produced some particularly soggy weather that hung around all day. perhaps the gardeners do not expect something quite like this even though they needed the rain. farnborough in hampshire up to 36 millimetres, which is more than half a month was mat worth of rain falling in some spots in 24 hours. —— half a month's worth. this weather system is moving to the north sea overnight. heavy showers in northern ireland and north—west scotland. still a few out there through the night, the odd one p°ppin9 there through the night, the odd one p°pping up there th

the lib dems have not done well.higher than the conservatives, but it's split between labour, liberal democrat, scott snp, apply, the clatter . 7%— is the most significant thing is the total and utter of the and as faras and as far as i can c, its vote, and as far as i can c, its wholesale move to the tories. the most interesting thing is that those who are liberal leaders or soft levers, or don't want the hard brexit might be concerned when they see poor nuttall texaco paul nuttall saying the move to the tories is a price they can pay. it is a conservative government is set on a ha rd conservative government is set on a hard version of brexit which may not appeal to all those who voted lee. for example, tim farron said if you wa nt for example, tim farron said if you want a soft brexit, vote for us, why haven't they done better? they shouldn't be too dismissive of how well the lib dems have done. they've lost a0 seats. take our polling a high percentage of the vote.|j remember reading the obituaries of the party two

always lib dem.s. it shows they... i went to a grammar school. i witnessed first hand. they are fantastic. i would much rather vote labour than tory. i've never voted tory, nor will i ever in my life. ijust think this country hasn't got a credible leader in the labour party. the deal that we get after we triggered article 50, will be a bad deal. whatever. i think they don't want to encourage other countries from leaving. is that really an organisation we want to be a member of, if they are petty enough to not want to give...? they're not being petty, they are trying to make the project work, which i think is a really good project. i managed to have a good start in life. since the tory government has come in, life for me and my family has got harder to get on. let me summarise, the big issues for you... brexit. get on with it. exactly. and grammar schools. grammar schools, yeah, a big issue for me. and you don't like tim farron. not a fan of tim farron. so it's not looking good. those are like my thre

if you think of the lib dems, the website says a vote for us can change britain's future.ike some of the others. ukip has a bus with their five pledges of the others. ukip has a bus with theirfive pledges on. of the others. ukip has a bus with their five pledges on. it is all a bit blancmange from the others. that i5 bit blancmange from the others. that is why they are not putting too in the polls because they don't have a clear definition and that is everything in politics. jeremy corbyn thi5 everything in politics. jeremy corbyn this week has made labour finally a tax and spend a hollick party which is what a lot of 5upporter5 party which is what a lot of supporters have wanted. whether it got through to the voters on the night of... there has been an uplift in the polls for labour. it could be getting through. monday is cut off day for voter registration. what do we know of the importance of turnout? it is absolutely vital. look what happened with brexit. it was such an enormous turnout and everybody was so engaged. 7296 turnout. turnout matters but we still have a prob

as we heard in chris mason's report, the lib dems we re chris mason's report, the lib dems were routedave got a mountain to climb at this election, haven't they? the recent poll figures show they are at 9%. the polls are not in their favour. we know past experiences have taught us we know past experiences have taught us that, but just we know past experiences have taught us that, butjust talking to people around the countriment many people are angry, it is palpable, they don't feel that tim farron has the character and the charisma to cut through the policies he has been talking about haven't making headlines, the other parties seem to be dominating the news agenda and he will have to do something significantly differently to get in there really. he is taking part in a news debate tomorrow and that could twist things around. it did with nick clegg in 2010. thank you very much indeed. our correspondent following the lib dem campaign and we are expecting the liberal democrats to launch the ma nifesto the liberal democrats to launch the manifesto just the liberal democrats to launch the m

the lib dems are asking.ome tax bands they say they would increase all income tax hands by one percentage point to raise £6 billion ring fenced for health and social care in england. if we want the best health and social care for our families going into the future then we have to provide the money to pay for it and everyone else is pretending it can be done on the cheap, it cannot be done on the cheap. the parties as under their plans someone earning £25,000 next year would pay £133 more in tax annually. on a salary income tax would increase by from brexit this is the lib dems main election pitch so far on tax and spending. they think this policy will be popular, despite the risk of already committing to tax rises because of voters's concerns about the state of the taking the focus away from brexit this is the lib dems main election pitch so far on tax and spending. they think this policy will be popular, despite the risk of already committing to tax rises because of voters's concerns about the state of the r

at the moment the opinion polls show that the lib dems have something like 9% oi’ the lib dems have somethingupport. this is what sir vince cable said. it is also what we are beginning to see, they have been in power the two yea rs, see, they have been in power the two years, in many parts of the country we are only beginning to see school budgets, hospitals, social care really severely cut. that is something that if they get a very big majority and continuing government, that will be expected over a long period, it could get very nasty. how do you explain to people who voted in the referendum that there should be a second referendum? people have had their say on europe? they had their say on leaving, they don't know the destination. it could turn out well, it could turn out very badly. we could get no agreement at all. when we get to that point, people had to have an opportunity to say whether they are accept or not. some people will say you want a second referendum because you want a second referendum because you don't think the british people gave the correct answer the first time around?

if you are voting for the lib dems, you are voting for the lib dems, you are voting for the lib dems,re will be no pact. what is your response to tim farron fozz marks, and to sir vince cable's muck? no pact, no deal, no coalition. tim farron made that clear several weeks ago and i agree with that entirely. what every individual must consider is how can i use my vote most effectively, but iam not i use my vote most effectively, but i am not in i use my vote most effectively, but iam notina i use my vote most effectively, but i am not in a position of telling other people that they should vote ina other people that they should vote in a tactical way. i am telling them vote for the liberal democrats. the more votes we have, the more seats we will have, and the great influence we will have in the next parliament. but you have a former government minister telling lib dem voters to vote labour. does this not say something about the way the party is being run at the moment? say something about the way the party is being run at the moment7m says a lot about the independence of mind of everyo

people voted and it is about time the lib dems got behind it.y, i am tell you. john, the snp. i have spent some time in germany because i sit on the house of commons select committee and we are doing a report on brexit. the things concerning the german politicians is how chaotic the conservative government ministers here are in terms of preparation. david davis turned up toa preparation. david davis turned up to a house of commons select committee and he said he had not priced the cost of leaving for the uk. i think we're going to get a tough brexit deal, terrible for the uk and the reason that theresa may is holding this election now is because she wants to silence opposition because she knows that when we know the details of brexit people will be furious. a quick word about immigration. suzanne evans, pipe -- about immigration. suzanne evans, pipe —— due to want to bring net migration down to zero over the next five years, when one person need you will let one hand. that is not how it works. it is about balanced immigration, zero net immigrati

so the lib dems had a bad campaign and they need to break through tonight.ories and ukip by saying that he backs brexit. the greens also take an anti—brexit stands and you can expect ukip to try to hammerjeremy corbyn on immigration. labour have said they would go along with the end of free movement but not how much they would like to reduce immigration by or how they would achieve that goal. thank you. i should tell you that we are going to have live graphics shown on the bbc news channel coverage of the debate tonight. and also we will have our reality check team checking all the information and the facts and figures that are given by the panellists. that will be an added dimension to the bbc news channel coverage. but all starts in about 45 seconds or so about the senate house. this of course is the spin room. all the debate and analysis and all the reaction we will bring to you after the debate and around nine o'clock. so coming up, the most important perhaps some would say and certainly the largest debate in this campaign with just under seven days, eig

the lib dems have now come up choices.eed it. i think people in this country will see that has really important to. thank you very much, norman lamb. how is that weekend looking weatherwise? louise has the details. remember this? this is rain. some of it has been quite persistent and heavy through the day today. across the isles of scilly and cornwall and into the channel isles. that‘s the only place we are really likely to see any significant rain. the weather front will slip into the near continent. to the north of that, across england and wales, a cloudy start. thinning and brightening and less windy, still coming off the north sea. north of that it coming off the north sea. north of thatitis coming off the north sea. north of that it is dry and bright and the chilly start, with light frost in parts of scotland. temperatures will respond. high teens likely in western scotland. a little more cloud coming off the murray firth coast. temperatures more sub dude here. isn‘t enough in northern ireland. —— sub dude. manchester

the lib dems said they are the only ones with a clear strategy in terms of investment. thank you.or, has addressed the irish parliament, an honour usually only reserved michel barnier, the european union's chief brexit negotiator, has addressed the irish parliament, an honour usually only reserved for visiting heads of state. mr barnier highlighted the complexity of issues relating to the border with northern ireland, and what that means for brexit talks. michel barnier, the european union's chief brexit negotiator, our ireland correspondent chris page was listening. it has been a symbolic day for ireland, which is the eu state that will be most affected by brexit because of its ties to the uk. before today, the only people invited to address the irish parliament were presidents and prime minister is like nelson mandela, jfk, ronald reagan. by inviting michel barnier to make a speech, the irish government was sending a strong international signal about how seriously they are treating brexit. so michel barnier act knowledge that ireland is in a unique situation and talked about the

for the lib dems highly sensitive territory.ers of making rushed and tasty promises in the heat of an election campaign. only to find yourself a little down the track at having to embarrassingly reverse out of them. at the moment because of the intense focus of an election campaign, reporters like me asking politicians every second minute what they are going to commit to. given they are going to commit to. given the media spotlight on them it's perfectly understandable they are tempted to want to say somebody generate headlines and attention. at the same time the reason we still have a week or so to wait for the party manifestos is they know those promises they commit to in a rush period of hammering out those documents will be once held against them for years to come. the conservatives... we have the prime minister sort of spelling out where we are and why they think they have it right... their argument is, theresa may repeatedly says this, school funding is at record levels in england and in terms of the overall number, that i

john, i'm just looking at what the lib dems are hoping for with this ma nifesto lib dems are hoping forlaunch. it has to be said they're coming from a low base in terms of parliamentary seats? 0h, a very low base. the 2015 election was a disaster for the party. very low base. the 2015 election was a disasterfor the party. they only managed to get eight seats. they won the richmond by—election last year, but they are defending nine seats, but they are defending nine seats, but as compared with the 57 seats they had in 2010 this was a very bad result indeed. the problem for the party seems to be so far it's not clear it's going to do much better than that this time. usually during election campaigns once the election campaign starts the liberal democrats often begin to take off in the polls, not least because they start to get publicity that they otherwise lack. well, so far, in this election so far as the national polls are concerned, the liberal democrats seem to have started off at ten and 11 and they seem to be back to the eight they had in 20158. 0ne bright spot for them, perhaps not

lib dems, labour, would you like to...and the scandal is lack of provision for young people. young people having to be sent out of the cou nty people having to be sent out of the county because there is no provision for them. having to spend time in police cells because that's the nearest place of safety. and if a one pence on income tax will help to assuage that situation then i think we should all support it and support the initiative. labour? i think it's really important that we don't just focus on brexit. there is a lot more at stake here. we've had... is that because labour doesn't really a brexit policy? labour's focus on brexit policy? labour's focus on brexit is on the single market and having the best possible access to single market and securing those that work hard for a living whether they are british people working abroad and living abroad or other people living here and working hard here. those are our key focus on brexit. but this election isn't about brexit. we have to remember this is about healthcare, it

osman was ousted by lib dem former mp tessa munt. battles have been very close indeed. the winner of a seat in northumberland county council was decided by drawing straws, after two candidates received the same number of votes. here is the moment that the lib dem candidate lesley rickerby selected a longer straw to claim the seat. it meant that the conservatives were denied overall control of the council. three people have been injured — one seriously — following a helicopter crash at wycombe airpark in buckinghamshire the crash happened shortly after 9.30 this morning when the helicopter ended up on its side. the three passengers were treated by an off—duty paramedic who was at the airfield for a flying lesson before being taken to local hospitals. one man is said to have life threatening injuries. an investigation is under way into the cause of the crash. a british man has died while skydiving in thailand. it happened in the thai resort of pattaya. 69—year—old james mcconnell — an experienced skydiver seen here on a previousjump —

it is turbulent here because the lib dems also have a strong because the lib dems also have a stronguse the lib dems also have a strong presence with ten seats on warwickshire council. ukip haven't got any but they took 10% of the vote in the last county council elections, so that could have an impact here as well. it is difficult to predict and how much of it will bea to predict and how much of it will be a barometerfor the to predict and how much of it will be a barometer for the general election we don't know yet. thank you, kathryn stanczyszyn in stratford—upon—avon. and let's speak with our political correspondent chris mason, joining us correspondent chris mason, joining us from salford. interesting stuff happening in the north—west of england, not least the mayoral contests. they will be absolutely fascinating, the posts that have been created, metro metro mayors, responsible for city regions, not just the cities themselves. a couple to keep an eye on here. there is the greater manchester mayoral post and the liverpool city region. in party political terms these are not necess

so that's the perennial problem for the lib dems.has played at in local actions as in national action. they have not had a good time, and again they are trying to put a brave face on it and say, we have five weeks, we can do this, make a difference, we the credible opposition in england and wales. but there is little evidence for it. first past the post doesn't suit them. daily express, the reason, the new maggie. there will always be some who won the next that, but whether that is helpful for the wider population, people unsure about it. they are both women. that's an irresistible comparison for parts of the right—wing press. you know, i'm pretty sure that the girl. not handbags this time but shoes. it's not handbags but shoes. she has a firmness of character that i think is making it a reasonable comparison. but i don't know, it doesn't really work for me. very different backgrounds. she a p pa re ntly different backgrounds. she apparently has the comparison. you can see why, but she stuck with it. this is very meant to be flatteri

the lib dems are on that patch. it is their intent.k.” think that is possible. 20 mp ‘s for the lib dems is possible. they might be competitive in seats like cambridge. however, ithink be competitive in seats like cambridge. however, i think the lib dems face a classic problem with their position on remain, which appeals to people, 48% of people voted remain last year. but that is geographically distributed and to win seats, it needs to be concentrated. a lot of people who voted remain last year have probably moved away from that position in light of the political discourse and how it has changed. people talk about ukip and the snp. as the election gets closer might there be an anyone but tory thought and it becomes more of a clarion call?” think it will be. you have had figures within and without the main parties making those claims. but i think that will be something that will have to happen without cooperation of party leaderships which means it might not have that impact. no prospect of a coalition? not with the present labour lead

close by, the lib dems were after votes at st andrews. coalition and the lib dems are unimpressed today. don't set a silly, artificial target that you know you will breakjust because it will please a couple of newspapers. yet the target will stay. easier to hit in theory after brexit but no explanation from the tories so far on what they will do in practice. we are in rather a no man's land, the time before the main political parties are ready with their final manifestos. it's only then we will see exactly what promises they are willing to make in black and white but it's absolutely clear, however unworkable, however discredited, theresa may is adamant she will stick to her immigration target. but how she plans to get there, we're still in the dark. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, harrow. labour has promised to abolish parking charges at nhs hospitals in england if it wins the election. the party says the policy would cost around 162 million, which it would meet by raising the tax on private health insurance premiums from 12% to 20. the bbc h

i hope not, but i will vote lib dem.ave a show of hands. do you want a referendum on the final brexit deal? again, this is totally unscientific, but that is a majority. i know you are not all lib dem voters in this room. the audience is balanced, but that is interesting. somebody said yes? you wa nt interesting. somebody said yes? you want a final say on the bike to deal? —— on the brexit deal. want a final say on the bike to deal? -- on the brexit deal. yes. that is the job of the politicians, but it should be backed by the people. and the vast majority of people. and the vast majority of people should support it. who doesn't want another vote? yes. i campaigned for brexit and i did so quite successfully in stoke—on—trent. i am a lawyer. the idea ofjeremy corbyn negotiating a brexit or engaging in brexit fills people with terror. i think theresa may is the right person to negotiate a brexit. also, she is the right person to say she has the courage to walk away. if you look at the labour party manifesto, they say they wo

the lib dems are the only people offering hope that the future of britain can be brighter and better. not be that we would just leave without a deal at all? our policy is that theresa may has the best policy to get the best dealfor britain. but has the best policy to get the best deal for britain. but our view is that if the people reject that deal, we should have the right to remain in the year. it is a simple choice. isn't the problem for you that when this election was called, lots of liberal democrats i spoke to really felt that the remains voters would swing behind your voters in huge numbers. that is simply not happening. our membership as increased rapidly since the brexit election. in the local elections, we well the only party to go forward, twice the increase in vote share than the conservatives got. many people in this country like all. they think the only thing on the table is theresa may's bleak vision of us leaving the opinion in with a ha rd of us leaving the opinion in with a hard brexit. and therefore the damage that would be done to our schools and hospitals. they ar

the lib dems admit so far, it has been a mixed set of results for the.d out set of results for the. we have held our ground set of results for the. we have held ourground in the set of results for the. we have held our ground in the face of a massive shift, an enormous shift of ukip photos to the conservatives. given that that has happened, we have done well to stay where we are. the green party says, with the tories dominating, other parties need to collaborate. well, i am worried about how well the conservatives have done, more broadly, for the future of progressive politics. and i think that has to be a wake up call to parties on the left and centre left to think about how we work together under this incredibly undemocratic system. local election results do not translate directly to a general election, but they are a significant barometer. it will affect the tactics of the main parties over the next few weeks. for some, the results today have been too close to call. the tories were denied an overall majority in northumberland after the lib dem candida

the lib dems are not promising to scrap university tuition fees in england.you need to do is make promises you can keep. what we've laid out in the manifesto is fully costed on the base of the government's current figures, even with us heading out of the eu, is a plan that will boost education and further education, and schools, by £7 billion. at the last election, the lib dems face to the ghoulish nightmare of near oblivion. they are all smiles now but have a huge amount of ground to make up to get even close to where they used to be. chris maize and, bbc news. —— chris mason. our assistant political editor norman smith is in westminster. does putting brexit at the heart of the manifesto put it in the centre ina the manifesto put it in the centre in a positive way? this could prove something of a sideshow. despite the fa ct something of a sideshow. despite the fact it is ram packed with policies. many of them very expensive policies, like ending the benefits freeze, something jeremy corbyn shied away from at his manifesto launch yesterday. they are suggestin

so very good for the conservatives, worrying for labour, extremely disappointing for the lib dems ando. the usual caveat at this point is that turnout can be different in a general election that people don't a lwa ys general election that people don't always work the same way. that's right. the turnout in these elections does look as though it is up elections does look as though it is up from four years ago. although four years ago it was very low. around the mid— 30s, ab no more than half of what we got in a general election. —— maybe. but there is no reason that if the general election was held yesterday the result would have been the same. but it is difficult to believe that if the election was held yesterday that the conservatives wouldn't have won well andindeed conservatives wouldn't have won well and indeed the lib dems would not be left with many morsi than they hold at present. —— many more seats. not everybody will focus same, but in aggregate the broad picture of is likely to have been very similar. the crucial point of course is that there is an election campaign to go and