theresa may may well have triggered article 50, the negotiations have not started yet.t the brexit that they voted for on june 23rd, they'll only get that, i believe, if you get ukip mps elected to the house of commons, and that is why we'll go into this brexit election quite buoyant. and the greens, too, are sticking to their mission. you look optimistic, but you're going to need to be. we are optimistic, because we are the party opposing extreme brexit, opposing the decimation of public services and providing those important environmental protections. all the parties must now scramble to get candidates, raise cash, to get out a manifesto that will give the country a choice for five years. one burden theresa may is avoiding is tv debates. her team has made it clear that she won't be taking part. labour's agreed that all mps will be entitled to stand as candidates, though team corbyn was keen some would have to prove their loyalty first and that a private meeting of labour mps tonight everyone agreed they would fight hard and privately they all understand they're going

for example, to get the lead of 100 that perhaps theresa may may have in mind. it? it's certainly true, i think the liberal democrats will be quite happy with this election. after all, if you've only got nine seats, it's pretty difficult to lose many more, although maybe that could happen. they have a very clear, distinctive position on brexit. that is, if you don't like theresa may's version of brexit, or if you don't like brexit at all, you should vote for us. in contrast, the labour party, well, if you listen to jeremy corbyn's statement today, he's not really been wanting to talk about brexit. he's wanting to talk about what he regards as the unfairness of the conservative party. he wants to fight on a different ground. the truth is that the labour party, certainly in recent months, seems to have struggled to reach a united position on brexit, and that therefore, perhaps if theresa may is successful in focusing the referendum on brexit, and the leadership required to get a successful brexit outcome for the uk, labour may be struggling. perhaps, as in the 198

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

she called this a huge political miscalculation on the part of theresa may. ry, and there are very complex politics at play here in scotland. it feels like this is yet another unforeseen moved in a very complex three—dimensional game of political chess that is underway, because what will be at play here are our domestic policies, yes, brexit, yes, but also bubbling away in the background that question of a second independence referendum. theresa may touched on it on her comments this morning, think this is about certainty and stability. she said she would be campaigning for the future of the united kingdom. ruth davidson, the leader of the scottish conservatives, also highlighting that they will use this as an opportunity to voice their opposition to a second vote on independence. i was speaking to ruth davidson just a few moments ago and she was fed —— said she was hopeful her party would win a clutch of seats here in scotland. the other parties here in scotland are also relishing the opportunity for a general election fight. later, the lib dems and the green

theresa may said britain needs certainty, stability and strong leadership following the eu referendumaining the decision, mrs may said she has reluctantly come to the conclusion that a vote is necessary, adding "the country is coming together but westminster is not." she will need parliamentary approval to formally call the election — a vote on that will be held tomorrow. in the first of tonight's reports, our political editor laura kuenssberg on this year's general election. did she surprise them? did she surprise you? did theresa may even surprised herself? her biggest decision as prime minister, taking 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. 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 governme

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

theresa may breaking her word. relu cta ntly theresa may breaking her word. rests to go for an early general election. what do you think was the crucial factor that made mrs may change her mind?m think was the crucial factor that made mrs may change her mind? in the words of one of my sources, we have had 100% lies for weeks and weeks that there would be no early election. and yet, the logic of holding a poll now was pretty big. theresa may is about to embark on the negotiations on brexit. there is just this window, while europe gets its negotiating strategy together and the french hold their elections ahead of the german poll in the autumn, theresa may could hold a cost free election before the heavy lifting begins without damaging the british interests, she will hope, and take advantage of this extraordinary polling. we have had problems with polls in the past and no one can deny that. what you getting is incredibly large polling leads. we heard one from yougov over the weekend, a 21 point lead in that poll. another similar sized poll from a rival company at

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

theresa may said britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership following the eu referendum. explaining the decision, mrs may said she had reluctantly come to the conclusion that a vote was necessary, adding "the country is coming together but westminster is not." she will need parliamentary approval to formally call the election with a vote being held tomorrow. our political correspondent, ben wright reports. out of the blue, they announced there would be a statement from the prime minister, out of the blue, theresa may stunned westminster and the country with this.” theresa may stunned westminster and the country with this. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet. where we agreed that the government should call a general election. to be held on june should call a general election. to be held onjune the 8th. should call a general election. to be held on june the 8th. the next general election was not due until 2020, but theresa may said a poll was needed now. the reason she gave, to bring political stability to brexit. at this moment of enormous national significance,

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,

theresa may may well have triggered article 50, but the negotiations have not started yet.hat they voted for on june 23rd, they'll only get that, i believe, if you get ukip mps elected to the house of commons, and that is why we'll go into this brexit election quite buoyant. and the greens too are sticking to their mission. you look optimistic, but you're going to need to be. we are optimistic, because we are the party opposing extreme brexit, opposing the decimation of public services and providing those important environmental protections. all the parties must now scramble to get candidates, raise cash, to get out a manifesto that will give the country a choice for five years. one burden theresa may is avoiding is tv debates. labour's agreed that all mps will be entitled to stand as candidates, though team corbyn was keen some would have to prove their loyalty first and that a private meeting of labour mps tonight eve ryo ne meeting of labour mps tonight everyone agreed they would fight ha rd everyone agreed they would fight hard and privately they all understand they‘ re

the timetable of events leading up to a general election after today's dramatic announcement by theresa maywning street. a motion will be submitted and voted on tomorrow for the commons to cut short the present fixed—term parliament. mrs may needs a two—thirds majority. labour will vote with the government so it is likely to be passed. on 27th april, six weeks before polling day, writs are issued to local returning officers. this is the official start of the campaigning period. on wednesday, 3rd may, parliament will be dissolved, meaning it's the official end of the present parliament. this is on the 25th working day before polling day. then, on thursday, 8thjune, the country will go to the polls. so, let's catch up on all the events from this morning. our political correspondent ben wright reports. out of the blue, number 10 announced there would be a statement from the prime minister, out of the blue, theresa may stunned westminster and the country with this. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet. where we agreed that the government should call a general election. to be held on 8th

only theresa may can answer if it was a lie, i may.o, now it is notjust the right thing to do, it is absolutely essential. but this is all yesterday's story. what we need to be talking about now is the issues in this election. in scotland, yes, the determination of the snp to break up the uk and have a second referendum will be at the heart of the debate, let's not get that. —— kid that. hannah is right in saying it is important that we remain part of the single market that is the european union but at the same time it is so important that we should come out of the single market that is the united kingdom. 15% of scotland's exported goods go to the single market in the european union. over two thirds go to the single market that is the united kingdom. 0k. polling suggests, we take for the caveats about it, and perhaps this general election is an opportunity for the pollsters to redeem their election a little, polling suggests a third of british people don't know who tim farron is. do you want to tell audience? he is the new thing in br

"tories confirm theresa may won't take part in general election tv debates." ator magazine's political correspondent. "next question: will may be empty—chaired in the debates that do take place?" we will have to wait and see how the broadcasters approach that, but katy is here, obviously a calculation by the prime minister that she can afford to be the chaired. she is obviously decide that it is not worth their while to be in this debate, she has got very little to gain from this, whereasjeremy corbyn, standing next to them might give them a statesman like respectability that they do not actually have. interesting to see the other leaders lining up saying, how are you not going to show up? we had this in the 2015 election, david cameron said he did not want to be ina cameron said he did not want to be in a seven person debates, and all the broadcasters threatened to empty—chair him, but it didn't happen. i am sure the other parties would trade theresa may's polling for what they have, the tories performing very well, but being a frontrunner is not always easy i

theresa may stunned westminster, as she had previously insisted there would be no election until 2020turn, mrs may said she had reluctantly come to the conclusion that a vote was necessary, adding, "the country is coming together, but westminster is not." our political correspondent eleanor garnier spoke to tim shipman from the sunday times and jack blanchard from the daily mirror to ask why they thought mrs may made the announcement now. about a month ago, there was a bit of mood music that they were thinking about holding an election, and her closest aides said they would not be doing it and any circumstances, at which point eve ryo ne circumstances, at which point everyone lost interest in the story, no obvious preparations going on. and so everyone thought this was not going to happen, she said you was not going to do it. what has tipped over the edge? what on earth could tipa prime over the edge? what on earth could tip a prime minister with a lead of 20 points?! she wants david cameron botch the european renegotiation, and she has tried to go about her deal with brussels in the

theresa may said britain needs certainty, stability and strong leadership following the eu referendumexplaining the decision, mrs may said she has reluctantly come to the conclusion that a vote is necessary, adding: "the country is coming together but westminster is not." she will need parliamentary approval to formally call the election — a vote on that will be held tomorrow. in the last hour, the prime minister has called president trump, the german chancellor, angela merkel, and the european council president, donald tusk. jean—claude juncker and also the taoiseach, enda kenny. in the first of tonight's reports, our political editor, laura kuenssberg, on this year's general election. did she surprise them? did she surprise you? did theresa may even surprise herself? her biggest 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 ha

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 may be about to upset an awful lot of voters.ng the tory promise to pensioners takes a leader very confident about this election, especially now she is protecting overseas spending at the same time. a big lead in the polls comes in handy if you are about to annoy pensioners. a big majority in the commons, even more so. that deserves a hug, jeremy corbyn campaigning his way, to small crowds and big ones. no talk of saving on benefits here. the corbyn way sounds like this. theresa may seems incapable of answering any question about the protection of the triple lock on the state pension. well, i give you that commitment now. labour will maintain the triple lock. standing by the triple lock, pensions up every year by inflation or average earnings, or 2.5%. sorry, i am not quite sure where i am going. nor does anyone know for sure. the campaign has barely started. the lib dems look perky, sure that this election will be better than last time. we are the only clear opposition to the conservatives, opposing a hard brexit, exit from the

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 says she's going to the polls three years early to help her make a success of brexit and secure a better dealfor britain. opposition parties have accused mrs may of a u—turn, but say they won't vote against the election. this morning theresa may has denied claims of political opportunism and insisted that it's in the national interest to hold a snap election. speaking on the today programme, the prime minister has said she is not seeking a mandate for a "blank cheque" on brexit. so you are committed to fighting the election without spelling anything new out at all? nothing new about brexit, nothing new about immigration, nothing new about trade? that is what we would call seeking a blank cheque, when you're saying to me, trust me, i'm in control, i'll get it sorted. well, if i may, with due respect, it's not seeking a blank cheque when i say to people, look what we have done already. look what we've delivered as a government already. look at the modern industrial strategy we are working on. look at the policies that we have and the aims that we have in terms of a good scho

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

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

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

theresa may is on the front of all the newspapers. the times. they are talking about a poll. the bolt from the blue for may. all of the papers, massive inside pages on what it means for so many different people and part of the country as well. the sun. this will kill off labour. the election bombshell from theresa may. the express. she is saying that. front page of the daily mirror. lots of people are reminded again in the papers of how many times she said there would be no early election. this is how the daily mirror have written it. they said the lady is for u—turning. this is where you get a sense of the papers having different political leanings. really? one more. the front page of the guardian. may, give me my mandate. we will ask the brexit secretary about that later run. theresa may has said on numerous occasions that she will not give a sort of step—by—step plan of what they want to do with exit. but if their readers an election they had they may have to put that in the ma nifesto. had they may have to put that in the manifesto. and the financial times. they are looki

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

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

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

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.

so 50 days, is this for theresa may to make mistakes, this campaign, and then there was a problem becauseconfidence in the conservative party. there may be a degree of confidence looking at the national polls but i do not think anyone could be complacent look at those and think that they will be replicated in terms of the results. we need to go out and show people what the planners for the future and what the planners for the future and what we've achieved in years. i'll am sure we will successfully do that. thank you all very much. one of the most interesting constituents this year is likely to be clacton. douglas carswell, quit ukip is to become an independent. down and out is therefore is now. theresa may, her message that this election is about brexit is one that has resonating here. clacton at the bottom end of essex is the southernmost point of a swathe of the country that stretches from the up the country that stretches from the up through east anglia and the fans to south lincolnshire. strong areas in favour of leaving the eu and also areas that have returned ukip councillors. and

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

win well, and theresa may escapes some political problems, but the hurly—burly of any campaign claimsst ask anyone who has ever lived at this address. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. for more on prime minister may's snap election announcement, we've been getting reaction on the streets from around the country. you'rejoking?! not you're joking?! not another one! you'rejoking?! notanother one! , for god ‘s sake. i cannot honestly... i cannot stand this. there is too much politics going on at the moment. why do she need to do it? she says this will give us clarity and get things out into the open. i thought she said that initially when she took over? no, no. i disagree entirely. are you excited about another election? no. not a excited about another election? no. nota numberone. excited about another election? no. not a number one. it is too much. i think it is quite good, unless the people vote for someone, say, theresa may getting forced upon us. i think she is pushing a rock. because people at last posted to come out —— voted to come out. i think it makes a difference. she se

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

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

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,

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

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

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

theresa may only moved in here 279 days ago.tently 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—turn in

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

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 first minister disagrees. >> if the s&p wins this election then [inaudible] give the people of scotland a choice over their own future when the time is right. the conservative party will increase its majority in parliament but calls for the international party in s

theresa may. 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 si

theresa may, unsurprisingly, did the complete opposite.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. expect to hear a lot more of that over the next six weeks. meanwhile, the snp deputy leader chose to campaign on the issue of the state pension. and accused the prime minister of dodging the issue. pensioners right across this land are right to conclude that this tory prime minister plans to ditch the triple lock on the state pension. and the lib dem leader also attacked his party's former coalition colleagues, the conservatives. 20 years ago, she berated the conservative party for being the nasty party, but her party has never been nastier. but he saved some of his most stinging criticism for labour. the legacy of this parliament is the utter, abject failure of her majesty's official opposition to effectively hold her government to account for any of it. this was the longest pmqs on record, lasting the best part of an hour. but politics is about to move a

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

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

theresa may came to inspect the steam and sparks in newport.heresa may came to inspect the steam must be doing something right shejoked. she needs to achieve a big if, turn wales into tory territory. it's audacious to pop up in rock solid labour land at the start. she was only with activists, with friends, but her appeal is to you. give me a mandate to lead britain. give me a mandate to speak for britain. give me a mandate to fight for britain and give me a mandate to deliverfor britain. she would not be drawn, again, on whether she'll raise or lower taxes. how far are you willing to go to grab seats in parts of the country that, until now, have been labour heartlands? so, i will be out and about around the country in all sorts of areas, all parts of the country, taking this message, a vote for me and a vote for the local conservative candidate is a vote to strengthen our hand in the brexit negotiations. really? from coast to coast? taking places like porthcawl would mean taking lifelong labour voters, like brian and ira, who've almost decided