the ukip donor, aaron banks has said he won't stand as an mp in the general election.had previously suggested he would contest the seat of clacton after the mp, douglas carswell, left ukip to sit as an independent. well we can speak now to look east's political editor, andrew sinclair, who's been following the aaron banks story and joins me live now from our norwich studio. aaron banks admitted he knows nothing about this seaside town in essex, so this is no surprise. in one sense, no, he said he had only ever visited clacton once and he knew nothing about the local area. and so today's meeting in clacton was about getting to know the area and getting to know the people, and aaron banks steamed into clacton with a massive media presence following him. he posed for photographs and eight ice cream and he met voters and he told everyone that he thought he would make a very good candidate if he was picked. he also met local members of ukip and they told him that yes, they appreciated his support and his offer to bring finance into the campaign, but they said they didn't ha

ukip isn't broke, farfrom it.s for standing in 600 seats, we will stand in the majority of the country. there will be a lot more than 325. last question and then... what you make of this idea that if northern ireland, that ireland should be allowed... paul nuttall launching ukip's campaignfor allowed... paul nuttall launching ukip's campaign for the june allowed... paul nuttall launching ukip's campaign for thejune general election. he said the most common question here is asked by journalists is what is the point of ukip post the brexit referendum and his answer was that brexit is a job half done. he said ukip would act as the government's back down in negotiations and he said ukip would put country before party by not fielding candidates in marginal constituencies where what he called through dregs of tears should be up against it with remainer mps —— true brexiteers. he said in those constituencies ukip would not field candidates, so talking about tactical voting and we will speak to paul nuttall at around 11:a

and the 2015 general election because he was ukip and they point to the referendum result where ukipst leave votes in the whole country. ukip think they still have a chance. with douglas carswell out of the way they think that might make their chance bit better but he is telling his supporters to vote conservative. the police in northern ireland have said a bomb left outside a primary school in belfast had the potential to cause widespread carnage. the device was found outside holy cross school in the north of the city. 20 families had to be evacuated from their homes while the army dealt with the bomb. dan stanton reports. just a day ago this was left outside the school gates, amply spam the device after they were following suspicious activity late on saturday night —— police were alerted to the device. it shocked and horrified me to the core, they could have been a loss of life, significant damage to the building. —— there could. the school should be a safe environment for children, and for parents to know that their children are safe and secure. police said they believed the bomb

brexit, conservatives, plaid cymru, ukip and lib dems will be competing ina numberof ukip and lib dems will be competing in a number of seats across wales. the leader of the plaid cymru, leanne wood, has said that she has not ruled out standing in a role competing against a labour seat there, because they feel that is a seat plaid cymru can win. the leader of the conservatives is also positive towards it, as has been the lib dems. and ukip17 seat in cardiff bay last year in assembly elections, and neil hamilton, their leader, says he has not ruled out any consultancy mp in the general election. he hopes ukip will have someone election. he hopes ukip will have someone standing in all of the seats across wales. all the parties besides labour here are reflecting the national story, really, that labour is not really happy with this decision but the other parties seem fine with it and are ready to battle, come this next election. that is the view from cardiff bay in wales. now over to northern ireland. 0ur ireland correspondent, chris page, is in belfast. the parties are preparing for their

a lot of ukip voters will feel the same. vote conservative and you get out of europe and you get grammar schools. that will really impact on the ukip vote. grammar schools. that will really impact on the ukip votei grammar schools. that will really impact on the ukip vote. i wanted to talk about northern ireland i have run out of time. that could be quite interesting with the concerns over brexit and a hard border. put that on ice for another time. tim stanley and jack blanchard, thank you very much. he would be a political journalist? the duke and duchess of cambridge made an unannounced visit to radio 1 earlier, to talk about the mental health campaign that they are supporting ahead of sunday's london marathon. they surprised presenter adele roberts, who is one of those running in the event, and revealed to dj scott mills that they are keen fans of the station. someone from around me told me you we re someone from around me told me you were a bit nervous about being on radio one today. i don't know what you are talking abo

what holds ukip together now? mark reckless joined the party for, if brexit was the only reason he came over, he perhaps shouldn't have done in the first place. there is a lot more the party has to offer, they say. to repeat what we heard in that interview with neil hamilton earlier, they think mr reckless should do as he did when he was an mp, stand down if he's not going to remain asa mp, stand down if he's not going to remain as a ukip member, having been elected a match ticket, on a ma nifesto elected a match ticket, on a manifesto that he himself wrote, then he should stand down as an assembly member. it is a bit more difficult than that, the electoral system here in the assembly, because he was elected as original am. forcing a by—election isn't that simple and he says he'll be joining the conservative benches in the assembly. not the conservative party. so the champagne corks that would normally be popping are staying in the bottle over an event like this? it's an unusual defection in that sense. he's becom

if the people who are living don't believe in ukip's future, as many as it ta kes in ukip's future, ass. he has decided it's betterfor believed mark reckless once was. he has decided it's better for him to move away, which is regrettable to say the least. what we are now looking to see is him vacate the seat he has in the senate surely on account as being a ukip member and at the next person on the ukip list fill that vacancy. in the wider scheme of things, the problem is far bigger, isn't it? you're haemorrhaging support. we are not at all. by speak from a position of knowledge and i'm no our membership has gone up since the end of last summer. we have had three times as many members join our summer. we have had three times as many membersjoin our party in the last six weeks as we have had leave it, and losing mark reckless is reg retta ble it, and losing mark reckless is regrettable but there is a great number of people still joining regrettable but there is a great number of people stilljoining ukip, interested in what we're going to do in the future and they welcomed them, they are

is ukip a sink ship?l be or wores will want to ta ke future will be or wores will want to take it, and others will speakfor themselves, i wish ex colleagues well. i am leaving positively having achieved ourjoint objective of winning a vote to get out of the european union i want to work with the conservatives to take the fight to labour, and to ensure that there is isa to labour, and to ensure that there is is a real voice standing up for those who have been let down by the labour government in wales. quite a brutal response from your former ukip colleagues, saying look, this is isa ukip colleagues, saying look, this is is a betrayal, and they have a point, don't they? you were voted as an assembly member, as a member of ukip. now, you are not, surely the logical position would be to resign as an am? i would love to be able to put my decision to the electorate in a by—election, as i have before in a different context, u nfortu nately with the system we have in wales, thatis with the system we have in wale

some say there's never a dull day with ukip. muslims all the problems in society. protesters from stand—up to races and did their best to ruin ukip's election launch but their party leader paul nuttall is determined to stay bold. we will continue to believe the agenda. he is promising ukip would curb immigration, put more police on the streets and ban women wearing full face veils, fronting accusations that ukip itself is sowing division. it is all about the quality, breaking down barriers, integrating people in society, because as you know, a number of reports recently have shown that integration is failing. communities are becoming more and more divided. but was june 2016 the party's peak? since the referendum result, ukip has been troubled by division. it has had three different leaders, the party's only mp has quit and its 20 meps will soon be redundant because of brexit. many have said there is now no point to ukip, having won the eu referendum. but the party insists it is needed to keep the pressure on the prime minister a

the ukip group is calling on him to resign his position because of this.lfrom ukip‘s perspective. you mentioned earlier about douglas ca rswell, perspective. you mentioned earlier about douglas carswell, a man who mark reckless used to work for. the fa ct mark reckless used to work for. the fact that mark reckless is so pro——— high profile from a welsh perspective, and even this week we found out that ukip are only going to have 80 candidates in the council elections next month and i think there was a pretty broad expectation that they would have a far greater presence in the council elections, and we have the news today, so the timing is pretty dreadfulfor them. melissa cochrane and her husband kurt were both hit by khalid masood's car on westminster bridge. kurt was killed, melissa suffered a broken leg , broken ribs and a gash to the head. that day had been part of the trip of a lifetime, they'd travelled from their home in utah through europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. this morning kurt's son dallas told victoria derbyshire how the ne

we have always been radical in ukip. i think ten yea rs been radical in ukip.a common mainstream view, indeed it is upon the public already, it is not amongst the liberal elites. there have been some constituencies where local ukip buddies have said they we re local ukip buddies have said they were not filled canisters about broad brexit tory mps. is that an official party policy? is it because you do not have enough candidates? we won the argument last year. we had a referendum and the one that would never have happened without us and we won the argument. no, it is not official party policy, it is not coming from the top, not at all. it is actually just coming from the top, not at all. it is actuallyjust is a certain constituencies it isn't one not to bid up candidates against someone who has really worked hard the brexit. they should be allowed to. i do not know how many people that will be but i imagine quite a small number. it is not something that is coming from the top. do you still believe your policies can cut through beyond brexit? absolutely. i think

conservatives, labour and ukip., exit from the single market, cutting off all our ties with our friends and neighbours in europe. yet even among usually mild mannered lib dems, there were heckles today, as tim farron faced questions about gay rights. it's fair to say that i've answered 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 f

wales has been voting quite a lot for ukip in recent years, and if thatis for ukip in recent years, andreplicated in other places as well, if all the ukip voters bleed across to the tory party in this coming election, that will hugely boost tourism in seats where they are fighting labour and the lib dems. —— it was hugely boost tories. this poll which shows a good result for the tories is actually something which means good news for the tories in other areas as well where ukip support is going down. wales voted overwhelmingly to leave the european union, so perhaps given labour's thinking on how to deal with the brexit question, the poll may not be much of this prize, but labour have dominated every election wales says world war i, since 1922. for them to lose now, earthquake. it will be. we have these local elections which everyone forgets about next month which gives us a feeling for where it is going. the tories are chasing votes in the north of england. when you look at how labour has been wiped out in scotland where it was once totally dominant, if the same thing happens in wales,

so, with the eu referendum over, is that ukip done for?frankly, i'm glad he's moved on. we don't need people in the party that only believe we were a one trick pony. feeling confident? we'll see. but the party's new leader, paul nuttall, failed to win a recent by—election in stoke, despite throwing everything at it, and for months after the referendum rows within the party were played out in public. 0n the richter scale of political defections, the latest by mark reckless is a minor tremor. but it raises again the question of what the party's for, now britain is leaving the european union. mark reckless will now sit with the conservatives in the welsh assembly and his former party colleagues there say he should resign his seat. well, i think ukip voters will be disgusted at what they will undoubtedly see as a personal betrayal. but i think, more generally, it's a betrayal of the electorate's trust. the two tory defectors to ukip have abandoned the party, declaring job done after the brexit vote. next month's local elections will be a test

ukip area ukip are a nasty party.olicies are not racist and ukip still has a role. we go into this snap election determined to hold the government's feet to the fire on brexit. we will act as the government's backbone.- the last general election, ukip was riding high and shaping the debate around immigration and the referendum. but this time, it is fighting to prove its relevance. in essex the party lost by a few thousand votes the last time. part industrial, most people backed brexit. does ukip still matter. they haven't put themselves around. i don't know the name of leader. without ukip we wouldn't have brexit. you think they have a role now. i think they have a major role. but this councillor has quit to join the tories, saying after brexit, ukip lost its way. there was so much fighting, we didn't look like we had a plan to atament. he -- adapt. he disagrees. we want to see cuts to immigration as do most people, we will be the only party to slashing the foreign aid budget to ensure british taxpayers' money is spen

he is no longer leader of ukip.n mep, he was elected as that several times but i think he has now decided to sit this one out. the question for ukip more generally is about their prospects, many people are asking will they be able to stop a decline given that the vote to leave the european union has now happened. many ask what the point of them is. they were formed and nigel farage was so instrumental in that decision and campaigning for that outcome, and now it has happened, what do they do? they have said they want to make sure it is a proper brexit, no backsliding from the government on all of this, but i think the wider picture for them is they are going to struggle to keep that support they had last time around, almost 4 million votes cast for ukip at the last general election. it did not result in any mps election. it did not result in any mp5 for them at all. douglas ca rswell defected to mp5 for them at all. douglas carswell defected to the party. he is also standing down. the next thing to see is where paul

why have you decided to leave ukip?opean union, thatis we are leaving the european union, that is something i have campaigned for all my adult life. ukip did a huge amount to get that referendum. we have now successfully won a referendum to leave the european union and theresa may and the conservative government had and i would like to support them. so months ago, when you were elected, was this your plan all along? note, that was not the case at all. i fought very hard in that referendum and was delighted when we won. i stuck with ukip for another nine months after that and many people in the party was sceptical about whether the conservatives would actually act on that referendum, whether we would leave the european union properly, but i think theresa may has answered those concerns and she is delivering. here in wales, we have andrew davies who is a very effectively do the conservatives are now becomes leader of the opposition in welsh assembly. and plaid cymru wa nt to in welsh assembly. and plaid cymru want to brea

some say there's never a dull day with ukip.ems in society. protesters from stand up to racism did their best to ruin ukip's election launch but their party leader paul nuttall is determined to stay bold. we will continue to lead the agenda. he is promising ukip would curb immigration, put more police on the streets and ban women wearing full face veils, fronting accusations that ukip itself is sowing division. it is all about equality, breaking down barriers, integrating people in society, because as you know, a number of reports recently, trevor phillips, dame casey, have shown that integration is failing. communities are becoming more and more divided. but wasjune 2016 the party's peak? since the referendum result, ukip has been troubled by division. it has had three different leaders, the party's only mp has quit and its 20 meps will soon be redundant because of brexit. many have said there is now no point to ukip, having won the eu referendum. but the party insists it is needed to keep the pressure on the prime minister and

so what does the summer hold for ukip?ositive message to the country". but with its main objective achieved, will the party still appeal to voters? we'rejoined now byjohn bickley, ukip's spokesperson on immigration. we will talk to you about all sorts of other things as well. ukip is not the party they were and didn't have the party they were and didn't have the same purpose. i know lots of yourcampaigning in the same purpose. i know lots of your campaigning in recent weeks has been about convincing people that you still have a message to get out there. we still do. this election shouldn't have been called. theresa may is telling us it has been called for the sake of the country, but i think it was called for the sake of the conservative party. when theresa may announced the election some of these channels submitted files to these channels submitted files to the crown prosecution service that could lead to potentially the prosecution of a number of tory mps. so quite handy to call a general election. maybe white the slate

|j think pledge going into the election...” think ukip is going to campaign very ha rd think ukip isrd on immigration. 0k, finally, it is your story in the express, "i'm stepping down from the commons for now", not stepping down from the commons for now", not you, george osborne! there isa now", not you, george osborne! there is a picture of him. he's going to be the editor of the evening standard and he is not going to seek re—election. standard and he is not going to seek re-election. yes, but he is leaving the house of commons "for now". he a lwa ys the house of commons "for now". he always fancied himself to be a great newsmaker and wants to show himself to be intriguing and mysterious. but we just hate it because he's going to earn loads more money from journalism for much less work than we ever will! i think he must have concluded he could not fight... if he fought for re—election as an mp, there would have been so many questions over his commitment to the job because he was not only going to be the editor of a daily newspaper but he has various other roles as well. 70 grand as

happened, that ukip will be squeezed in this election.997, of course, when tony blair came to power, and you keep writing us off, but we have kept coming back. let's be blunt, this is all about brexit. we got brexit because of the campaigning, i was elected in 2014 european elections, we have done very well, and do you know what? this is going to be about what britain we are going to have after brexit. what sort of things are you going to be saying on the doorstep? there are some tweets i have seen today from people who voted ukip who say, we will vote conservative because we wa nt to will vote conservative because we want to give theresa may that thumping majority that she will need to negotiate brexit. and there are a lot of people saying that, actually, do you know what? we are the patriotic working—class, and we cannot support were jeremy corbyn, john mcdonnell or diane abbott as saying, and there are people who will not vote conservative, and they are the sort of people ukip are appealing to. actually, the proof of the pudding is in

the parties are strong enough and i think nigel farage was such a big part of the ukip brand.ey will struggle. especially as brexit has been secured in terms of leaving the eu, how will look of courses be risen to the election in the first place. i think is a will be working ha rd to place. i think is a will be working hard to get some of those you get votes back. —— is the reason for. i did indeed do a u—turn, perhaps you could say. there is a lot to play forforgeries are made. i know the polls are saying she is way out ahead, but i think you should always triples cautiously. and it is not a matter of winning. it is a matter of getting a big majority to move forward. i think a lot of those ukip votes will be up for grabs as long as she is clear on what her brexit strategy will be. all right. the daily express. both me and i will deliver eu exit. theresa may smashing it once and for all. at some of that positions from her own backbenchers? yes. several papers have gone with this line of theresa may crashing the rebels and her party. so we have a group in the commons, a handful

if you are ukip, where is that space now?ing on the narrative that they can hold the government to account on brexit, but will it be enough? how big a gamble is this by theresa may? if you look at the polls it would suggest it is not such a big gamble. the question for her is whether it will hit her credibility as a politician of her word. for months she has been saying there would be no election, it is all about stability for the country, but neither political incentive is there, it seems, and she has gone for it. let's go to brussels. kevin connolly is our correspondence. what are they making of this? are they thinking theresa may may be in a much stronger position than those negotiations get under way if she wins a general election first?” think that is right. the people around who will be europol is not chief negotiators are saying this is a good thing because from this will emerge a strong leader with a strong, clear positive mandate from the british people because of visions of brexit will have been put to voters, discu

i think it is going to be a real challenge for ukip.t this general election, paul nuttall is now the party leader but they have been riven by arguments, they were only just starting to rebuild and this snap election has probably come very soon for them. and there's the broader question of what is the point of ukip now. that is what their opponents say, now that we have voted to leave the european union, the reason the party came into existence. of course the way that nigel farage campaigned for that nigel farage campaigned for that decision but now what will their pitch be to voters? they say they will make sure there is no backsliding on brexit and it won't be watered down in any way but i think in many seats they will struggle, certainly anecdotally that many ukip voters who say that they will vote conservative time. this could be a problem for ukip, and also a big help to theresa may as she tries to increase a majority in the house of commons. vicki young, thank you, for the moment. the green party has launched what it calls its ‘bol

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 than anything else. but ukip will fight it hard. she invoked article 50 but the negotiations have not even begun. we know she's already backtracking on immigration. when people voted onjune 23 they backtracking on immigration. when people voted on june 23 they voted not just to control people voted on june 23 they voted notjust to control immigration but to cut it. they are now saying immigration figures will be the same for ten years. that is not for people voted for and i believe also she will renege on other things especially over fisheries. she's a lwa ys especially over fisheries. she's always been good at talking the talk but if you want the real thing go and vote ukip. in the city the announcement helped to push the pound was highest level against the d

this is ukip kind of going backwards.ection, they had the burqa band back then. they got rid of it for 2015, they had a different focus, about the referendum and leaving europe. those things are happening. there has been this question about whether or not ukip have lost their way. people have said a lot of ukip voters are thinking of switching to the conservatives. so i think that is what this is about. so not only eight burqa ban, but also this idea of banning sharia law and banning postal voting, which they say is subject to electoral fraud. he seems to be going down the route of targeting muslim communities. i'm not sure how that will pan out, but it's something they must think will work with their core vote. jeremy corbyn and other leaders on the andrew marr show, i know you'll be watching that for us. polling stations have opened across france in the first round of the country's presidential election. 11 candidates are running for office, with the race between the top four contenders considered too close to call ahea

former labour voters switching to ukip or conservatives are going back in theirdroves to ukip or conservatives up for grabs and there are going to the tories. is that you're reading of it and if you agree with ian on that, what could paul nuttall do to address the situation?m ian on that, what could paul nuttall do to address the situation? is hard to think of a leader who has been discredited as quickly as paul nuttall. part of the problem was that he appeared a bit of a fantasist that he appeared a bit of a fa ntasist and he that he appeared a bit of a fantasist and he claims the mistakes we re fantasist and he claims the mistakes were not intentional, but ecb said he was an amateur footballer one point, that he had a ph.d., that he had friends who died in the hillsborough disaster and now we are in the bizarre situation where he has refused to say whether or not he will stand in the election. this is the part of the finished third in the part of the finished third in the last election, the party which did win mps, albeit conservative defectors. all week he has been chased around by journali

does ukip still matter? they haven't put themselves around.ey have a major role. but this councillor has quit to join the tories, saying after brexit, ukip lost its way. there was so much fighting, we didn't look like we had a plan to atament. he disagrees. we want to see cuts to immigration as do most people, we will be the only party to slashing the foreign aid budget to ensure british taxpayers' money is spent on the nhs and we will go in where commitments to raise defence spending and to have more police officers on the streets. ukip has agreed not to stand against some candidates if they're committed to prebgt. committed to brexit. but he said they will fight to add a national voice to the debate. louise lear has the weather. bank holiday weekend just around the corner and it looks reasonably comfy. there will be dry weather in the story. some rain to come, cheaply into the south—west on sunday, so enjoy the weather on saturday if you can. there will be some decent sunshine around and showers will be isolated in northern ireland, south—we

he left ukip, he was the body's sole mp, very recently indeed to assist us in independent.rmer party, whoever the conservatives stand as a candidate in his clacton constituency. the reaction has been varied, to say the least. 0bviously he has been praised for the work he has done as a constituency mp by some. but there have been critics too. arron banks, the biggest funder of ukip, was threatening to stand against durrant mike castle if he hadn't stood down. —— against douglas carswell. they accused him of being a mole and trying to undermine ukip's in the referendum campaign. he was potentially facing a challenge by a very well funded opponent in his seat. some of long—standing opponents of brexit, including the liberal democrats, have been saying that douglas ca rswell has have been saying that douglas carswell has been clearing off so that he wouldn't have to take responsibility for what the leave campaign has visited upon britain. his standing down from politics hasn't been universally either praised all welcomed, but from douglas carswell‘s point view, he is effectivel

conservatives, labour and ukip. all lined up backing the ha rd est of ukip.recks it is, exit from the single market and cutting of ties from our friends and neighbours in europe. even among unusually mild mannered lib dems, there were heckles today over questions about gay rights. like politics in this campaign? maybe not in 2017. it is still a scrabble for all the main parties to get their machines up and running. no one's campaign is running at full pelt. the strategies? those are crystal clear. 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 which was stolen in the early hours of yesterday morning. danny savage is in the manchester suburb of chorlton where it happened. danny.,, more than 36 hours after samwell; received fatal injuries. police say they are seeking a few more suspects in connection with what happened here. it is the circumstances of the events which are truly extraordinary. a crime

for me ukip mv douglas ca rswell says he conclusion.onth—old baby who was found dead with multiple injuries on a bus are found guilty of causing or allowing her death. i'mjamie i'm jamie robinson. the i'mjamie robinson. the business news. department store chain debenhams says its turnaround strategy could involve the closure of 10 stores and regional distribution centres. the firm is trying to boost sales and improve its online service amid fierce competition on the high street and newer, online rivals. the news comes as the firm announced half—year pre—tax profits down by 6.4% to £88m. marks and spencer has named six stores which will close as part of chief executive steve rowe's plans to improve the business. the company said 380 staff would be affected but they would be guaranteed redeployment at a nearby store. m&s will also open 36 new stores over the next six months, creating more than 1,400 jobs. talktalk and bt have received the worst customer satisfaction scores in a survey of 12 broadband providers. they were closely followed

and here i ukip parliamentarian, the only ukip mp so far, douglas carswell, who has now declared himselfand against him here, the message from people here i have been speaking to today is that while brexit is still very much alive issue for them, they're not so sure about ukip. they returned ukip mp last time, this time they're thinking they might vote for the candidate most likely to deliver the brexit that they want. it is all good, it is giving us want. it is all good, it is giving us another chance to voice our opinions. i suppose it has to happen, really. what the government said about it all. but i do not necessarily agree with that. do you think it is a good idea? i do. i think it is a good idea? i do. i think there's too much going on between all of them and it would just settle it once and for all.|j do not think she had much choice, just to secure the majority they have at the moment. and she is obviously playing safe with brexit coming up. well the former ukip donor arron banks has already said he will stand in his election as the ukip candidate to oppose douglas ca rswell. uk

ukip was to hold its hustings on wednesday night to choose their candidate for the general election sothink about him and now try to find out what he thinks about them. andrew sinclair reporting. the centrist candidate emmanuel macron will take on the far—right‘s marine le pen in the race to become french president. it's the first time in nearly 60 years that neither of france's established political parties have a candidate in the second round. my colleague karin giannone spoke to professor. he said the result was a big political upset. it is a fascinating time giving the result yesterday with the elimination of the candidates of the two traditional main parties. it isa it is a fascinating time to be here. how great and people is. it is absolutely massive if you look the last six decades. we will know more about the parliamentary elections in june, whether the traditional parties can save some of their deputies, particularly the right, i think they have hopes of saving deputies and whether macron what have parliamentary majority for his package. what are your thoughts on why the frenc

you voted for ukip last time?

now what does all this mean for ukip?for him as ukip, now he's an independent. how will he do this time round? our correspondent ben ando has been testing the political temperature there. yes, you are absolutely right. cla cton yes, you are absolutely right. clacton here on the south end of six, it is the southernmost part of a wide swathes of the country up through the east of england, through the fence and into south lincolnshire that is very much pro—leaving the eu, and in turn has seen the election of a number of ukip politicians, usually on local councils, but here and only here as a constituency mp. of course, douglas carswell was elected as a uk mp in the last election, but he has since turned his back on the party. he has become an independent, and so now the major ukip donor aaron banks has said that he will stand against mr ca rswell has said that he will stand against mr carswell as a ukip candidate in this area. so far, so good, but what people here are saying is that they are not necessarily sure that ukip is

ukip will fight the election hard, it isa ukip will fight the election hard, it is a brexit election,ellie price is at portcullis house where the 1922 committee of conservative mps is currently being addressed by the prime minister. what kind of meeting is that going to be? well she isjust finished but yes it was a cheerful meeting as you might imagine. theresa may left the meeting and there was bumpy on the desks and many cheers from backbench mps as well as a number of the ministers who were in the meeting. i think it was a rallying of the troops meeting. i'm told what she said inside the meeting was effectively what she said this morning. she reiterated this is about building a firm mandate and not about exploiting the weakness of the labour party. so from that point of view it is about the mandate. and the number of mps i spoke to were said that would help them in their own constituencies. 0ne told me it was about having a contemporary mandate. theresa may of course took over from david cameron mandate. theresa may of course took overfrom david cameron and was not herself elected

conservatives very much hoping to pick up former ukip voters.velopments on the campaign trail today. ukip have unveiled a range of policies which they say would improve integration in british society, including a ban on the burqa. party leader paul nuttall said it was not an attempt to sow division but that ukip were ‘10 years ahead of their time' on these issues. earlier mr nuttall refused to say whether he'd stand for parliament, appearing at one point to barricade himself inside a room to avoid journalists. the liberal democrats say their party membership has passed the 100,000 mark and is on course to break the record for their highest ever party membership. speaking to supporters at a campaign event, leader tim farron put the influx down to the party's pro—european stance. a network of first world war tunnels have been discovered on ministry of defence land in wiltshire. the tunnels are part of a first world war training ground used to get men ready to fight in and under the trenches of france and belgium. as well as the tunnels, some prehi

candidate, which he won. seat as the ukip candidate, which he won.aid he will not contest the forthcoming election as an independent mp. he said, i have done everything possible in my life to make sure we got a referendum on the european union. we won that. it's sometimes said that all political careers end in failure, but it doesn't feel it back to me. job done. i'm delighted. what will he do now? he says he looks forward to reading newspapers rather than reading newspapers rather than reading about himself in newspapers. he's a man who enjoys blue sky thinking. he is very easy article about politics and public participation in politics. i don't think this'll be the last we will hear of think this'll be the last we will hearof him. think this'll be the last we will hear of him. thank you very much. the australian prime minster has announced sweeping changes to the country's citizenship laws — declaring that new arrivals must prize "australian values" and prove their commitment to the nation. it follows a move earlier this week to scrap the current f

he has regularly been in the news, having spats with ukip's former leader, nigel farage.uld sit in parliament as an independent because he thought he could'sjob was done. independent because he thought he could's job was done. today, independent because he thought he could'sjob was done. today, he has said he will not contest that election as an independent and has said he will be supporting the conservatives. in a statement he says, i have done everything i can to ensure we get the referendum and we leave the european union. it is sometimes said that all political careers end in failure, it doesn't feel like that to me today. job done. i'm delighted. andrew, thank you. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has said labour is ‘unelectable' under jeremy corbyn‘s leadership. speaking during first minister's questions, she said voting snp was the only way to protect scotland from the conservatives. because of the unelectability of labour, scotland faces the prospect of an unfettered, out—of—control tory government, and we know the damage that can do to scotland. to our

i usually vote ukip, but i will vote conservative.n have that idiot, jeremy corbyn, i would go for theresa may. because, like she says, he can only lead a political demonstration, but he can't lead his party. i have always been labour and stuff like that, but he can't be trusted. he just seems like he doesn't know what he's doing. this battle has just begun but today theresa may signalled she is ready to challenge the labour party on their own turf. vicky young, bbc news, bolton. the former chancellor, george osborne, has announced he's standing down as an mp at this election to concentrate on his newjob as editor of the london evening standard. he'd faced intense criticism after taking on the newspaperjob alongside hisjob in parliament, as our deputy political editor john pienaar reports. from political big beast to big city editor and the greenest hack in the newsroom, the new boss in fleet street chooses to see his future as moving on, not coming down. george osborne told me today he would use his new role to fight for liberal cons

there was a sizeable ukip vote in wales two yea rs sizeable ukip vote in wales two years ago at the generalction. 14-1596. years ago at the general election. ia-15%. the years ago at the general election. 14—15%. the tories are confident they can draw many of those ukip supporters over to them. the message today from theresa may very much saying to labour voters, turn your back on the past, labour have taken you for granted, it's time to think about a different party. we want to get votes and support here in wales because that will strengthen my hand in the brexit negotiation. applause and every single vote for me and the local conservative candidate will be a vote for a stronger wales, for a stronger united kingdom, and, as i say, will strengthen my hand in those important brexit negotiations. and a vote for any other party would be a vote for a weak and failing jeremy corbyn, propped up by a coalition of chaos which would risk our national future. but theresa may wasn't just talking about brexit. she i think during this campaign will broaden her message. she wants to talk to ordinary work

you might have seen paul nuttall on television on sunday morning, saying that ukip can the deterrent kate hogan, and we have a coalition of chaos, conservatives, labour ukip, or lined up, backing the hardest of all brexit, except from the single market and cutting off all our ties with our friends and neighbours market and cutting off all our ties with ourfriends and neighbours in europe, despite those things never been on the ballot paper. we say that the british people could choose a different future. this is about britain being able to make an alternative choice. that is why i am proud to the back george and eve ryo ne proud to the back george and everyone working so hard to make this heavenly remain constituency elects a liberal democrats member of parliament. opposition is vital in a democracy. let's not pretend for one moment we ta ke let's not pretend for one moment we take seriously theresa may's claims that the reason she called the selection was in order to get a mandate for brexit. she needs no mandate for brexit. she needs no mandate for brexit. the referendum gave her th

what can you tell us about this ban from ukip? it goes down to the core vote from ukip.talking about a full ban on the face veil as you see in france and belgium. they say it is part of their integration agenda. that is not the only thing that fit into that mould. they are talking about banning sharia law and people from not reporting female genital mutilation. and also a ban on postal voting, which they claim is subject to electoral fraud. many policies that may appeal to their core vote. their key problem is ahead of their last general election they had a key purpose, to call for a referendum on leaving the european union. but we have had that. theresa may it has made it clear we are pushing ahead with rigs had. ukip have in a sense lost their purpose. —— brexit. they need other policies that appeal to others. this is theirfirst need other policies that appeal to others. this is their first weekend of campaigning. all of the parties, labour, ukip, are coming up with eye—catching policies that they hope will appeal to core voters. thank you very much indeed. today is st

ukip performed well, over 12%.ts close to 8%, snp under 5% and the greens on 3%. looking ahead, here's the analysis of one of the top polling experts in the uk, john curtis and how he sees this race panning out. it is quite difficult these days for either party to actually win a land slide in the house of commons, because not only is northern ireland now out of the uk—wide political picture, so also is scotland. i would be surprised if the snp don't hang onto most of the seats north of the border that they won two years ago. secondly, although the labour party are ina secondly, although the labour party are in a dire position in the opinion polls, a lot of the seats that they have are safe ones. the truth is therefore, if actually the opinion polls were to narrow during the course of this campaign, i think we should bear in mind in particular theresa may is very much now going for a vote conservative for my vision of brexit and that perhaps is going to make some conservative voters unhappy, if that lead were to nar

ukip happening.le smoke to come over hartlepool where paul mathilde, the ukip leader, will announce where he will stand as an election... it could be boston in skegness, which is another pa rt boston in skegness, which is another part of the country which is most strongly voted to leave the eu. they think they have a strong chance that. we heard a lot about paul nuttall, he did not know whether he was going to stand as a candidate, with the question of what is the point of ukip. yesterday he said he would charge from the front and stand as a candidate. 0k, let us go to scotland. the banister in scotland, for the first time since she called the general election, she said the conservatives will strengthen her hand in brexit negotiations. the smp, leader, nicola sturgeon, will be out campaigning. saying the snp is the only party that can stop the tories. it seems a two horse race up there, leaving behind labour. it seems as a narrative on both sides when they try to pick up votes, and there has been a r

you had ukip talking about one of their policies was about banning the burqa.to a policy from 2010 that they got rid of in the 2015 election. of course they no longer have the issue of the european referendum as there key issue. they are looking for other areas to appeal to their vote. labour are talking about having bank holidays, four new bank all days. and then the conservatives talking about capping fuel costs. that interestingly enough is being that the labour party talks about are the last general election. here we have it resurfacing under a different party. all of them really trying to get in their early with their offerings to the parties. we haven't got all of the manifesto is yet, so when you hearjeremy corbyn there talking about the manifesto and the issue around trident, we haven't written our manifesto yet, you have to read between the lines. that's an issue for the labour party which is a very difficult one, because labour's policy is to renew trident byjeremy corbyn is completely against that. if it doesn't end up in the manifesto, people will b

but ukip will fight it and fight it hard. her party ahead of those of the country. it is very clear that the prime minister ‘s announcement today is all about the narrow interests of her own party and not the interests of the country. clearly she sees the opportunity given the total disarray in the ranks of the labour party to crush all opposition to her, to get rid of people that disagree with her and give herself a free hand to take the country in the increasingly right—wing direction she wants to ta ke right—wing direction she wants to take it in. that would mean notjust the hardest possible brexit but more austerity and deeper cuts. now is the time for a scotland's voice to be heard and for people in scotland to stand up for the kind of country we wa nt to stand up for the kind of country we want scotland to be and that is the campaign! we want scotland to be and that is the campaign i look forward to holding in the weeks ahead. so let's have a look at the timetable of events leading up to a general election. a motion wil

this ukip representative should be ashamed.eryone to be like them. rob — ask the ukip woman if face coverings include edl thugs in balaclavas. well, it depends where they are wearing balaclavas. 0bviously, they are wearing balaclavas. obviously, there would be allowed into a obviously, there would be allowed intoa bank obviously, there would be allowed into a bank or department store. but on the street is fine? it is about being in the public domain. if people find that threatening, it is an issue. so you are not suggesting banning balaclavas in the street?|j would banning balaclavas in the street?” would not suggest putting balaclavas in the manifesto because it is a double situation. we have the security situation, and if that said one life, it would be worth doing. the other situation is the integration situation. do you think it makes it easy for people to integrate with edl thugs wearing balaclavas? well, how many of those are there? i have not seen one on my way to this studio today. i have never seen one in my way to thi

conservatives, labour and ukip.ghbours in europe. yet even among usually mild mannered lib dems, there were heckles today, as tim farron faced questions about gay rights. it‘s fair to say that i‘ve answered 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. police in greater manchester are questioning a 21—year—old man about the murder of a former royal navy officer who was run over as he tried to stop his car being stolen. mike samwell who was 35 was found with serious injuries during the early hours of sunday morning and died later in hospital as our correspondent danny savage reports. mike samwell, a 35—year—old former royal navy officer. he and his wife were asleep in their home in chorlton in the early hours of yesterday when th

vote rs areas and pick up votes from ukip voters in east anglia and ethics and places like that.want the kind of brexit she's offering. i think she will have to broaden that appeal not least because we are all going to be bored of seven weeks of this if we are just talking about brexit. but if she's to win labour votes in other parts of the country she to show the mantra she had on the steps of downing street when she was first in the job, helping the less well off, she needs to broaden the tory appeal and show she has policies beyond brexit. not long ago we were talking about counting down until the day of brexit, the moment we would be leaving the eu. we are now counting down until the general election. thank you. let's speak to the conservative mp and former northern ireland secretary, theresa villiers who is in our studios in westminster. is this a sensible move or is it pure naked opportunism?” is this a sensible move or is it pure naked opportunism? i believe it isa pure naked opportunism? i believe it is a sensible move. we need a strong and stable government and not only