theresa may only moved in here 279 days ago.nd she said consistently that there should be no early general election. quite simply, she has changed her mind. what happens next for theresa may will be up to you. when did you know there was going to be an election? great opportunities ahead. when did you know, secretary of state? a bit reluctant to tell us when you knew about the election? when did she change her mind, chief whip? when did the prime minister change her mind? good morning, it's a lovely day. when did you know there was going to be an election? when i heard it this morning. you could forgive their surprise perhaps because they'd heard the pm say this. i don't think there is a need for an election. i think the next election will be in 2020. labour will support tomorrow's vote to push the button, even though the weakness ofjeremy corbyn is one of the reasons why an early election is on. yet his supporters hope that his ideas will cut through. i welcome the opportunity for us to put the case to the people of britain, to

is that the risk theresa may has taken in going so ha rd theresa may has taken in going so hard on thisut? the fact is of course thoseissues talked about? the fact is of course those issues are real for talked about? the fact is of course those issues are realfor our constituents but the labour party don't have any answers to those problems. it's clear to most people thatjeremy corbyn as prime minister isn't acceptable to the vast majority of people in our country. we will find out onjune the 8th. germany is a populist leader. many fa ke germany is a populist leader. many fake populism is back. we will see onjune eight fake populism is back. we will see on june eight what the people fake populism is back. we will see onjune eight what the people of britain make up the prospect of a labour government. nicola sturgeon has called this a cynical attempt, that this is an english issue and she's described it as a moment where theresa may is taking people for a ride, basically. i think theresa may is taking people for a ride, basically. ithink there theresa may is taking people for a ride, bas

theresa may is doing a massive u—turn. fight her in her cut and run an election and we will win. the poll suggested to be in for the worst result in recent history. this will be the first time that the polls called a general election on board here and in america. we believe the general election will allow the general public to focus on theresa may's version of brexit which puts controlling immigration before every other thing, including gdp, jobs & ready, and focus on her values which dead in regard the values which dead in regard the values of the british public. why do you think she changed her mind? she has panicked. our whole brexit strategy is collapsing. most of the things she has promised will not happen. brexit strategy is collapsing sushi is cutting and running. what does the labour party need to do? i have just come from the shadow cabinet this morning. what was the mood? it was calm. tom watson led the discussion talking about the need for unity. we have the people and the plans in place. it is the largest socia

is it damaging for theresa may to make this u—turn? said repeatedly there would be no general election before 2020. for all of us westminster watchers, they might question that. and feel a bit annoyed. i think the general public, people think if you're going to call a snap election, you must keep it yourself and the element of surprise is part of the strategic advantage you have a prime minister.” is part of the strategic advantage you have a prime minister. i do not think people will be that upset about her calling an election after saying she would not call one. what i thought was a bit risky, was to tiger winning the election, the tories winning, to the national cause quite as tightly as she did. to me it felt like maybe she was going a bit too far to say basically if you are a patriot you have got to back me. back the tories. if you wa nt back me. back the tories. if you want brexit to go well you have got to back the tories. that method should absolutely be implicit in what they do but to be so explicit about it i just what they d

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

theresa tories than if theresa may had waited until 2020.byn saying that he had said he would vote against any deal on brexit, if the terms were not com pletely brexit, if the terms were not completely matching what the uk currently has inside the eu. it will be, rbc, and we have heard that jeremy corbyn is welcoming the election but it is interesting to see how they play it. it is very difficult forjeremy corbyn, who has an ambivalent decision on brexit. he was fundamentally a remainer. if he was, he would get a lot more votes than he is getting now. a lot of the voters he needs to get back voted for brexit. yes, theresa may is right that labour is in a difficult position. although the pretext of this was that he would thwart brexit, that does not really hold up. she managed to get the brexit legislation through the commons pretty easily. there is not a practical reason for the selection rather than the party political advantage of the conservative party. voters will sense that. this is the other risk theresa may is taking. she's been telli

theresa may might well want this to bea theresa may might well want this to be a brexit election but't always said the terms of the debate. and pains could have a life of their own and labour wa nts to have a life of their own and labour wants to love the photos back towards public services and the economy. the labour leader used a parliamentary debate to criticise theresa may's refusal to take part in televised election debates but also criticised the conservatives record in parliament. the prime minister talks about a strong economy but the truth is most people are worse off than they were when the conservatives came to power seven years ago. the election gives the british people the chance to change direction. this election is about her government's failure to rebuild the economy and living standards for the majority. the snp expect labour to lose ground in england so when their leader came to westminster today, she made a clear pitch for the anti—conservative vote in scotland. only the snp stands between scotland and an increasingly hardline tory government. it is a vote to end p

because theresa may herself has made it so.he has directly, in a way that leaders have not done for some time, directly ask the british people for a mandate to get thatjob done. very specifically, very clearly. and even though there will be other things that she and the other political parties want to talk about, i think it is hard to see yet not being a main theme of what actually happens in the next seven weeks or so. there is a real irony here because one of the reasons theresa may did not want to have an early election is because she wanted to get brexit done and dusted before actually having the next vote for the whole country. but it appears talking to ministers as the complicity of that has become real, it has been hurt adulation that the canniest move has been to do this and do it now and get it out of the way, with the hope that she ends up with a bigger majority and life becomes much easier. we know today, from today, that theresa may has been very, very good at keeping secrets, but we do not know whether oi’ secrets,

so many people would say a room with nicola may —— theresa may, nicola sturgeon, to bea may —— theresatouchable. john talks about arrogance and we have the arrogance of the government because they have been lecturing us that it's not time to have a referendum in scotland but out of no where we are to have a general election, so the fact the scottish parliament has voted to allow the scottish people to have a say on theirfuture, allow the scottish people to have a say on their future, hajj tofy brexit for securing our future say on their future, hajj tofy brexit for securing ourfuture in europe, so we will be entrusting roshan of a confident scotland playing its role in europe while a conservative government wants to drag us out, so i look forward to that because we have a strong message that excites people in scotland, and i expect people in scotla nd scotland, and i expect people in scotland to engage with this, and we will contrast roshan with a conservative government teetering on the cliff edge brexit. we want to make sure people understand the risks facing them. the prime minister

tomorrow, theresa may will seek a general election on june the theresa may will seek a general electionmost certainly get the backing she needs. she hopes to increase support for her brexit plan from across the country and among her mps, but general elections are also always a risk. although the labour party are ina dire risk. although the labour party are in a dire position in the opinion polls, a lot of their seats are safe one. if the opinion polls were to narrow drink the course of the campaign, we should bear in mind that theresa may is now going for a vote conservative for my vision of brexit, and that is going to make some conservative voters unhappy. if that lead where to narrow, we could discover that she would get a rather small majority than she is hoping for. so once again, who holds control here and with how much clout will be for the country to decide. we can get more reaction now. in a moment we will be speaking to out correspondents in belfast and cardiff. but first our scotland correspondent, lorna gordon, is in glasgow. we have heard from the scotland first minister ni

theresa may only moved in here 279 days ago.nsistently that there should be no early general election. quite simply, she has changed her mind. what happens next for theresa may will be up to you. when did you know there was going to be an election? great opportunities ahead. when did you know, secretary of state? a bit reluctant to tell us when you knew about the election? when did she change her mind, chief whip? when did the prime minister change her mind? good morning, it's a lovely day. when did you know there was going to be an election? when i heard it this morning. you could forgive their surprise perhaps because they'd heard the pm say this. i don't think there is a need for an election. i think the next election will be in 2020. labour will support tomorrow's vote to push the button, even though the weakness ofjeremy corbyn is one of the reasons why an early election is on. yet his supporters hope that his ideas will cut through. i welcome the opportunity for us to put the case to the people of britain, to stand up agai

how big a gamble is this by theresa may?it would suggest it is not such a big gamble. the question for her is whether it will hit her credibility as a politician of her word. for months she has been saying there would be no election, it is all about stability for the country, but neither political incentive is there, it seems, and she has gone for it. let's go to brussels. kevin connolly is our correspondence. what are they making of this? are they thinking theresa may may be in a much stronger position than those negotiations get under way if she wins a general election first?” think that is right. the people around who will be europol is not chief negotiators are saying this is a good thing because from this will emerge a strong leader with a strong, clear positive mandate from the british people because of visions of brexit will have been put to voters, discussed and debated and decided on. the bottom line for europe is that whoever wins, they feel they are ready. while this is all rumbling along in british electoral law

what we have in theresa may asa country.lead with strength and have the parliamentary backing to deliver for the country, and we need that, in terms of the negotiations we are getting into. serious times. what are the lib dems offering? we have been consistent and principled on the issue of europe, the only party that has been. the reason part —— theresa may has changed radically, the labour party had been all over the place, we think britain should be in europe, we have opposed the way that brexit has been handled, so on that issue very much so. but it won't just be that. in twickenham, which i represented, there are other issues bubbling up around cuts in schools, which go way beyond what is fiscally necessary. bits of environmental issues, heathrow airport. there was a lot to fight over. we mention this earlier, quite a lot of people don't know who your leader is, the liberal democrat leader. tim farron has done a very good job over the last year. it always happens, i remember when charles kennedy first came in as leader,

theresa may has been the mpfor maidenhead.inkable that she will not win again. what do i think? it's a bit soon, isn't it? she's onlyjust got in, hasn't she? i don't know what to make of it. ijust heard it on the news. i was absolutely staggered. that she has called one, i can't really see the reason why. i think it's a good thing, really. i do. i think after the brexit—type thing, and she went straight into power, i think the people didn't have a chance to have their say. a general election? they'll get in again, unfortunately, because labour, who really do fight for the poor... jeremy corbyn is a great guy, and i think he's wonderful, but he'sjust not strong enough. finally, further north, dewsbury, a large south asian community, 80 battle ground for labour and the conservatives. danny savage has spent the day there. nothing's changed since the last general election for you? no. i do think hopefully it's needed to have a clearer mandate in order to go forward with brexit. it's a very brave and bold assistant to go for a gene

theresa may and jbg wrbg are chalk and cheese.ng time rebel, now the leader and the reverent‘s daughter who worked her way up over the years. different in style, totally different in political characters, too. also, the context is completely different. going into the last general election, all the way through the two main parties, labour and tory, were chasing each other day by day for the position to be ahead in the polls. it looked like there was almost nothing in it. too close to call. well, in the end, of course, there was a narrow tory majority. we go into this general election in a completely different set of circumstances. polls only give us a flavour, but a very, very strong flavour that the tories enter this race at least with the prospect ofa this race at least with the prospect of a very significant victory, but who knows, 50 days we will have the a nswe i’s who knows, 50 days we will have the answers then. who knows. we will talk again tomorrow. certainly will. laura kuenssberg there are there for us. that's all from d

will choose theresa may.? take money from primary and secondary schools. that is the kind of thing the selection will be decided on. the arrogance we see from the conservative party will start to come unstuck when people see exactly what it is they're doing in the area stop by the traditional arguments, if you like, from labour and the tories, whether reverting to an argument almost pre—brexit. tories, whether reverting to an argument almost pre-brexit. where the concentrating on nhs, care costs and education, does that worry you given that you are, presumably, hoping that the brexit bounds, those who feel a hard brexit is to be avoided, those other voters you are really targeting? we'll be targeting vote rs really targeting? we'll be targeting voters up and down the country regardless of their vote last year, and actually on all sorts of issues. i think one of the reasons are so important and the liberal democrats do that, and this is a shame, is because the labour party have failed to provide any coherent o

theresa may's offering will seem.ing will seem. the british public don't want a prime minister hand in glove with donald trump. the british public did not vote to be poorer in the referendum on the eu. the more people focus on the issues and the people, the better it will be for us. what about jeremy corbyn? us. what aboutjeremy corbyn? is he going to be any kind of asset to you in yourcampaign, big going to be any kind of asset to you in your campaign, big on your election material? no, i'm the candidate in chester. it will be my picture on the leaflets. not jeremy corbyn? and my name on the ballot paper. i will be talking about my record and the things i achieve. paper. i will be talking about my record and the things i achievem jeremy corbyn an asset or liability, ina jeremy corbyn an asset or liability, in a word? erm...... jeremy corbyn an asset or liability, inaword? erm...... ah... he a tt ra cts inaword? erm...... ah... he attracts some people's favourable attention. good times for the lib dems seem a long tim

we are told by senior eu staff, when you have theresa may dusting down the cobwebs have theresa may dustinge four remain, if there is more of a unity government, presumably done at presuming she is elected and it is not one of the other parties, the big concern here is what happens in 2019 is that some are worried there will be a hard brexit, that because in 2020 there is supposed to be a general election which has been brought forward, by 2019 there could be an emphasis by those arguing for a harder brexit that britain basically tethers itself, there is no transitional agreement in place and for europe all round that seems problematic for the markets. that might be something if theresa may has a mandate to be a straight negotiator, things might be easier. that is basically, what is happening here is some of the eu diplomats are moving the chess pieces forward and looking at some of the potential positives. yesterday a prime minister said it is problematic because they are moving the date further and further until they can get into proper brexit negotiations. gavin, you have beenin brexit n

theresa may and not he moved from the wings to centre stage.er compensate for never being prime minister? i'm very excited to be editor of a great newspaper, the evening standard. the exciting thing is not how you engage in the public debate but whether you do. and i have found... let's be realistic, you wish to be prime minister. i cut myself as incredibly fortunate to be an mp and represent a great cheshire seat that i did and also to have been chancellor for six years. i'm proud to have been part of the team that turned around the fortunes rest of my party and then of the country. prospective or a brave front on a broken dream, the coalition government come together as george osborne planned and in together —— just has a plan the lib dems were hired by voters. together —— just has a plan the lib dems were hired by voterslj together —— just has a plan the lib dems were hired by voters. i do not think he himself would claim he had great popular public appeal in the country at large but he loved the game of politics in westminster and whitehall

theresa may, there seems to bea election. theresa may, there seems to be a bit ofa election.s to be a bit of a head of steam building up against the fact that she has decided not to take part in any televised debates. how surprising is that given that we have had debates in the as to mark rowley elections and in the eu with a random? they have become a feature of these high profile campaigns and people have come to expect them. -- we have had debates in the last two elections and the eu referendum. there was argument about how the debates would take place, whether david cameron would go head—to—head with the party leaders, whether it would be one—on—one style questioning. theresa may has come out early and said she will not do any head to head debates chewing the course of the election, which has attracted some immediate criticism from other party leaders, particularlyjeremy corbyn from other party leaders, particularly jeremy corbyn and nicola sturgeon of the snp, saying she is scared to do it and cannot defend her policy platform. number ten is putting forward the argument

theresa may rejects a vote. i am so relieved. the telegraph. therese no |y rejects a vote.en thrown out. posturing and posturing. she won‘t, in my view. it is facetious to expect they will both win. what happens in a negotiation ordinarily? if you don‘t like it, don‘t agree. negotiation ordinarily? if you don‘t like it, don't agree. when she gave her but i do think she is very enough. but i do think she is very keen to get some sort of deal. and i hope that we do get a deal. because i don‘t think it is a good idea strategically or indeed economically if you simply just walked away from the eu. it would be bad form or all—round. but i am optimistic there is enough good will. i think there is enough good will. i think there is reasonable good will on all sides. it is in the interests of everybody. but there are constraints. she cannot offer a large amount of money, theresa may, because voters back home will not buy it. she said we will fulfil our obligations. that could be a0 billion pounds! soon you will be talking large sums of money!” billion pounds! soon you will be talki

theresa may has said she does not wa nt to ta ke theresa may has said she does not want to take part to contrast cameron with ed miliband. the poll lead this enormous got what you do is do what she is doing. you refuse to debate. we keep the press at arms length. you do not take too many questions and have too many interviews and ride the poll lead all the way through to the election. what a wonderful democracy! a very cynical view that theresa may is taking. i do not need to let the public see me debate my rivals. every other country in the world pretty much as tv debates. the truth is, she is not that good in those sorts of situations, from what we have seen of theresa may. where she is very goodisin of theresa may. where she is very good is in front of a podium making big speeches. take the autocue away and she does not always do that well. i am not saying thatjeremy corbyn will be great. how do we know u nless we corbyn will be great. how do we know unless we shove him in front of a camera? nothing in our constitution says we will have these debates. we said at the beginning we d

do you believe the government that theresa may —— of theresa may gets the concerns of voters and the? let's see what's on offer at this general election. i am now speaking as a newspaper editor, as the voice of my readers and we've got to make sure that notjust london's voice is heard, but the voice of a britain that wants to play a big role on the world stage, that celebrates the fact that we have a diverse society that is optimistic about the future, not afraid of the future. those are the things that i've always believed in. they change whether i am chancellor of the cheque, or editor of the evening standard. thousands of commuters to and from london have been facing disruption this evening after a fire forced the evacuation of euston station. network rail said it damaged signalling equipment and temporarily cut the station's power supply. engineers have warned that full timetables are unlikely to resume until tomorrow morning. police have named a man they're searching for in connection with an acid attack at an east london nightclub on monday in which 20 people were injured. arth

any suggestion that theresa may is going to wea ke n suggestion that theresa may is going to weaken on is not going to be what a lot of people in the country want to hear. it's an interesting one, i think particularly the student numbers, because i think people think they only come here temporarily and the evidence shows that very few ove rstayed evidence shows that very few overstayed their visas. people say, why should they be counted alongside people that come and settle here long—term and put a long—term burden, the argument goes, an essential public services, health and education. sol essential public services, health and education. so i think this is a slightly more niche issue to the whole immigration question but certainly immigration numbers and whether she's forced to put a concrete cap in her manifesto as a pledge going into the election...|j think pledge going into the election...” think ukip is going to campaign very ha rd think ukip is going to campaign very hard on immigration. 0k, finally, it is your story in the express, "i'm stepping down from the commons for now", no

is going to bejeremy corbyn or theresa may? and i think it is going to be theresa may.h. now over to hall. yes. iam in thank you very much. now over to hall. yes. i am in theresa may... thank you very much. now over to hall. yes. iam in theresa may... —— theresa may's decision today is unlikely to put in any political risk in her majority constituency of maiden maidenhead. she has been mps here since 1997 and people had been watching her political career with great interest. this is a woman born the daughter of a clergyman, raised in 0xfordshire. she had early political ambitions to the country. i think at the time she talked about being the first woman leader and she was pipped at the post by mrs thatcher. people watched closely her time as home secretary, the second longest serving home secretary in 100 years. and now is prime minister, she comes into downing street and makes what can be another significant announcement on a momentous political decision. we spoke to some other shoppers here in maidenhead to ask them what they made of it will stop what do i think? she

did theresa may even surprise you? did theresa may even surprise herself?gest decision as prime minister taken only days ago. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet where we agreed that the government should call a general election to be held on the 8th ofjune. that was not her plan. but she says to get brexit done, she needs more support around here. in recent weeks, labour have threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the european union. the liberal democrats have said they want to grind the business of government to a standstill. the scottish national party say they will vote against the legislation that formally repealed britain's membership of the european union. and unelected members of the house of lords have vowed to fight as every step of the way. our opponents believe because the government's majority is so small that our resolve will weaken and that they can resolve will weaken and that they ca n force resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change course, they are wrong. so, tomorrow there will bea are wrong.

be you has basically said to theresa may —— the eu has basically said to theresa may these are the parametersgreement on eu citizens. we will need to have agreements on northern ireland and the border and we will need agreements on the exit bill. all that before we move on to what the future policies, the trading relationships and everything else looks like. that is just a statement of the parameters of the negotiations. it is extraordinary this has been played as the eu trying to stitch up... it is the obvious story to put on the front page for a brexit election. there is a lot of newspaper hyperbole going on. then we are going on to the sunday times. this wonderful expression about living in another galaxy, according to brussels. i am another galaxy, according to brussels. iam not another galaxy, according to brussels. i am not sure who said that. it is a bit disobliging. brussels. i am not sure who said that. it is a bit disobligingm brussels. i am not sure who said that. it is a bit disobliging. it is extraordinary that theresa may is getting a reputation for being a good negotiator. the

the mail is considering tax breaks for elderly relatives —— the mail says theresa may is considering.s not forgotten the bill at his local launderette after his stunning victory. it won't change him, it is like lottery winners, they always say that. the guardian, we will begin q what's i 9553.5 fi§ §'14%%§g mffifléffi over the 9553.5 fi§ §'14%%§g mffifléffi oi theresa may particularly today. theresa may ruling out an increase in vat, as labour have as well, but national insurance contributions and income tax might be within her sites. carefully not saying anything else and it seems to be what they're saying is the overall tax take won't increase, the tories may fiddle with a few things within that, interestingly some of the things theresa may was talking about, weakening the triple lock in pensions, making it a double lock, someone pensions, making it a double lock, someone figure that out for me, and reinvesting the money into long—term social care, which will help some of the social care problems we've got. there's a suggestion they are considering taxes on highly expensive homes, the mansi

and theresa may thinks she can win them over.a choice between strong and stable leadership under the conservatives, or weak and unstable coalition of chaos led byjeremy corbyn. and as the voters of bolton digest news of the snap election, some have already made up their minds. i voted liberal democrat last time. but now, theresa may has got my vote. can you tell me why that is? i think she's a strong leader. notjust because she's a woman but she is strong and i think she will do the country well. she's not messing around with all this bickering in parliament and, you know, she's trying to do a good job of a bad situation that she's been left in. i voted conservatives last year, last time. i won't be voting at all this year because i've no confidence in none of them. labour hope to succeed by attacking the government's record on the nhs and school funding, things they hope will matter to people. i will vote forjeremy corbyn, yeah. i definitely think he's... relates closely to... you know, the lower, well, under the middle—class. l

a significant turnaround for theresa may.hy she has done it is the reason a better time. she looks ahead and sees the negotiations and sees it is going to be difficult and she won't be able to deliver on everything. the lib dems, early signs they could get more support. people are seeing prices rising. will people be asking questions about the impact of brexit on the economy? there has not been a better time for theresa may and i don't think there will be. that is why she called it now. briefly, it also gives her a chance to bring backbenchers in the line. it is good to be really interesting to see if thatis to be really interesting to see if that is the case. the people we are talking about have never been known for particularly going back and being quiet. what is going to be fascinating is what kind of mandate though she claimed to have? what is she going to promise to the electorate and what is she going to do? can see deliver? maybe they will be quiet if she delivers. thank you. we will be at leicester market all morning.

let's join theresa may for her speech.ons, fresh from the height of commons, fresh from winning a vote in the house of commons which has approved my decision to hold a general election on the 8th ofjune. it is the right decision. cheering it is the right decision, it is in the national interest. and that is what this election is about. it's about providing the strong and sta ble about providing the strong and stable leadership this country needs to ta ke stable leadership this country needs to take britain through brexit and beyond. it's about strengthening our hand in the negotiations that lie ahead. and it's about sticking to our plan for ahead. and it's about sticking to our planfora ahead. and it's about sticking to our plan for a stronger britain that will enable us to secure that more sta ble will enable us to secure that more stable and secure future for this country, and takes the right long—term decisions for the future. it's about strong and stable leadership in the national interest. and you only get that strong

so officials in brussels, berlin and paris want theresa may to do well.egotiations —— and if those negotiations, those brexit negotiations following the election, do well, i'm being told by high—level sources, tonight, then the eu would be open to starting those trade deals, the trade talks about a future relationship between the eu and uk, far earlier than had been imagined. but remember that when the eu talks about good progress in brexit, and i heard from a top—level source tonight that he believes the chances of a good deal for both sides now are far improved. but they talk about good progress from the eu's point of view. katya adler there with that assessment. but let's get the business and economic indications. sally is here. yes, here we go again. nine months after becoming prime minister, theresa may is throwing the dice and the betting on a strong victory in a snap election. today, as you been hearing, mps are expected to vote in favour of the proposal which mrs may says will bring greater certainty as britain prepares to leave the european union

theresa may has made it clear she doesn't want to take part in televised debates.ntroversy that is beginning to get a head of steam now? we had debates during the brexit campaign, the 2010 election, 2015 election. the debate around the debate seems to have become quite a feature, you will remember there was a tussle in 2015 about the format of the debate and how they would take place, who would go head—to—head with whom, and it seems that already we are having this conversation about this election, because i think there is foursome now an expectation that those tv debates are an important pa rt those tv debates are an important part of the campaign, because it is a way for the public to see the party leaders put their policies against each other and their personalities and debating skills, but theresa may's argument is that she does that every week prime minister's questions, and from her perspective, she has what appears to bea perspective, she has what appears to be a pretty strong lead in the opinion polls, and there is a tendency for front runners to believe th

first, theresa may has made it clear she believes this is an election about brexit.u think? brexit is going to happen and labour in government would see it through. but this election is about much more than brexit. this is an election in the end that is about which party has the plan for the uk after brexit, who is going to rescue the nhs. which party is best forfamilies who is going to rescue the nhs. which party is best for families and their living standards, who is going to improve schools for all children and build more affordable homes both to read and to buy. this is about what country we want the uk to be after brexit. that is what this election i think will be about. of course you'll want the election to be about all of those other issues and of course your own brief which housing. but labour want to focus on all that other stuff because your position on brexit is all over the shop? not the case. we are said from day one from the referendum, we accept the result of the referendum. we will see this through. brexit will happen. the question is now the decision

theresa may said early election also provide stability for the longer term.peaking to the bbc she said britain will be able to negotiate from a stronger position with the eu. currently cable is changing hands at 1.2817. off the six-month highs of 1.29. very important this currency pair has moved above the 200-day moving average. willem marx is in westminster. we are less than 24 hours from the surprise announcement coming from the prime minister. what is the reaction? >> you heard there from theresa may laying down the gauntlet for her political opponents behind me. we're joined by joan hoey. what else might be behind this decision? >> i think the public reasons for calling this election may not be the most important ones. there's also the reasons we could surmise, temptation was too great. i think the thing that is really on theresa may's mind is her own party rather than the opposition or the country, because we para minister who is in a powerful position, she has triggered and taken control of the process and triggered article 50. what she wants is a free

theresa may only moved in here 279 days ago.nsistently that there should be no early general election. quite simply, she has changed her mind. what happens next for theresa may will be up to you. labour will support tomorrow's vote to push the button, even though the weakness ofjeremy corbyn is one of the reasons why an early election is on. yet his supporters hope that his ideas will cut through. i welcome the opportunity for us to put the case to the people of britain, to stand up against this government and its failed economic agenda, which has left our nhs with problems, which has left our schools underfunded, and so many people uncertain. we want to put our case out there for the people of britain, of a society that cares for all, an economy that works for all and a brexit that works for all. more than ever, perhaps, this election will notjust be about what happens here but the whole country's constitution. the tories won't promise another vote on independence in scotland, but nicola sturgeon will. this is the biggest u—tur

tonight at six — theresa may takes the tory campaign to wales.hallenging labour in its heartland — the prime minister says she wants a mandate from the whole of the uk. we want to get votes and support here in wales because that will strengthen my hand in the brexit negotiations. also tonight — labour spells out its approach on brexit. it says labour would work harder to stay in the eu's harder to stay in the eu's trading system and attacks the government's approach. if theresa may gets another five years in power, shall take it as a green light to sideline parliament, ignore opposition and drive through a reckless tory brexit. ivanka trump takes centre stage with some of the world's most powerful women. nearly ten years on since madeleine disappeared, kate mccann says the family will never give up their search. where is the pain in your stomach? who needs a doctor's diagnosis when there's a mobile app to do the job — the future of artificial intelligence. and coming up in the sport on bbc news. as anthonyjoshua prepares for the biggest night of

what you make of theresa may?theresa may wants to make this general election all about brexit because she wants to avoid talking about all the other issues, all the things that are going wrong under her watch, all the crises that are being made under her watch at number ten. she wants to avoid talking about that. jeremy says, look, because this election has been called underfalse premise, triggering article 50 has already been decided, that has already been decided, we can talk about brexit but let‘s talk about everything else because, at the end of the day, those people who are panicking right now, coming into my surgery, struggling to make ends meet, having to use food banks, it is notjust about brexit. it is about everyday living. that is what people want to know. what will we do for everyday people to make sure they can live their lives without having to visit food banks on a daily basis to make ends meet? that is people who are working, doctors, nurses, all finding it difficult because of the policies that th

theresa may needs to find a way to hold this election. policy commentator, saying, oh, god now eve ryo ne commentator, saying, oh, god now everyone will become an expert on the fixed term parliaments act 2011. this is the worst possible outcome." what he's referring to is the law put in place by david cameron that fixed uk general elections to the first thursday of may every five yea rs. first thursday of may every five years. under this law, the next election is to 2020. let's do a bbc reality check on how theresa may might get around that commitment. the first way to do that would be to overturn the entire act, something that the government would be very unlikely to be able to do quickly, if at all. instead, theresa may's going to seek cross—party support foran going to seek cross—party support for an early election. we know there are for an early election. we know there a re 650 for an early election. we know there are 650 seats in the house of commons. if an early election is going to be allowed and there'll be vote on this tomorrow,

we understand that is one of the things playing on theresa may's mind in recent days as she made this decision. of course, she has said she wants their selection to be about brexit. she made that clear on the steps of downing street this morning. 0ther the steps of downing street this morning. other political parties, labour we noted today, will be wanting to argue about the nhs, education, other areas of the economies. while there will be talk about brexit and the negotiations and what type of brexit theresa may will get, we can be sure the campaign will cover a vast area of interest. indeed. many thanks. the so in just over 7 weeks' time, voters across the united kingdom will be asked to go to the polls yet again. —— the united. it'll be the second general election in the space of two years and that's on top of two referendums, one on scottish independence and one on eu membership since 2014. so how do voters feel about another major poll and the weeks of campaigning ahead? our home editor mark easton has been to leeds to talk to people there. is this election about health and welfa

the pollsters so far have this done and dusted with theresa may winning, but the thorn in the side of conservative party has been for months if not years nicola sturgeon and the snp. she's not going away if any of these stories are to go by. what theresa may called nicola sturgeon 's point yesterday, talking about a coalition plan to tie up with the lib dems and labour, was a coalition of chaos. it's getting nasty already. the most exciting line of the year has come out here, parliamentary arithmetic, that will be fun to talk about for the next however many weeks. the big thing is the only way theresa may sees jeremy corbyn getting in is if she is with the snp and the liberal democrats. it depends how scared you are of the tories i suppose. when this broke, on tuesday, nicola sturgeon —— the sterling surged. it is linked to the ftse 100 because they sterling surged. it is linked to the ftse100 because they are doing well as well. what was the mood? not ain! as well. what was the mood? not again! this is the biggest issue, it creates uncertainty, uncertainty about everything, which is

you mentioned theresa may which ta kes you mentioned theresa may which takes us onto the i. we want theresa may in tv debates, say voters. who are these photos? i would agree with voters to say we want to have her in. you can understand her reluctance, she is way ahead of the polls, everybody expects her to get a three figure majority in the house of commons. there is a downside risk that she will go in and stumble, jeremy corbyn will shine, tim farron will do something remarkable. do you remember when nick clegg popped in, and everybody agreed with nick. absolutely went sky high in the polls. having said that, i think these debates will make a tiny difference but i don't think in this particular election they will make a difference. is the appetite there, do you think? it says 5496 of people said they want to see theresa may in the debate, i certainly don't. you would rather have them than not, wouldn't you ? would rather have them than not, wouldn't you? i think the prospect ofjeremy wouldn't you? i think the prospect of jeremy corbyn wouldn't you? i think the prospect ofj

the latest poll gave theresa may an over 20% lead over labour.avid cameron won it on 37% of the vote, a 4% lead over labour. that 20% lead is massive. polls can be wrong and there's a big swing factor of how the eu plays out as an election issue. it's true that certain conservative mps in wealthy urban constituencies and parts of rural southwest will likely lose their seat. the gamble is that theresa may thinks that will be offset significantly by winning seats in labour. >> what does it do to the prospects of a so-called soft brexit and hard brexit which are squishy terms? we talked to the foreign secretary about that yesterday. hasn't she been pushing immigration over common market? if she gets a stronger, bigger mandate isn't that more negative? i thought the pound rally was more interesting. jim o'neill talked about this, it's hard to read into the 4 x move, the british pound was squeezed higher on the lack of uncertainty over that announcement. in general what does it mean for negotiations? >> it's interesting. william hague's answer is what

for the last time, this time round at least, theresa may sped off to the commons.the leader of the opposition's lair, jeremy corbyn swotted up for what could be their last weekly showdown. questions to the prime minister. not really questions and answers today, more a slanging match of slogans. who will be prime minister of this great country? and he says the choice is clear. and the choice is clear. every vote for him is a vote for a chaotic brexit. every vote for me is a vote to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best dealfor britain. just in case you missed it, she mentioned the word strong 38 times. the word stable, 11. not so many answers. but he had his own mantra. they are strong against the weak, and weak against the strong. the election on the 8th ofjune is a choice between... yeah. between a conservative government for the few and a labour government that will stand up for all of our people. anyone would think there's a campaign on. the snp in snap happy mode and attacking the tories for refusing to promise to keep the guarantee where state pensions a

completely unacceptable, is it not, for theresa may not to take part in tv debates?et her message on leadership, the economy, directly to the country and that is where we will be focused in the weeks ahead. all the signs from downing street or that whatever the broadcasters do, mrs may remains adamant she will not ta ke mrs may remains adamant she will not take part. norman, thank you. plenty more to fear from westminster but now let's get a weather update from darren bent. not quite the balcony, more the studio but the weather is still the studio but the weather is still the same, it's not sunny all across the same, it's not sunny all across the uk, there is this cloud moving slowly south but it has been breaking in scotland, in aberdeenshire have seen temperatures about 16 degrees, otherwise about 11 or so under the cloud, a little drizzle for northern ireland pushing into western scotland, that will filter into northern england and north wales as this cloud pushes its way south. a westerly breeze, a lot of cloud so temperatures should be high enough to prevent fro

theresa may will be hoping for a similarly clear majority or her conservative government in june when british voters go to the polls for the third time in two years. with their position weekend divided, there's concern she may sweep the victory. to the right, 522. the nos to the left, 13. >> a clear mandate for theresa may at the house of commons backing her call for a snap election. may argues a new poll will strengthen britain's's hand in negotiations within the eu and help make a success of brexit. >> i will be out campaigning and taking photos, taking the message to the voters crucially of our plan to make brexit a success and to build a stronger bridge and for the future. >> theresa may was, however, criticized for previously saying there would be no general election before 2020. >> we welcome the general election. but this is a prime minister who promised there would not be one. who cannot beer trusted. >> theresa may is also likely to face charges from scottish nationalists, who are calling for a second independence referendum. may insist scotland should wait, but the scottish

theresa may only moved in here 279 days ago.he said consistently there should be no early general election. but quite simply, she has changed her mind. and what happens next for theresa may will be up to you. the weakness ofjeremy corbyn is one of the reasons why an early election‘s on. yet his supporters hope his ideas can cut through. i welcome the opportunity for us to put the case to the people of britain, to stand up against this government, and its failed economic agenda, which has left our nhs in problems, which has left our schools underfunded, and so many people uncertain. we want to put a case out there for the people of britain for a society that cares for all, and an economy that works for all, and a brexit that works for all. more than ever, perhaps, this election won'tjust be about what happens here, but the whole country's constitution. the tories won't promise another vote on independence in scotland, but nicola sturgeon well. well, this is the biggest u—turn in recent political history. but it's very clear that

theresa may.d their chance to debate and vote on mrs may's call for an early election. if this election is, as the prime minister says, about a more secure future for this country, if it is an election of such national significance, we should have an urgent change in the law to give britain's 1.5 million 16 and i7—year—olds a say in what will very much be their future on the 8th ofjune. the people of northern ireland will have a clear choice. they will have a clear choice as to whether they will want to rally round and say very, very firmly that they want northern ireland to remain part of the united kingdom, or whether they want to go down the route presented by sinn fein, which is this marxist leninist concept of a republic which has been rejected even by most people who accept their nationalism, but reject what they stand for in terms of their economic outlook and all the rest of it. in essence, the prime minister's argument is that she has no confidence in parliament. so we have this bizarre s

this is where theresa may's long hike helped make up her mind.l warehouses and a central distribution centre. i'll have the details shortly. and in sport, serena williams reveals she's expecting her first child. she made the announcement on social media, posting a picture with the caption, "20 weeks." and we'll be hearing from one of the stars of british tennis. johanna konta speaks exclusively to breakfast about her dreams of becoming world number one. and matt has the weather. good morning. well, i'll be serving up good morning. well, i'll be serving upjusta good morning. well, i'll be serving up just a little good morning. well, i'll be serving upjust a little bit good morning. well, i'll be serving up just a little bit of sunshine. 0verall, up just a little bit of sunshine. overall, a fairly cloudy story for many of us and a touch of drizzle, too. good morning. first, our main story. jeremy corbyn will set out his pitch to voters this morning as he tries to become the next prime minister. in a speech the labour leader will say that he'll stan