so these are liberal democrat target voters in a liberal democrat target voters in a liberal democrat 0 for the party a lot depends on how they respond to the promises of politicians. wage growth has fallen behind the cost of living for the first time in three years, according to the office for national statistics. average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, increased by 2.1%. in the three months to march, while inflation rose by 2.3% in the year to march 2017. meanwhile, unemployment has fallen to 4.6% — its lowest level in 42 years. here's our economics editor, kamal ahmed. a business fair in leeds and good new onjob, firms hiring plenty of people as economic growth remains positive. we are continually recruiting staff, we have grown quickly over the last to two years from four to 32 people.some we have employed our new manager, and we have also employed in the last couple of months a new ground staff. at this moment in time on our company website, i think we have 15 vacancies posted. the last time we saw unemployment this low was 1975. when the price of a pint of milk was sense pen

so these are liberal democrat target voters in a liberal democrat target seat. i am quite excited.r the party a lot depends on how they respond to the promises of politicians. mark easton reporting on the views of young people in cambridge. that is just about it from bethnal green, where the lib dems have launched their party manifesto for the general election. tim farron, the leader, on the stage, very much emphasise that hard brexit, he said, would be a time bomb underneath the economy and he said the opponents of a hard brexit and of leaving the single market, like the liberal democrats, should not roll over. that was his message. plenty more coverage of today's election campaign in the campaign wrap at 8:30pm. but, for me, back to the studio. campaign wrap coming up in about 16 minutes. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:a0pm in the papers. we will be having all the analysis. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight are the political commentatorjane merrick, and ben riley—smith, assistant political editor at the daily telegraph

the ma nifesto the liberal democrats to launch the manifesto just the liberal democrats to launch thehe manifesto just after 7pm this evening and full coverage of that here on bbc news. and today at 5.30pm on bbc news we will be putting your questions about the liberal democrat manifesto to the party's former leader, nick clegg. you can get in touch via twitter using the hashtag bbc ask this or text your questions to 61124 and you can e—mail us as well at: askthis@bbc.co.uk one ofjeremy corbyn‘s key allies, the leader of the unite union, len mccluskey, has said he believes that labour is now in with "a real chance" of winning the general election. in an earlier interview, mr mccluskey suggested a labour victory on 8th june would be "extraordinary". but today he said labour's manifesto was fantastic, and he was full of optimism. 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 worke

how the liberal democrats think the country should be run.ntre was brexit, and how it should be handled. at the heart of our manifesto is an offer to all of the people in our country that no other party is making and that is that we do not just have to accept whatever deal we get back from the brexit negotiations, but the british people, you, should have the final say. if you don't like what theresa may comes back with, you should have the right to vote to remain. the lib dems say they would spend more money on health and education paid for by higher corporation tax and a penny on income tax. on housing, they want to introduce a rent—to—own scheme for tenants, and promised to legalise and regulate cannabis. they claim this could generate £1 billion per year in tax. it's about keeping the availability of hard drugs away from cannabis, and it's about regulating cannabis so the most dangerous strands like skunk are outside of the regulated system. it is about helping those people who are vulnerable and hitting those people who are the criminals

that is the launch of the liberal democrats' ma nifesto the launch of the liberal democrats' manifestove. in the quiet of this to do. it is very quiet of this to do. it is very quiet here. and warm. the liberal democrats, as ben said, hope to attract young voters. the lib dems are also offering several new policies aimed at young people, including dropping the voting age to 16 and a rent—to—own housing scheme. to cambridge to see what sort of issues affecting young people. the voice of the young. so often ignored by the politicians. it is loud and clear that cambridge regional college. this could be about anything such as brexit, trish and... —— tuition... about anything such as brexit, trish and... -- tuition... what is on the mind of students here? politicians have to start appealing to young people. these young people are going to grow old. the lib dem manifesto promises young people cheaper bus fa res, promises young people cheaper bus fares, higher welfare payments, promises young people cheaper bus fares, higherwelfare payments, help with housing and vote for 16—year—olds. is low

so these are liberal democrat target voters in a liberal democrat target seat. party, a lot depends on how they respond to to promises of politicians. mark easton, bbc news, cambridge. there are new warnings that workers are facing a squeeze in living standards. the latest figures indicate that wages are not keeping pace with the cost of living. however, another set of figures show that a record number of people are now in work. a business fair in leeds and good news onjobs — firms hiring plenty of people as economic growth remains positive. we are continually recruiting staff, we have grown really quickly in the last two years from four to 32 people. we've just employed our new park manager and we've also employed in the last couple of months a new ground staff. at this moment on our company website, ithink, we have 15 vacancies posted. the last time we saw unemployment this low was 1975, when the price of a pint of milk was a princely seven pence. it was also an era of high inflation and rapidly increasing incomes. today, inflation is creeping back and incomes

the conservatives in their response to the liberal democrat policies said that only they are the partyernment. we can expect to hear more about nhs funding when the party manifestos, —— come out. andy burnham has denied snubbing jeromy koren by not attending a rally. it was a mixed picture for the party yesterday. and what i would say is the party needs to do what we're doing here, go back to grassroots and build from there. the support i received from the people of greater manchester was truly quite an bling. the fact that so truly quite an bling. the fact that so many people went out to vote, i cannot tell you how much i appreciate that. it is a reflection of the work we have done over many years, built that connection with people at that local level. i would say to the party, that is the way to go, to rebuild from grassroots in the places we didn't win yesterday. what is about to happen here in greater manchester, i hope the labour party can take inspiration and breakdown. i'd be split in the party a cause for concern when there is only a few weeks till the general election? you say

labour is pointing to the liberal democrats's reputation in government.ut nhs funding when the party manifestos, alt. the ukip reader to the mac leader... campaigning in lincolnshire this morning said he remained optimistic about ukip's prospects in the general election. there was a clear movement from us to the conservative party but that was all was going to happen. she called the selection primarily because she was to get it out of the way before negotiations start. it is easy to talk the talk and acts tough but when she is asked to walk the walk she will start to barter things away, fisheries will 90, barter things away, fisheries will go, there will be some movement on immigration and freedom of movement, she may buckle that, she will certainly buckle and a divorce bill. when people are angry, when they feel they have been let down, when they feel they are not getting the brexit they voted for on the 23rd of june, we had a good deal? they're going to return to ukip. the future of ukip is very right indeed. the campaign team of the french presidential

how the liberal democrats think the country should be run.entre was brexit, and how it should be handled. at the heart of our manifesto is an offer to all of the people in our country that no other party is making, which is that we do not just have to accept whatever deal we get back from the brexit negotiations, but the british people, you, should have the final say. if you do not like what theresa may comes back with, you should have the right to vote to remain. the lib dems say they would spend more money on health and education paid for by higher corporation tax and a penny on income tax. 0n housing, they want to introduce a rent to own scheme for tenants, and promised to legalise and regulate cannabis. they claim this could generate £1 billion per year in tax. it's about keeping the availability of hard drugs away from cannabis, and regulating cannabis so the most dangerous strands like skunk are outside of the regulated system. it is about helping those people who are vulnerable and hitting those people who are the criminals who take ad

what the liberal democrats are saying is that we must invest in the hospitals and schools.r future that we can reject the extreme version of brexit that theresa may, jeremy corbyn and ukip have backed and vote for a better future. there are also many people who voted remained that now except that result, something you are unwilling to do and they feel you have got to get on with it 110w feel you have got to get on with it now and many of them think theresa may is the person to do that. what is that there are many people who feel they have given up the fight. what i am saying to people is i haven‘t. if you believe that britain‘s future is better alongside oui’ britain‘s future is better alongside our neighbours in europe, if you believe that you however you voted in the referendum should have the final say on the deal, then you should not be forced to live with a deal that will damage perhaps your jobs, affect the prices of things you jobs, affect the prices of things y°u pay jobs, affect the prices of things you pay for every week, how money —— how much money we have got to

absolutely, the liberal democrats we re absolutely, the liberal democrats were reduced from 66 seatst in the last election. they picked up one in a by—election to go into this election with nine to defend. they will be hoping that many of those seats that they lost in 2015 were lost to the conservatives. they have appropriate set message versus the hybrid brexit that theresa may is seeking. but the bar has been raised that much higher and it will make it much more difficult if ukip‘s vote has disappeared. we have not heard directly from paul nuttall, the ukip leader, and he blamed their demise on their own success. he seems to think the tories are benefiting from the furrow they have ploughed. what about the risks for the conservatives, that people look at their newspapers this morning and 90, their newspapers this morning and go, oh, well, it is all over. maybe they will think i do not need to bother turning out on the 8th of june because she has got it in the can, but even some party workers become complacent about their prospects. how big a danger do you think the conservatives th

this is one of the few liberal democrats seats that is left standing.on. if that is the case, it will all be down to be in fluent ukip. politics here has been dominated by the rise of ukip. this is a very rural part of the country. big infarming, quite big in fishing, the pressures of immigration and brexit have been very big issues. in some places 65 oi’ very big issues. in some places 65 or 70% of people voted to leave and so or 70% of people voted to leave and so ukip has always commanded a lot of command here. it has 3 euros meps and in the last lecture on, it came second in many seats. in this election, it isn't standing everywhere. that is so dumb act because it doesn't have the money, but into —— that is because it doesn't have the money. but that is for another reason. it is famous for the coastline and the norfolk broads. it is not used to being at the front line of an election campaign. this take on the race could be very close. the last election, the liberal democrats norman lamb had a very reduced majority of 4000. many people voted ukip. th

it and the liberal democrats won all four of them. it was 70% remain. re people voted remain. these results over the country will be disappointing for the liberal democrats. but that result in st albans gives them hope that it may be half a dozen target seats where there went election just sedate where there was a big remain vote last year and maybe the liberal democrats are back in play. can i pick up on what tim farron was saying? i think that is right, what we may see a few extra liberal seats in those remain areas because they appealed directly only to the 48% remain. they ignored the second part of their title, democrat in ignoring the referendum, but that is another matter. we are just watching nicola sturgeon arriving at snp headquarters. those are the images. tim farron was pointing out we don't wa nt tim farron was pointing out we don't want to wake up onjune nine in a i—party state. want to wake up onjune nine in a 1— party state. even want to wake up onjune nine in a i—party state. even if he gets five or six and increases his share of members

that is one of the reasons why i oppose parties like the liberal democrats.hey stand ready to prop up jeremy corbyn‘s coalition of chaos, to see the brexit process stall and reopen the old battles of the past. and remember, it may say liberal democrat on the ballot but it is jeremy corbyn with you get, who gets the benefit. at the last election the benefit. at the last election the south west made the difference. between a strong majority government and a week, unstable coalition. the other parties are lining up to prop up other parties are lining up to prop upjeremy other parties are lining up to prop up jeremy corbyn and other parties are lining up to prop upjeremy corbyn and disrupt our brexit negotiations and that would bea brexit negotiations and that would be a recipe for drift, and disaster over, and division over what would be very crucial years for this country. and that is why this election is so important. we need to secure the leadership the country needs. leadership, stability, doing the right thing for britain. and thatis the right thing for bri

of lost 177, the liberal democrats of lost 31 and ukip have lost 68.omes to councils... the tories have picked up five councils, labour have lost control of three. eleanor garnier reports. it is the conservatives with the biggest cheers. tim charles brown was is duly elected as the west of england combined authority mayor. the consummate candidate made history, becoming the regional mayor. in cumbria, the tories replaced labour as the largest party. but senior conservatives are playing down expectations ahead of the general election. the turnout in local elections, though, is much, much lower. it is wrong to predict what's going to happen injune. we still have a general election to campaignforand to still have a general election to campaign for and to win after last night. but encouraging signs. the tories are celebrating in essex, too. this time around, voters turned their backs on ukip. in lincolnshire, where ukip leader paul nuttall will fight for a westminster seat next month, the party was wiped out. and with such big losses, ukip‘s future is in q

let us talk about the liberal democrats.ising income tax on all the bands by one pin1p raising income tax on all the bands by one pin 1p in the poem to these £6 billion for the nhs. what are the calculating with this? why do they think this is potentially something which the public will like? this is a actually talking about the real cost of the nhs and the cost of social care. they believe they could ever next £6 billion a year, on top of what the conservatives have been pledging. they say it will also be ring fenced in england. wheels, scotla nd ring fenced in england. wheels, scotland and northern ireland, because of devolution, they will make their own decisions on. this is really to with england. they believe they have made the political calculation, that this will be popular. after all, remember what happened with the famous bus during the european union debate. £350 million for the nhs. that seemed to go down very well. we can join ian, who has been listening tojeremy corbyn in leicester. what has been the reaction to

let's speak tojulian huppert from the liberal democrats.lot of people in this country think that all drugs are dangerous and that all drugs are dangerous and that they should never be legalised. for 15 years though almost we have had a system where cannabis and other drugs were legal, tobacco and alcohol which are very dangerous and illegal but everything else wasn't and it hasn't stopped people from having cannabis. millions of people have used and still use cannabis, it just hasn't worked. what it has done is given in full to criminal gangs who make a huge amount of money out of this and develop more and more potent and harmful strains, skunks and space so the policy has made things much much worse. i don't want criminal gangs deciding who gets to have this, anyone with £20 can get it, i wanted to be regulated so it is safer for people. when you talk about skunk being a more dangerous form of cannabis than maybe was around 20 years ago, only saying that that was not then be legalised? absolutely. there are two components that you find can

the liberal democrats have launched their party manifesto in east london.tim farron called on voters to support his party and ensure they get a choice about britain's future relationship with europe. i believe that our children will have a brighter future if we are inside the european union. that they will be safer and better off. that our economy will be stronger and our country will have more influence in the world. butjust because i believe that doesn't mean i think people who voted to leave are bad people. of course they're not. wejust disagree. one ofjeremy corbyn‘s key allies, the unite leader len mccluskey, says he is now full of optimism about labour's general election hopes despite saying in an interview he could not see the party winning. it was against the backdrop of if the opinion polls are to be believed that i made those comments. of course since then labour have launched their manifesto, it is a fantastic manifesto. theresa may has brushed aside questions about whether the chancellor philip hammond will keep hisjob if the conservatives win t

the liberal democrats are asking. said they will increase all income tax band 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, our loved ones, going into the future and we have to provide the money to pay for it. everyone else is pretending it can be done on the cheap. it cannot. the party says someone earning under £25,000 next year will pay £133 more in tax annually. on a salary of £100,000, the income tax bill would increase by £883. taking the focus away from wrecks it, this is the liberal democrats main pitch on tax and spending. they think it will be popular despite the risk of already committing to tax rises because of voters concerns about the state of the nhs. health is a devolved policy area. scotland has its own powers of income tax. there is no doubt the nhs and social care are under pressure across the uk with demand soaring and budgets squeezed. over the past few years, spending in the nhs has not a

ukip‘s vote has collapsed, and the liberal democrats had varied fortunes.l councils now declared, the conservatives have gained 319 seats in england. labour have lost 142 seats, the lib dems have lost 28, and ukip are down 143. in scotland, the snp have lost seven seats, the tories have gained 164, and labour have lost 133. in wales, labour have lost 107 seats, the tories have gained 80 seats, plaid cymru have also gained 33 seats. the lib dems have lost 11 seats. here is 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

as another lesson from that is apart from the liberal democrats' revival and success liberal democratse leader of the scottish national party, nicola sturgeon, said her party enjoyed an emphatic victory. the snp vote has held up our share of the seats have held up, and we will be the largest party in more councils, perhaps a majority of that is not absolutely killer yet. there is not absolutely killer yet. there is not absolutely killer yet. there is no way that anyone can spin this as any thing other than a clear and emphatic win for the snp. in in pole position to protect local services the length and breadth of the country and gives as a springboard for the general election. earlier today we heard from caroline lucas — co—leader of the green party. she explained why parties from the left needed to continue working together to transform the democratic voting system. essentially it is our incredibly undemocratic electoral system which is forcing the parties to have to discuss ways in which they can manage this tactically to try and ensure that there is a fairer representation of who i

the liberal democrats would have hoped. been raised that much higher, it is going to make it that much more difficult if ukip‘s vote has just disappeared. we have not heard directly from paul nuttall the ukip litre yet. he put out a statement blaming their demise in the county council elections on their own successful stop leaving their own successful stop leaving the tories are benefiting from the photo they have ploughed. what about the risks here for the conservatives that people look at their newspapers this morning and see it is all over. maybe not all the think they do not need to bother turning out on the 8th ofjune because she has got it in the can but also that even some of the party workers become even a little bit complacent about their prospects. how big a danger do you think that it's the conservatives? if you listen to the language of preserved asbo people out and about yesterday, they were talking down the fact that they had won 563 seats —— conservative spokespeople. yesterday we had labour who had done pret

and that means fighting off any suggestion of a liberal democrat revival.ies 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. last time i voted for ukip because i wanted out of the european union. so, i think the conservatives will take us through. how do you think ukip will do in the south—west now? their main thing was to get us out of the european union and they've managed that. so, theirjob is done really, i think. what do you think of theresa may? very strong woman, very strong woman. i'm going to vote labour. he is genuine, isn't he? he's going to be looking out for my interests. labour's always struggled to convert votes into seats in this region and in most constituencies, it's a long way back for the lib dems. no wonder, privately, conservatives are sounding confident about their chances. vicky young, bbc news, cornwall. football now, and hull city have relegated from the premier leagu

how the liberal democrats think the country should be run.dled. at the heart of our manifesto is an offer to all of the people in our country that no other party is making, which is that we do not have to accept whatever deal we get back from the brexit negotiations, but the british people, you, should have the final say. if you do not like what theresa may comes back with, you should have the right to vote to remain. the lib democrats say they would spend more money on health and education paid for by higher corporation tax and a penny on income tax. on housing, they want to introduce a range to own scheme for tenants, and promised to legalise and regulate cannabis. they claim this could generate £1 billion per year in tax. it's about keeping the availability of hard drugs away from cannabis, and regulating cannabis so the most dangerous strands like skunk are outside of the regulated system. it is about helping those people who are of honourable and hitting those people the criminals take advantage of. -- from rubble. the manifesto launch e

this is where the liberal democrats are having their manifesto launch in about three quarters of an hourm farron will be here on this stage behind me with a speech and lodging a manifesto which has a commitment toa a manifesto which has a commitment to a second referendum, it is very much the centrepiece. saying that they will give the final say on europe to the british people. this is what tim farron had to say on that ll on today. at the heart of oui’ that ll on today. at the heart of our manifesto is an offer to all the people in our country that no other party is making. that is that we do not just after except whatever deal we get back from brexit the glaciations, but the british people, you, should have the final say. —— negotiations. if you do not like what theresa may comes back with, you should have them right to vote to remain. if we think of three quarters of young people in this country voting to remain, is there any wonder that there are such dismay about what theresa may plans to do. the extreme version of brexit thejeremy to do. the extreme version of brexit the jeremy cor

labour and the liberal democrats are promising a major cash boost for schools. elected in one month's time, what would the education system, what would a school look like under a labour government? it would be fully funded, first of all. i want to reassure pa rents funded, first of all. i want to reassure parents that that is what we will do. our plan, an exciting one, is the national education service, mirrored off the nhs because i believe it will be transformative like the health service. it means that schools will have the money they need and adult education as well will be free at the point of use so people can return to education. many children and many adults like me who did not have those apogee nitties when we we re have those apogee nitties when we were young, would like to be able to go back and be retrained. —— did not have those opportunities when we we re have those opportunities when we were young. you said it would be fully funded let's discuss the funding. this will be funded, apparently, by savings from the corporation tax. you know how many th

what have the liberal democrats been saying?nsions, yesterday was about raising income tax by 1p in the pound to save the nhs. the winter fuel allowance would go for the higher earning pensioners, that's people earning more than £45,000 a year. they reckon it would bea £45,000 a year. they reckon it would be a saving of about 105 million, is not a huge amount of money, but seeing an intention of stealing with the problem of an ageing population. the triple lock is where pensions rise by average income, information 01’ rise by average income, information or2.5%, rise by average income, information or 2.5%, whichever is highest. that was the pledge made in 2010 when the coalition came together. theresa may has not committed to that yet in this election campaign. the conservatives have a different tack. we have heard so much about brexit so we have heard so much about brexit so far. today, one of the first big policy pushes on mental health. we know that theresa may said on the steps of downing street that one of her big priorities

none of what you are saying, you, ukip, orthe liberal democrats... ndustrial policy are fantasy figures that will drive us are fantasy figures that will drive us into the ground and it does not matter what you want, you cannot pay for it if you don't run the economy well. time is up! the candidates have had their say, but it is about the voters like natalie and is male, who are yet to make up their minds. it was interesting to hear their opinions. seeing them in the ring individually fighting for their own policies and what they believe them, and what they think they can bring to the party, and why i should vote for them, it made to the party, and why i should vote forthem, it made it to the party, and why i should vote for them, it made it more accessible. it was certainly different! let's talk about that debate. in salford it has two notable absentees. how strange is it going to be, martha? it will be odd with empty podiums. without theresa may and jeremy corbyn. but, ithink without theresa may and jeremy corbyn. but, i think it is a wise decision b

for the liberal democrats, mixed results really.sing our vote share by 7%, our best vote share in any election nationally for seven years. double the increase the tories have experienced in terms of vote share around the country. with the labour party utterly imploding and devastated like no other 0pposition party in recent memory. but there's another lesson to learn from last night, that is apart from the liberal democrats revival and success around the country, we still see britain headed for a conservative land slide. tim farron there. let's get more analysis now. kevin maguire is with us, associate editor at the mirror and katie balls, the political correspondent at the spectator. tim farron saying there's going to be a tory land slide in the general election, on the basis of these council results — is that how you see it?|j the basis of these council results — is that how you see it? i think he's right. i think there will be a thumping conservative majority on the results. labour's mountain has got bigger. it slid down a bit fu

the liberal democrats say that their ma nifesto the liberal democrats say that their manifesto will includeriple lock on pensions, guaranteeing they rise by as much as wages inflation or 2.5%, which ever is highest. pensioners with annual incomes over £45,000 would lose the winter fuel payment. labour has also pledged to retain the triple lock but theresa may has declined to say if the conservatives would do so. to get more on the day's developments, i'mjoined by our political correspondent, ellie price. what has been most interesting today has been the interview amber rudd gave this lunchtime. the home secretary was asked, surprisingly, read immigration and what you might do about it. it was interesting because so much has been made in the e referendum campaign, so much made before that with the conservative party commitment to cut immigration to the tens of thousands. made when david cameron was leader and theresa may was home secretary. it is an issue close to the heart of theresa may. we know that from the things she has said as prime minister. interestingly, amber rudd essentially refu

how important is it tonight for the liberal democrats?e and they're going to see a genuine guy who is passionate about these issues, because he is not from a privileged background. he is going to stand up to the dementia tax from the conservatives, to the cuts in school budgets and the nhs. the fact is you're starting from a very low base, you have a handful of mps and do you believe that you can turn this situation around ? do you believe that you can turn this situation around? the polls are all over the place, overnight we had one poll showing it is going to be a hung parliament and another showing a 100 majority to the conservatives. the thing is targeting our efforts in key constituencies and by doing that we think we can make considerable gains. the suggestion was there might be a liberal democrat resurgence. particularly if you took the policy that you would try to offer as part of your ma nifesto a try to offer as part of your manifesto a second referendum vote on the eu on the deal that comes back from brussels. that does not see

the liberal democrats today are offering to spend £6 billion raised by a penny on income tax.hoping its soon—to—be unveiled manifesto will equally win over voters with jeremy corbyn admitting his party faces an historic challenge after facing disappointing election results. campaigning today the labour leader insisted his message could cut through. on the issues of employment security, on the national health service is and all of our public services, housing and transport strategy. crucially we will also cut through on the economic future of this country. the prime minister's task is about dampening expectations, making sure tory supporters turn out injune and do not assume this week's wins mean the general election is in the bag. iam taking i am taking nothing for granted over the next five weeks. i need support from across the united kingdom to strengthen my hand. only a vote for me and my team will ensure that britain has the strong and stable leadership we need in order to ensure we get the best deal for britain from brexit. in how bad a place is ukip? after losing all 146

the liberal democrats, encourage with their results.ir community who will stick up for the local community first and foremost, but also there is a clear vote against a second independence referendum and we are the beneficiary of that in those areas, too, so we'll progress for the liberal democrats, it's a good time. the proportional representation used in this election makes overall majority is hard to get, meaning deals now have to be done. a tricky task for all the parties as their focus now shifts to the general election campaign. lorna gordon, bbc news, glasgow. let's turn to wales. 0ur wales correspondent sian lloyd is in cardiff tonight. labour lost seats and control of entire councils. yes, mixed set of results for labour in wales. today it has lost 100 seats. back in 2012 it had a good night. it had gained more than 200 extra counsellors. now it still holds control of some of the big councils. cardiff, swansea and newport. but it has had setbacks, losses in traditional labour heartlands of the south wales valleys, including mert

the liberal democrats commit to keeping the "triple lock" on pensions but those on higher incomes wouldlose the winter fuel payment. the french are choosing between emmanuel macron and marine le pen as voting takes place in the presidential election. 82 nigerian schoolgirls are due to meet the country's president after being freed by the islamist militant group, boko haram. also in the next hour... tom daley dives into married life. the british 0lympiam marries american film director dustin lance black in dartmoor national park in devon. and... click goes behind closed doors with the doctor as something goes bump in the night. that's in half an hour here on bbc news. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. labour is promising not to raise income tax for anyone earning less than £80,000 a year as part of an election pledge to low and middle earners. the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, said those earning over that amount would be asked to pay "a bit more" to help pay for public services. the conservatives say they have no plan to raise taxes but have so far refused to rule it out compl

where i think liberal democrats supporters and labour vote rs democrats supporters and labour votersis is one of those areas where traditionally in parliamentary terms the conservatives have had representation. i think i'm right, sir george younger was the mp for ayr in years gone by. this is an area where the conservatives certainly are making confident noises and they're putting on six seats in north ayrshire. let's see if that is repeated elsewhere. we wa nt to if that is repeated elsewhere. we want to talk about cambridgeshire. two things there, the county election and of course, one of these big metro mayor election as well, peterborough and cambridge. two things to talk about. our correspondent is in soham. bring us up correspondent is in soham. bring us up to date on the county contest first. well, yes, big shocki suppose in terms of the county council elections in that two of the most senior ukip candidates have lost their seats to the conservative. pete reeve was married to linda duffy, one of the ukip candidates. that is a big disappointment for ukip. otherwise it is going

maybe it isa liberal democrats manifesto. 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 democrats see this general election as a chance to change britain's future and their message is clearly aimed at those who voted remain in last year's referendum. they want voters

the liberal democrats launch their election manifesto, pledging another referendum on any brexit dealdonald trump is facing increasing pressure over allegations he may have tried to shut down an fbi investigation into links between advisers and russia. we're live in northern ireland, where politicians from the main parties to discuss how the new frontier with the eu, and what it should look like is dominating the general election and reinvigorating the divide between between unionists and nationalists. good evening. the bbc understands the conservatives will promise additional measures to curb immigration when they publish their manifesto tomorrow. there will also be extra costs for employers who choose to hire non—eu immigrants in skilled jobs. our political editor laura kuenssberg has more. the publication of any manifesto is a big dealfor a party leader, especially for theresa may. this is the first big document to come from the first big document to come from the conservative party since she has beenin the conservative party since she has been in charge. it is her decision to call

the liberal democrats have pledged to increase spending on the nhs and social care, by raising income by a penny. they say the extra £6 billion would be ringfenced in england, but scotland, wales and northern ireland would be able to decide how to spend the extra cash. it comes as party leaders are out campaigning this weekend. the prime minister theresa may says she is taking nothing for granted, despite the conservatives‘ success in the local elections. we saw a number of statements coming out of brussels, but what we have seenin out of brussels, but what we have seen in the past week, these negotiations are going to be tough. we need strong and stable leadership in the united kingdom. i need a strong negotiating hand. when it comes to the choice at the general election, there will be 27 other european countries and the other side of the table and only one person standing up for the united kingdom. the question for the general election is who will give that stable leadership, myself or jeremy corbyn? but surely it does not matter whether the majority is 140 or 60? every single vote

stephen, i know you‘re liberal democrat policy is a penny for eve ryo ne democrat policy is a penny for with carol, one more question, i will ask you for a brea kfast several question, i will ask you for a breakfast several that represents your party. we will get some questions from our voters. they are all very worried about that! send your questions in, we have had some great ones about education, and if you want to see a rundown of any of the main party commitments made so far, have a look at the bbc website, the news website, it is updated as each party makes their own claim. mark, a breakfast cereal that summarises the conservatives. three shredded wheat say we have the energy and the vigour to get the best brexit deal. well done for not mentioning strong and stable. laughter lam going laughter i am going to go with porridge, because everyone can afford it, it isa because everyone can afford it, it is a breakfast cereal for the many. applause from the greens perspectives. grate ready break, we are investing for the future, other brands are available. as a biochemist, i was going to

with me now is sarah 0lney, the liberal democrat education spokesperson.this is absolutely essential because we are hearing from schools all over the country and in my own constituency about the very real trouble they are going to have with maintaining teaching, particularly teaching staff, if the government sticks to its current planfunding. government sticks to its current plan funding. in order to fund it, reversing the cuts in corporation tax, how much that phrase? all proposers are fully costed and the details will be in our manifesto when it comes out next week. we are looking at reversing the cuts to corporation tax as a way of finding a range of measures. woodward will also be looking at is that we maybe putting money into grammar schools as the tories will and we also want to look at the free spew reed schools programme. many schools in building areas where there is no demand for extra places so areas that we look to free up some extra money to fund the 6.9 billion that we are promising today. the tory policy on corporation tax has been driven by

i asked the liberal democrats about it. have not gone far enough.rats about itm is good politics, it sounds great, because it is rubbish policy because it would harm and damage the people that it's supposed to be helping. on a visit to scotland, the snp were scathing about the conservative plan. the record of the tories on fuel poverty has been poor so, this announcement has nothing to do with dealing with the poorest in society and everything with trying to win a general election and outflank the labour party. what is clear is the conservatives desire to be seen to be putting themselves on the side of the consumer than the energy companies. what is rather less clear is what if any difference it would make. the energy sector has always criticised any move to cap prices, saying such a policy could in fact lead to higher prices. so what could it mean for the consumer? our industry correspondentjohn moylan investigates. every three months, adam and margaret from eccles near manchester take a trip to their local bank. they are on a standard tariff, they

that was the headline promise made by the liberal democrats. aim is to woo a significant chunk of the 48% who voted remain in the brexit referendum but there are few signs — so far at least — that that strategy is working. in the run up to polling day, the bbc‘s nick robinson will be talking to voters to find some answers. this week, he visited the tory marginal of bedford for a chat in the latest election takeaway. in this election campaign i'm speaking to several groups of voters about how they are making up their mind. today i will be talking to people who voted remain. how will that choice affect the choices they have to make now? we have come to bedford, a tory held seat which is marginal. the people we are speaking to have been selected for us by the pollsters ipsos mori. of course no small group can tell us how this place will vote, let alone the country as a whole but it can flesh out those findings you find in the opinion polls and on tv. let us go inside to the corn exchange where jim davidson and ken dodd have played for the latest o

and that is apart from the liberal democrats' success around the country, we still see it and headedslide. he is very clearly accepting that. now, perhaps the most dramatic story of the day was ukip, the uk independence party, which has supported and pushed for brexit for the years in which it has been in existence. in fact, the years in which it has been in existence. infact, brexit the years in which it has been in existence. in fact, brexit really was its existence. it has been totally trounced in today's elections. it fought i44 totally trounced in today's elections. it fought 144 seats and lost all of them except for one, which is a very bad result indeed. and most are saying that the reason for that is that its voters, who supported the ukip party because they wanted to see brexit now have placed in the hands of the conservative party the job of delivering brexit, and as one voter put it today, they are no longer the guard dogs of brexit. so a very bad day for ukip. people are talking about whether it can survive this. it does have about 200 or 300 seats in other councils that

the liberal democrats back to the tax business. certainly back to big spending commitments.t pensions, they say they would scrap winter fuel allowance for high earning pensioners, those earning over £45,000 a year. i think it is pa rt over £45,000 a year. i think it is part of a push from them to show they are thinking about some of these problems relating to pensions and the ageing population. crucially they say they are committed to the triple lock on pensions that is where pensions rise with average earnings, or inflation. that idea was introduced under the coalition government. so far, the tories have not committed to that in this campaign so far. the lib dems are seeing this as a key pledge. what about the party manifestos, when they set this stuff in stone? there are 32 days left in this campaign. we will have more to talk about in the next week or so. john macdonald this morning suggesting his ma nifesto this morning suggesting his manifesto would be their week after next. —— mcdonnell. these manifestos are being fleshed out so we have some idea what would be enough.

the liberal democrats are offering a second vote on whether britain should accept a future brexit dealm farron, believes it's better the people decide than theresa may. she's putting together a plan which appeases the paul nuttalls and nigel farages but damages our children's future. that is why you should have the final say on the brexit deal, not the politicians. the plaid cymru leader, leanne wood, was concerned that restrictions on trade post—brexit could harm wales' aerospace companies by introducing stiff tariffs. do you think they're going to stay there? no, of course they're not going to stay there. that's 6500 well—paid jobs in wales that you are prepared to just lose down the swannee. natalie, we have a huge trade deficit... i'm leanne. twice, underfire, mr nuttall appeared to confuse the name of his tormentor. audience members asked how the leaders would invest in schools, hospitals, social care, and the future of younger people. there was general agreement money would need to be found, but when ukip‘s paul nuttall insisted there would be a financial benefit to britain leavi

for the liberal democrats, though, maybe not so much ofa democrats, though, maybe not so much of a problemthey are not seeing much sign of a genuine comeback, nor disaster, really. but again in scotland for the snp, they are absolutely still the snp, they are absolutely still the dominant party but perhaps they may have a few anxieties. they might see their sky high ratings at the last general election might be a bit choppier to achieve this time around but we can't say enough time — local elections are not the same as general elections. not everybody around the country has the chance to vote. in places where people do have the right to vote, not so many turn out. it is a useful barometer of what to expect next month but nothing automatic about today's headlines being repeated injune. thank you, laura. we have heard from our reporters all over great britain and the weather is different in every place, is different over great britain and the weather is different in every place, jay has more. well, it was lovely today across swathes of the uk. this is scotland. blue sky and snow on the peaks