after some pressure on the issue, tim farron of the liberal democrats told the bbc‘s eleanor garnierid not believe gay sex was a sin. i was asked the question early on and i didn't want to get into a series of questions, unpicking the theology of the bible. isn't itjust that it's your christian belief and you didn't want to admit it? no, that's not the case. what i want is to make sure that we deal with something that's become an issue. so this is blatant electioneering? it's a sense of understanding that the question was asked to me a week ago, i don't think people want political party leaders telling them what is and isn't sin. some viewers thought that line of questioning was excessive or inappropriate. maureen lancaster wrote, "the continual questioning and probing of tim farron about his beliefs over gay sex was intrusive, unneeded and irrelevant. he said he doesn't believe it is a sin and that's the end of the debate. but no, the questioner went on, and on, and on." and here's kevin steele. "the bbc‘s concentration on the private religious beliefs of the leader of the liberal d

yes, tim farron has had a shaky perfect. yes, tim farron has had a s ha ky start perfect.had a shaky start to the campaign because of those questions that followed him for a while about how he squares being a liberal democrat with his deeply held religious convictions and this whole issue of whether gay sex was a and this whole issue of whether gay sex was a seven. he has and this whole issue of whether gay sex was a seven. he has put a lid on that saying he does not think it is, but that was clearly awkward for him. what the party has been trying to do is say that we are the definitive voice across the uk of being pro—european union, standing up being pro—european union, standing upfor being pro—european union, standing up for the 48% who voted to remain. what was interesting today was that he entertained the idea that there was a bit of her matters a eurosceptic. clearly the lib dems have got to... they have previously been the occupiers of the seat full stop in some ways even the most ardent advocate of the european union would be able to find fault with the institution

after some pressure on the issue, tim farron of the liberal democrats told the bbc‘s eleanor garnierhe did not believe gay sex was a sin.

tim farron, the lib dem leader, was talking to eleanor garnier little earlier.or the tories will "strengthen her hand" in the brexit negotiations, as she campaigns in labour's heartlands in south wales. the shadow brexit secretary says labour would scrap theresa may's brexit plans and unilaterally guarantee the rights of eu residents if it wins power. the liberal democrat leader tim farron says he does not think gay sex is a sin, clarifying a question he had refused to answer several times so far. and in sport... england's women have been drawn in the same quarter final gi’oup been drawn in the same quarter final group is wales for the 2019 world cup. northern ireland and the republic of ireland are also together. england announced their 15 man squad for the champions trophy injune. eoin man squad for the champions trophy in june. eoin morgan man squad for the champions trophy injune. eoin morgan will captain the side, and ballmer mark wood is back from injury. mark selby raffles of five frames in a row against marco fu but he has since been pegged back. the def

liberal democrat leader tim farron says the election isa leader tim farron says the election is a chance for the public to avoid a hard brexit. the liberal democrats have candidates across the country and we are prepared for an election we thought was going to happen in the autumn. we are here in cornwall, the autumn. we are here in cornwall, the place where our fight back really began almost immediately after the general election two years ago. from the springboard we had the chance to give the british people the chance to change the direction of our country, to be opposed to a ha rd of our country, to be opposed to a hard brexit and keep us in the single market and give the uk the strong opposition are desperately needs. the leader of ukip paul marshall described the decision to seek a snap election as the mother of all new trends and urged people to vote ukip. i do not think it is good for the country, it creates instability. strain she was saying nicola sturgeon cannot have a referendum on independence because it would create uncertainty. the general election creates more uncertainty

tim farron in boxall.of course the prominent laxity, the labour mp, and farren is targeting places with heavily remain bodes on the last referendum injune and says he believes the lib dems can take some of the seats of labour. let's go to our chief political correspondent. what did you make of what he had to say? you can see why the liberal democrats are doing this. they are very much the pro—eu, pro—european party. the problem is the strategy though, there are not that many seats are up against labour or labour mps, who voted to leave. the real heartland is in the south—west of england, an area which voted to leave the eu. that could cause them problems. they are very confident they will do better than last time around. that's not hard. the almost wiped out and went down to eight mps, they have a by—election win in richmond—upon—thames where they campaigned as the pro—eu party, but they say there are very many millions of people out there who, even though they might think we are leaving the eu, the think

but tim farron would probably want to just get out?amping at the bit and wants to be heard, he has a distinctive position, basically a single issue election about brexit, the labour party is trying to turn it into an nhs election simply because they don't really have an opinion on brexit, they are totally divided. for once this is a single issue election on an issue where the liberal democrats have a distinctive and coherent point of view to put forward , and coherent point of view to put forward, and they are the only ones that you can turn to if you want to halt or soften exit. so being able to put that forward in a debate would benefit tim farron. it is a pleasure to see you, thank you. well, the snap election may see the political landscape change but will younger voters have a big say on the outcome? some weren't eligible to vote in either the 2015 general election or last year's eu referendum. but will their first vote, this time, result in seats changing hands across london? frankie mccamley has been finding out. in a snap gener

the liberal democrat leader, tim farron, has said he does not think gay sex is a sin — having declinedh bbc news, mr farron — who's a christian — acknowledged that the matter had become an issue for him. mr farron was speaking to our political correspondent, eleanor garnier. i think it's fair to say i've answered the question. it's a subject he's been asked about again... you won't say whether you think having gay sex is a sin... and again... does the honourable member think that being gay is a sin? and again... you said, homosexuality is not a sin. they said that you didn't answer when they asked you whether gay sex was a sin. while he said being gay was fine, until today, the lib dem leader, a committed christian, has refused to answer this question. i don't believe gay sex is a sin. i take the view that, as a political leader, though, myjob is not to pontificate on theological matters. this had become a talking point, an issue. in that case, if people have kind of got the wrong opinion of what i think about these issues, then that's something it is right to correct. it's taken him a

tim farren has stated again no solutions suggestion of cooperation. —— tim farron. the tories are taking in the version of the country. he is clear that he doesn't want to go into coalition or enter into any pa ct to into coalition or enter into any pact to prop up the labour party. he wa nts pact to prop up the labour party. he wants people to vote the lib dems on their own terms. let's not pretend their own terms. let's not pretend the prime minister has chosen selection for any other reason than a cold and calculated desire to do what is right for the conservative party, not for the country. she expect some kind of coronation. what is blindingly obvious is thatjeremy corbyn and the labour party and obsessed with fighting amongst themselves. there is a vacancy for a leader of the opposition and icy given that this is a historic moment for britain whether we choose to go to the cliff edge of a hard brexit choose to let the people decide the terms of the deal, the liberal democrats say we will be strong opposition that britain definitely needs —— desperately needs.

, she could make tim farron look quite prime minister real.oliticians going up around her the pressure will grow. the balance is the risk of not appearing, which one broadcaster is threatening. it's quite a tough position for itv to say they will go ahead that the debate of people realistically be prime minister. even jeremy debate of people realistically be prime minister. evenjeremy corbyn cannot believe he will go into downing street, so that debate becomes a bit pointless, so the broadcasters should focus on how to word down downing street and say you wa nt to word down downing street and say you want to have these debates because it's good for brokers to hear the argument and hear different brexit positions because at the moment all we have heard is the hard brexit plan, we have not heard a soft brexit plant and that is what voters need to hear. just looking at the vote today, does that make a mockery ofa vote today, does that make a mockery of a fixed—term parliaments act? this was brought in to smooth over the conservative lib dem coali

tim farron is a poodle, and jeremy corbyn is a stray. a labrador, that is interesting.dogs. i have a cat at home. not the best person to ask. there are lots of questions in this survey, covering all kinds of things, including whether voters think theresa may is like helen mirren in the queen. there is a bit of a generational issue. one about albert ste ptoe, generational issue. one about albert steptoe, which probably passed dozens steptoe, which probably passed d oze ns of steptoe, which probably passed dozens of people by. precisely. the mail on sunday know that demographic. but be ready for more of this. have pity for those of us who work in the newspaper industry because there are lots of these inside pages to fill. it will get more and more desperate.” inside pages to fill. it will get more and more desperate. i don't think there is too much pity, but i know there is an election that both of you are excited about which is happening in france as we speak. peter, your paper has been following this. as a weekly paper, there must bea this. as a weekly paper, there must

the liberal democrat leader, tim farron, has said he does not think gay sex is a sin, having declinedon several occasions during the election campaign. in an interview with bbc news, mr farron, who's a christian, acknowledged that the matter had become an issue for him. mr farron was speaking to our political correspondent, eleanor garnier. i think it's fair to say i've answered the question. it's a subject he's been asked about again... you won't say whether you think having gay sex is a sin... and again... does the honourable member think that being gay is a sin? and again... you said, homosexuality is not a sin. they said that you didn't answer when they asked you whether gay sex was a sin. while he said being gay was fine, until today, the lib dem leader, a committed christian, has refused to answer this question. i don't believe gay sex is a sin. i take the view that, as a political leader, though, myjob is not to pontificate on theological matters. this had become a talking point, an issue. in that case, if people have kind of got the wrong opinion of what i think about these is

the lib dem leader tim farron has been campaigning in cornwall.ss the country and we are prepared and here we are in cornwall, the place where our fightback it began almost immediately after the general election two years ago. from the springboard we had the chance to give the british people the chance to change the direction of our country, to be opposed to a high brexit, keep us in the single market and give britain the decent and strong opposition it desperately needs. the leader of ukip paul nuttall described the prime minister's decision to seek a snap general election as a "mother of all u—turns" and urged people to vote ukip. ido i do not think it is good for the country and creates instability. strain she was saying nicola sturgeon cannot have a referendum on independence because it would create uncertainty. a general election creates more uncertainty than anything else. but ukip will fight it and fight it hard. scotland's first minster and the scottish national party's leader nicola sturgeon accused theresa may of putting the interests of

tim farron is coming here in them. tim farron is coming here in the next half—hour or so.,000 people, a lot of them here in the capital in london. they will use those people to get out there, get the message across. the other thing he has done is to rule out any kind of coalition. we have heard from the conservatives saying thatjeremy corbyn could lead a coalition of chaos. the liberal democrats think jeremy corbyn is toxic and they have ruled out they will prop up at all. they are not planning to join a conservative or labour coalition. ukip says it's standing up for women with an election pledge to ban the wearing of the burka in public places. critics say it would be a violation of religious freedom to tell women they can't cover their faces. ukip made a series of announcements this morning, including disbanding sharia courts and a moratorium on new islamic state schools. the party's deputy leader, peter whittle, denies the policies discriminated against muslims. i don't think there can be any better way of segregating down by wearing a face veil. that is a literal barr

tim farron has never accepted that.dum and now all of a sudden he wants a couple. it would actually diminish the strength of the prime minister in negotiating with europe if they thought that at the end of it is would have to be endorsed, yet again, by yet another referendum. the fact is that the british public have voted to leave the european union and it was clear on that document that was sent to everybody‘s letterbox that the british government will accept the view of the british public. that is what we have to do and tim farron will not do that. he has not accepted the fact we want to leave the european union. he loves it so much she cannot accept the view of the british public. what is a good result for the tories in a general election at this stage two what makes this worthwhile? election at this stage two what makes this worthwhile ?|j election at this stage two what makes this worthwhile? i think a majority bigger than it currently is. i have been fighting elections since 1987 and this will be my tenth parliame

a p pa re ntly voters from tim farron. ——a.ut tim farron said no. and now we will find out what is happening with the weather for those runners at the london marathon. how was it looking. it is not looking too bad for today. something different is on the way in the next few days so make the most of it. a decent start for many. as we go through this morning, a chilly start. a frosty start for some. some spells of sunshine. high pressure is with us at the moment keeping things fine. i want to point out is whether fronts up in the north which will bring rain to northern scotland. —— these. told there is heading our way. a chilly start for the marathon runners. temperatures in single digits at the start line. it will warm up through the day as we start to see more in the way of sunshine. we start with a fair amount of cloud in east anglia and the south—east. more cloud the further west you are across wales. a decent start for northern england by patchy frost here and there. northern scotland, showers. wintry winds through the day.

the liberal democrat leader, tim farron, said it was an opportunity for people to change the directiontheir country and avoid a disastrous hard brexit. on the markets, the pound fell ahead of mrs may's statement, then rose during her speech. just a few hours ago the political temperature in london's sword. the prime minister has announced plans to call a snap general election on 8thjune. let's talk to diane abbott of the labour party. what was jeremy corbyn‘s reaction? he was very calm. we have long planned for the possibility of a snap election. theresa may is doing a massive u—turn. we will 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

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 ofjeremy corbyn shouting at an empty chair is a lot more entertaining than theresa may. injecting some humour and entertainment into this otherwise rather boring election campaign. entertainment into this otherwise rather boring election campaignm wouldn't be the most distracting piece of television if you had a group of senior politicians standing round ina group of senior

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

this is what tim farron said. risk. whatever way you voted lastjune, in two years, the may is asking us now to give her a mandate to give her old brexit that we all have to live with for two or three generations. that is not democracy, so if you think there is something that can be done about changing that direction now, the live dems offer you a chance to do that. whatever way you voted for, this is a time when democracy must come back to life. 1—party state would be a disaster and only the liberal democrats offer a chance for that not to happen. we haven't heard much from the greens so far — but the co—leader of the party has welcomed the decision to hold a snap election. caroline lucas said it was an opportunity to hold theresa may to account for her pursuit of a hard brexit. i think it's right that people have a chance to have their say on the extreme form of brexit she is talking about. that wasn't on the ballot paper in june talking about. that wasn't on the ballot paper injune and she has no mandate for tha

yet even among usually mild mannered lib dems, there were heckles today, as tim farron faced questionsswered the question. polite politics in this campaign? maybe not in 2017. it's still a scramble for all the main parties to get their machines up and running. no—one‘s campaign is yet running at full pelt, but the broad thrust of having one to get you on board, their strategies, well, those are crystal clear. laura kuenssberg, bbc news vauxhall. the major ukip donor, aaron banks, says he won't stand as an mp in the general election. he'd previously suggested he would contest the seat of clacton, after the mp, douglas carswell, left ukip to sit as an independent. he said he made the decision not to stand after meeting ukip councillors in the constituency and will now supportjeff bray. a 21 year—old man is being questioned by police, after a former royal navy officer died tackling burglars outside his home in manchester. mike samwell who was 35, is thought to have been run over by his own car, while it was being stolen yesterday morning. danny savage reports: mike samwell, a 35—year—old

the liberal democrat leader tim farron responds to criticism about his attitude to gay sex.ological matters. a donor conference aimed at tackling yemen‘s humanitarian crisis secures aid pledges of more than a billion dollars. and the parents of madeleine mccann say they‘ll never give the search for their missing daughter.

the liberal democrat leader tim farron says he does not think gay sex is a sin — clarifying a questiond refused to answer several times so far during the election campaign. a number of well—known names — including jeffrey archer and kevin keegan — have settled phone—hacking claims against mirror group newspapers. in a moment it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. we'll be discussing theresa may's visit to south wales where she's hoping to stomp all over labour's traditional territory. we'll be getting reaction to the un secretary general‘s warning that an entire generation of children in yemen is being starved and crippled by war. we'll be asking whether personalised adverts which will call viewers by name are too intrusive. that's all ahead on bbc news. now on bbc news it's time for sportsday. hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm hugh ferris. the headlines tonight. anthonyjoshua admits he's stepping up to a ‘whole new level‘ on saturday night against wladimir klitschko, claiming his training camp provided "tougher times than

after some pressure on the issue, tim farron of the liberal democrats told the bbc‘s eleanor garnierstion early on and i didn't want to get into a series of questions, unpicking the theology of the bible. isn't itjust that it's your christian belief and you didn't want to admit it? no, that's not the case. what i want is to make sure that we deal with something that's become an issue. so this is blatant electioneering? it's a sense of understanding that the question was asked to me a week ago, i don't think people want political party leaders telling them what is and isn't sin. some viewers thought that line of questioning was excessive or inappropriate. maureen lancaster wrote... and here's kevin steele. —— steel. and grace dalton put it like this, when she rang us this week. i think it was very, very wrong that the bbc really was interrogating him and trying to pressurise him into

the observer reports a pledge from lib dem leader, tim farron, that he won't do any coalition deals,s the liberal democrats be the main opposition. so let's begin. you think no one will pay attention to polls after the debacle of the general action, uk polls are getting a bad reputation abroad. the emphasis on the polls is ludicrous, ina emphasis on the polls is ludicrous, in a way. we don't know if the polls are hurting, which is a phenomenon where they start talking golf each other but yet the papers seem to build their headlines based on polls. they are spending a lot of money on polls. as an ex—editor, i can tell you, you make the investment and probably someone from management said, do you really want to spend that money on a poll question mark —— ? to spend that money on a poll question mark ——? you up quite bright, they have been totally thrown and the baby and the half water because they have been wrong oi'i water because they have been wrong on so many water because they have been wrong on so many things recently. shall we start with the times? i am sure we will mention poll

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

tim farron also coming in saying the foreign secretary is a poodle of washington, echoing the commentlair, was having his diary managed across the pond and think it's pretty shameful when even trump judges you to be a buffoon. 0k. charlie, what can we talk a moment, that is going to happen, rex tillerson the secretary of state, he is going to have to end up of state, he is going to have to end up going to moscow. the talk in the la st up going to moscow. the talk in the last couple of days is if the russians would refuse to have him over. that's not the case, he is going over. he has a serious message. i don't think borisjohnson isa message. i don't think borisjohnson is a poodle, i didn't think tony blairwas, to be is a poodle, i didn't think tony blair was, to be honest. is a poodle, i didn't think tony blairwas, to be honest. i is a poodle, i didn't think tony blair was, to be honest. ithink it's important in a situation like this, maybe they need to be co—ordinated and have one man do all the talking. the country that is taking the action, the united states, it seems it's only rig

againstjeremy westminster media circles, her pitched against jeremy corbyn and possibly other leaders, tim farron. they are always quite good fun and i think quite revealing. sorry dinda up think quite revealing. sorry dinda up but it is a similar criticism to jeremy corbyn, that she is not that nimble on her feet. in a sense, why would she want to hand over power, the certainty of that volatile situation when she doesn't need to. it will be interesting to see what happens. because there was such a long lead up to 2015, there was a real chance for everyone to heap pressure on david cameron. she might try and skip through without doing it. but i think where she has got is also interesting. where jeremy corbyn was in london, the heartlands of his support, she went to bolton. those northern pro brexit labour held seats with a sizeable ukip vote are now in the tories's sites. the times had a new poll out the night with you guv data showing that there isa24 with you guv data showing that there is a 24 point lead for the tories now over labour. that is an increased majority over labour, coming from the

the liberal democrat tim farron promised to fight against what he called a hard brexit, while the firstter of scotland nicola sturgeon said today's announcement was a huge political miscalculation by theresa may. more on the impact in scotland in a moment but first our deputy political editorjohn pienaar looks at reaction in westminster to the prime minister's plans. westminster‘s shutting up shop soon, again. and they're off, again. the soundbites, the slogans, all desperate for your attention. why now? the tories start strongly. labour and its leader trail badly. sojeremy corbyn and his supporters are working hard from the start to beat the odds, to point out the issues and policies they hope may somehow prove the polls and pundits wrong. i want to use the period untiljune 8th to set out a positive vision of the kind of society that we can live in. post—brexit vision of britain where this country works for them, for everybody and for the equality of everybody in work. the foundation for all to build a fairer economy by investment in good jobs for the future and investment in good qual

tim farron said today he doesn‘t believe he called this election because of brexit.although tim farron‘s position has been to say this isn‘t about brexit, his choice of coming here to manchester this afternoon is not accidental. i‘m at thejunction here afternoon is not accidental. i‘m at the junction here between two manchester constituencies of gorton and withington. they‘re both labour seats which have had high numbers of people voting for remain in the european referendum. they are therefore very much the kind of seats that the lib dems are targeting and feel in terms of their position on brexit they have a chance of winning. so he came along here today to make the point that in this election labour will lose dozens and dozens of seats and he said here that, in his opinion, that the only threat that‘s posed to the tories is a threat posed by the liberal democrats the only route through which theresa may has a single thing to be afraid thatis may has a single thing to be afraid that is by the liberal democrats. she has every reason to be afraid of the liberal democ

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

tim farron is out on the road also. of britain. do not cry into your beer or your latte over what has happened. this is your moment to change britain for the good. just catching the end of what he had to say in cambridge but obviously talking about brexit and the nature of brexit for the uk, what that will look like, as he heads out to meet voters in cambridge. much more from ours on the campaign throughout the next hour and the campaign throughout the next hourand a the campaign throughout the next hour and a half. the headlines on bbc newsroom live. borisjohnson has suggested that britain could help america take further action against the syrian regime in the event of another chemical weapons attack. ministers from 27 european union countries are meeting today for final discussions about the eu‘s negotiating stance on brexit. there‘s been a rise in the number of crimes recorded by police in england and wales — with violent crimes increasing. and in this sport, maria sharapova has won her first competitive match after

now tim farron has decided no. tim farron, a leader of nine mps. funny place, is that if you have an election promise ina that if you have an election promise in a manifesto, the house of lords have to back down. at the moment they feel they can play merry hell with the brexit and the referendum. but in the end they voted for the brexit bill. they also made it clear that while they were going to accept that, the real battle would begin over the great repeal bill and other legislation. the fact that the house of commons, having voted so decisively for us to leave, the house of lords and others said we have got that out of the way, now we are going to fight a guerrilla campaign. that is a changed political dynamic and one to which the prime minister has responded anything in the right way. ultimately the people will decide whether or not they think the prime minister is right, and i think when we see theresa may returned with an increased majority, with a strengthened hand and with the confidence of the country behind her, that means we can get on wi

we have had reaction from the leader of the liberal democrats, tim farron, on twitter. from one of the political parties. —— the first reaction. our political correspondent, vicki young, is in westminster with a liberal democrat. westminster with a liberal democrat. westminster likes nothing more than speculation but we now know that theresa may is wanting another general election on june eight. theresa may is wanting another general election onjune eight. as you say, she has to get a vote through parliament first. let's find out from liberal democrats and conservative mps about what they think. alistair carmichael from the liberal democrats, will you vote for a general election? we're up for the fight. if that is when it is going to be, this is a tremendous opportunity for the liberal democrats. we are now the only party in british politics is putting the positive case for britain at the heart of europe. this is an opportunity for people who are not happy with theresa may's hard brexit taking us out of the single market and away from the customs union to make their vie

they have all been out today, tim farron the lib leader was campaigning in south—west london in richmond the prime minister is in the north—west of england where she will be doing her bit of campaigning. eleanor, thank you very much. let's find out what the feeling is in the press. i'm joined by katy balls, political correspondent at the spectator, and the journalist and author owen jones. a proviso here, if theresa may start speaking, we will go straight to that. has she made a mistake already with this decision not to take part in the television debate? what will the papers make of that? she is someone who is incapable of talking about her record. issue of trust will come into this election. she had a cast—iron guarantee not to have an early general election. she said she wouldn't play politics, and she went back on that are purely partisan reasons. she claimed it was because parliament was obstructing brexit went overwhelmingly mps backed article 50, that was also dishonest. and on the issue of national insurance, a cast—iron pledge not to hike it up, philip hammond dead and then turn

we have had tim farron, the leader of the lib dems, say it is unbelievable there are conservatives already neighbours. i suspect not, but it is strong rhetoric from the former conservative leader, and i suspect also these are comments which will not be particularly welcomed by downing street today. the writer, broadcaster and civil liberties campaigner darcus howe has died at the age of 7a. his was most well known for organising the 20,000 strong black people's march in 1981 claiming neglect and insufficient policing of the investigation into the new cross fire which killed 13 black teenagers. iamjoined by i am joined by representatives from the society of black lawyers. he made a significant contribution to the black community, especially the caribbean community, in the uk over the years. he had a fantastic and very heavy, resonant trinidad accent, and he waxed lyrical on a whole host of subjects at a time when it was unfashionable to talk about racism, claudio was in britain. how closely did you work with him? i worked with him over the yea rs with him? i worked with him over the years f

the liberal democrat leader tim farron has said that only his party can act as an effective oppositionrnment led by theresa may. speaking at a campaign event in leeds, he said thatjeremy corbyn is the least effective opposition leader in british political history — and said that labour's weakness has allowed the conservatives to damage public services: the liberal democrats absolutely clear that our country faces an absolute democratic challenge if it becomes a i—party state on the 8th ofjune. for is that mean to your local hospital, was into local police forces, bodies into a local schools if you have a conservative government in london with the colossal majority of the body around the country been taken for granted? the british people that are decent and strong opposition and the liberal democrats will be yet. you don't need to be with me and us and us everything. we can differ in some points but a green one thing, britain desperately needs that strong decent opposition and only the liberal democrats can be yet. it's emerged that one of the six people arrested in a counter terrorism

joining us now is the liberal democrat leader tim farron.ow from his constituency in cumbria. i wonder what you think boris johnson has achieved at the end of this g7 summit? it doesn't seem like he has achieved an awful lot. i would have wanted to have him, of course, succeeded in his bid to persuade the g7 to sign up to sanctions against russia because we have seen that they have been very effective, at least the most effective, at least the most effective tool against russia so far. but it appears there has been a failure of british diplomacy. touf say all the evidence is that boris johnson himself and this current government over the last 12 months seems to have done so much to undermine relationships with the other countries perhaps with the exception of america around that table that they have not got a hearing. it appears this may have been a serious failing of british diplomacy. borisjohnson been a serious failing of british diplomacy. boris johnson didn't been a serious failing of british diplomacy. borisjohnson didn't ask for the t

this morning the lib dem leader, tim farron said it wasn't for him to get involved.'m passionate in tackling and fighting anti—semitism, it is something i made a central part of my leadership these last few years. let's be perfectly honest, there are things david ward said in the past were wrong and above all anti—semitic, it is not the job of the leader to impose who is and isn't the candidate, but i will be clear we will have zero tolerance of anti—semitic remarks, we saw this in the action we took against the candidate for luton south yesterday, that will happens anybody who oversteps the mark and engages in any anti—isa oversteps the mark and engages in any anti—is a metric commentary in the coming days and weeks. and no one wants to take on debates? we have had a development in the last half an hour, where tim farron sacked david ward saying he was not be standing as a candidate after the issue came up at pmqs, another issue issue came up at pmqs, another issue is whether or not there will be tv debates. theresa may saying that's not something she would take par

after some pressure on the issue, tim farron of the liberal democrats told the bbc‘s eleanor garnier you didn't want to admit it? no, that's not the case. what i want is to make sure that we deal with something that's become an issue. so this is blatant electioneering? it's a sense of understanding that the question was asked to me a week ago, i don't think people want political party leaders telling them what is and isn't sin. some viewers thought that line of questioning was excessive or inappropriate. maureen lancaster wrote, "the continual questioning and probing of tim farron about his beliefs over gay sex was intrusive, unneeded and irrelevant. he said he doesn't believe it is a sin and that's the end of the debate. but no, the questioner went on, and on, and on." and here's kevin steele. grace dalton put it like this, when she rang us this week. i think it was very, very wrong that the bbc really was interrogating him and trying to pressurise him into answering a question that is not at all relevant to the current election campaign. his views on homosexuality have clearly not

the liberal democrat leader tim farron told andrew marr that mrs may had called the election out of coldculation — and said he wants voters to make him the real leader of the opposition. with me is our political correspondent jonathan blake. theresa may talking about tax? 50 far theresa may talking about tax? so far she has refused to keep that commitment, not to reason national insurance, income tax and vat. we have had a lot of that of a shift. perhaps, not going to stick to that when we did the conservative ma nifesto when we did the conservative manifesto over the next few weeks. she said that she did not want to increase the overall burden on families but did not want to make promises that she could not keep. but the prime minister then went four, specifically ruling out that rise on vat. we have absolutely no plans to increase the level of tax. but i'm also very clear that i do not want to make specific promises on tax unless i'm absolutely sure i can deliver on those. it would be my intention to reduce the taxes on working families. we have got no plans to raise the level of tax,

the observer reports a pledge from lib dem leader, tim farron, that he won't do any coalition deals — thousands of people have taken part in marches in cities around the world, in support of science. the rallies began in australia and new zealand, eventually reaching london and edinburgh, and there have been big demonstrations in america. protestors say they're angry at what they believe are mounting political attacks against scientific thought, and factual arguments. over 50 hedgehogs have been released back into the wilds of east yorkshire after being nursed back to health in animal sanctuaries. the village of burton fleming, near bridlington, has also declared itself a hedgehog—friendly zone in a bid to boost numbers of the animals. tim muffett reports. residents of burton fleming await new arrivals. they are a bit prickly, apparently, are in desperate need of a fresh start. are you excited? yes. it will keep the grubs down, hopefully. from an animal century 40 miles away, they finally arrived. 52 hedgehogs, all found sick or injured across the north of england. most of these have

mr ward had been accused of anti—semitism and shortly after pmqs tim farron sacked him as the party's, with this parliament rapidly coming to a close, there were just a last handful of bills to deal with. mps approved changes to the criminal finances bill which aims to tackle money laundering and corruption, counter terrorist financing and recover the proceeds of crime. they also debated final amendments to the bill that changes the way higher education is regulated in england and creates a new body called the office for students. finally mps rejected changes made to the digital economy bill by peers. the bill includes a range of measures to tighten regulation on online pornography, ticket touts and broadband speeds. the minister said the government couldn't accept an amendment from peers on a code of practice for social media platform providers on online abuse. we agree with the spirit of the amendment that was agreed in the other place. we take harm caused by online abuse seriously. we offer an alternative clause that we think would achieve the intended outcome and form part of our

tim farron has kicked labour by singularly watched opposition in political history. heavily caveat. we do not know. i don't think the lib dems actually think they can replace labour as the second party as the main opposition if that is the result but i do think this is a golden opportunity for them to come back into contention and swell their ranks in the commons. the tories will not be too upset actually at the lib dem vote grows and labour conservative marginals because that could depress the labour vote and give the conservatives a good crop of seats. it is very difficult and precarious trying to predict how these bald poll numbers that we are starting to get rich give the conservatives a thumping great confirming the pattern we have seen for a number of months, translating those numbers into actually what will happen and individual seats where races are often very local. will be finding out in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30pm this evening and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30pm th

tim farron describing borisjohnson‘s remarks as terrifying, accusing him of following in the footsteps blair. it leaves them open to the charge that somehow we are in hock to the united states, in the pocket of donald trump. as for his personal remarks about jeremy corbyn, describing him as a mugwump, but nine, you can say this is knock—about fun, ca rtoonish characterisation ofjeremy corbyn, no harm done. the danger is it sounds like rather arrogant public schoolboy sneering and might play to jeremy corbyn‘s advantage as he seeks to present himself as the underdog, standing up for the little quy underdog, standing up for the little guy and against the ruling elite and the political establishment. 0ur political correspondent andrew sinclair is in harlow wherejeremy corbyn has been campaigning this morning. choosing to focus on housing today. yes. this park is deserted but it was full of labour supporters who came along to hearjeremy corbyn. a busy week for labour who have already said they are committed to the triple lock on pensions, more money for nurses. today was a promise to build

while the lib dem leader, tim farron, said his party would fight to avoid a hard brexit. prime minister has just left downing street for a meeting with conservative backbenchers. there will be a vote in the house of commons tomorrow to approve the election plan. we've extended coverage of the surprise announcement this hour. our main story at five: the prime minister has announced plans for a snap general election to be held onjune the 8th. in a surprise statement in downing street this morning, theresa may said britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership following the eu referendum. she said divisions risked injuring brexit negotiations. defending her u—turn, mrs may said she had reluctantly come to the conclusion that a vote was necessary, adding "the country is coming together but westminster is not." 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, number 10 announced there would be a statement from the prime minister. out of the blue, th

the lib dem leader tim farron has urged the uk government to consider further military action. doesn't look like that is going to happen. if there were an appetite for it, the government would go to parliament, it would go to the commons to ask mps to vote on further military action. and i think it would only do that if it knew that it could win the vote. eleanor garnier, thank you. our security correspondent, frank gardner, is with me is now. do you think there is any sense in which the assad regime. to consider that chemical attack and on goal, essentially? i think it will certainly think twice before doing it again. it got away, according to chemical experts, with three chlorine strikes on civilian areas last year with no action. and remember that there was no action, punitive action, after the 2013 chemical strike, the sarin gas attack on the outskirts of damascus. so clearly president assad is determined to reclaim the hall of syria. and he wants to punish those areas outside his control, and basically drive them back into the syrian government or by —— the whole of syria.

other parties have also been hitting the tv studios today, including the liberal democrat leader tim farron marr that he wants voters to make him the real leader of the opposition. let's not pretend the prime minister has chosen this election for any other reason than a cold, calculated desire to do what is right for the conservative party, not the country. she expects some kind of coronation. what's blindingly obvious is the labour party and jeremy corbyn are obsessed with fighting amongst themselves. a vacancy for the leader of the opposition. given this is a historic moment for britain, whether we choose to go over the cliff edge of hard brexit or let the people decide on terms of the deal, the lib dems put ourselves in the position when we see we will be the opposition, strong opposition britain desparately needs. the ukip leader paul nuttall has defended his decision to stand for election in boston and skegness, saying he could put the constituency on the map despite not being from the area himself. he was speaking to sky news' sophy ridge. and you have to be from the local constituenc

our political correspondent, susana mendonca, and i asked her about the liberal democrat leader, tim farronhere are "no circumstances whatsoever" under which his party would enter into coalition with labour or the conservatives the lib dems have had theirfingers burnt after going into coalition with the conservatives. partly because of their u—turn on the tuition fees promise they had had, the pledge they had in their manifesto. they ended up being viewed as a party that couldn't be trusted. they suffered at the polls, we saw the 2015 election where they went from 57 mps to eight. a realfall from grace from them. this time, they can see an opportunity. they know that in terms of labour and the conservatives, conservatives are pro—brexit, labour a confused message, the lib dems have a very clear message. he made a point when he spoke earlier than people who want there to be a second referendum at the end of the deal, that those people could vote for the lib dems. he is promising not to go into any kind of coalition, partly because he kind of seize the opportunity that actually we don't need

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