General Election Announcement

:00:00. > :00:07.We are live in Downing Street, where the Prime Minister is due

:00:08. > :00:13.to make a significant announcement in the next 15 minutes.

:00:14. > :00:17.Theresa May's statement is unscheduled - and Number 10

:00:18. > :00:25.I'm Joanna Gosling, bringing you live coverage from the studio.

:00:26. > :00:34.We will bring you the statement as soon as it happens. One unconfirmed

:00:35. > :00:37.source tells the BBC that Theresa May is poised to announce a snap

:00:38. > :00:55.general election on June the 8th. Good afternoon and

:00:56. > :01:00.welcome to BBC News. Welcome to viewers on BBC One

:01:01. > :01:03.and the BBC News Channel. The Prime Minister, Theresa May,

:01:04. > :01:06.is to make a surprise announcement The details of which are closely

:01:07. > :01:11.guarded but statements by the Prime Minister in

:01:12. > :01:14.Downing Street are usually reserved Our assistant political

:01:15. > :01:28.editor, Norman Smith, Norman, the speculation is around an

:01:29. > :01:32.early election. What are you hearing? We have one unconfirmed

:01:33. > :01:37.source telling the BBC that Theresa May looks set to announce the snap

:01:38. > :01:43.general election on June the 8th. That is roughly about six weeks

:01:44. > :01:48.away. Ignoring previous promises by Number 10 that she would not go for

:01:49. > :01:53.an early summer election, she would stay the whole course through to

:01:54. > :01:58.2020, repeatedly dismissing the idea. But we are now in a situation

:01:59. > :02:07.where some opinion polls giving the Conservatives the lead of more than

:02:08. > :02:10.20% over the Labour Party. There is a view that Mrs May could have

:02:11. > :02:14.decided it is never going to be a better moment than now to go for a

:02:15. > :02:19.general election. It would give her a huge mandate but were to win, the

:02:20. > :02:23.sort of majority many in the party believes she could win, it would

:02:24. > :02:29.give her a mandate to go into the Brexit negotiations with a hugely

:02:30. > :02:33.strengthened hand. She will have held a Brexit election and will go

:02:34. > :02:38.to Brussels and say I have secured a mandate to secure this sort of deal

:02:39. > :02:42.on behalf of the British people. A hugely strengthened her handfuls of

:02:43. > :02:46.it would enable her to pursue her own domestic agenda, to pursue the

:02:47. > :02:52.sort of policies on grammar schools, speculation about whether she might

:02:53. > :02:56.want to end the commitment to overseas aid staying at .7%. She may

:02:57. > :03:06.want to jettison the camera and legacy. Is she had a snap general

:03:07. > :03:11.election when she could pursue that agenda and defeats with that narrow,

:03:12. > :03:14.narrow majority of around 16. We saw the effects of that in the House of

:03:15. > :03:19.Commons when the Chancellor was forced to backtrack in the face of a

:03:20. > :03:24.looming Tory revolt over national insurance changes. If Mrs May where

:03:25. > :03:28.to get the sort of majority something she could get, that would

:03:29. > :03:35.free her from the permanent danger of Tory revolt. There are huge

:03:36. > :03:41.potential political advantages from going for a snap election. The

:03:42. > :03:43.disadvantages are that it would be breaking a repeated promise by

:03:44. > :03:49.Downing Street not to go for that snap early election. There is also a

:03:50. > :03:55.risk factor. You do not know what happens in general elections. There

:03:56. > :04:01.are many Tory MPs in the main facing constituencies who might be worried

:04:02. > :04:04.about going to the polls against Liberal Democrat candidate

:04:05. > :04:08.campaigning strongly for a second referendum. We saw that with Zac

:04:09. > :04:13.Goldsmith in Richmond. They might be more reluctant to have an early

:04:14. > :04:16.general election. She would wave goodbye to the boundary review

:04:17. > :04:21.changes which would give her an additional 20 or so seats. There are

:04:22. > :04:25.reasons not to go. You sense, with the poll lead, in the wake of the

:04:26. > :04:30.Copeland by-election victory where she overturned the seat she may

:04:31. > :04:34.never, ever have one, she may take the view it is never going to get

:04:35. > :04:38.better than now. What are the logistics over calling an early

:04:39. > :04:42.election? There is the fixed term parliament at which means the next

:04:43. > :04:49.election is not scheduled till 2020. How will they get around that?

:04:50. > :04:53.Either you have to engineer a vote of no-confidence in the Government

:04:54. > :05:01.or two thirds of MPs have to vote for a general. That, I surmise, is

:05:02. > :05:03.the route she will go down. Labour has said, on the record, they would

:05:04. > :05:09.be happy to vote for a general election. They are up for it.

:05:10. > :05:17.Theresa May may choose to call their bluff or she is coming out now.

:05:18. > :05:23.Let's hear what she has to say. I have just chaired a meeting of the

:05:24. > :05:25.Cabinet where we have agreed the Government should call a general

:05:26. > :05:32.election to be held on the 8th of June. I want to explain the reasons

:05:33. > :05:39.for that decision. What will happen next, and the choice facing the

:05:40. > :05:46.British people, when you come to vote in this election. Last summer,

:05:47. > :05:48.after the country voted to leave the European Union, Britain needs

:05:49. > :05:54.certainty, stability and strong leadership will stop since I became

:05:55. > :06:04.Prime Minister the Government has delivered precisely that will stop

:06:05. > :06:07.despite predictions in the immediate financial and economic danger, since

:06:08. > :06:12.the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain high. Economic

:06:13. > :06:18.growth that has exceeded all expectations. We have also delivered

:06:19. > :06:23.on the mandate that we were handed by the referendum result.

:06:24. > :06:31.leaving the European Union and there can be no turning back. As we look

:06:32. > :06:36.to the future, the Government has the right plan for negotiating our

:06:37. > :06:41.new relationship with Europe. We want a deep and special partnership

:06:42. > :06:45.between a strong and successful European Union and the United

:06:46. > :06:51.Kingdom that is free to chart its own way in the world. That means we

:06:52. > :06:56.will regain control of our own money, our own laws, and our own

:06:57. > :07:03.borders. We will be free to strike trade deals with old friends and new

:07:04. > :07:10.partners all around the world. This is the right approach and it is in

:07:11. > :07:16.the national interest. But the other political parties oppose it. At this

:07:17. > :07:21.moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity

:07:22. > :07:27.here in Westminster. But instead there is division. The country is

:07:28. > :07:32.coming together but Westminster is not. In recent weeks, Labour has

:07:33. > :07:36.threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the European

:07:37. > :07:42.Union. The Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business

:07:43. > :08:11.of government to a standstill. The Scottish National Party said it will

:08:12. > :08:12.vote against the legislation up formally repealed Britain's should

:08:13. > :08:12.vote against the legislation up of the European Union. Unelected

:08:13. > :08:13.members of the House of Lords have vowed to fight us every step of the

:08:14. > :08:13.way. Opponents believe, are resolvable weekend and they can

:08:14. > :08:15.force us to change course. They are wrong. They underestimate our

:08:16. > :08:19.determination to get the job done. I am not prepared to let them endanger

:08:20. > :08:23.the security of millions of working people across the country. What they

:08:24. > :08:31.are doing jeopardises the work we must do to prepare for Brexit at

:08:32. > :08:36.home. And it weakens the Government's negotiating position in

:08:37. > :08:41.Europe. If we do not hold a general election now, their political

:08:42. > :08:44.gameplaying will continue. And the negotiations with the European Union

:08:45. > :08:50.will reach their most difficult stage in the run-up to the next

:08:51. > :08:56.scheduled election. Division in Westminster will risk our ability to

:08:57. > :09:00.make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and

:09:01. > :09:05.instability to the country. We need a general election and we need one

:09:06. > :09:11.now. We have, at this moment, a one-off chance to get this done

:09:12. > :09:16.while the European Union agrees its negotiating position and before the

:09:17. > :09:22.detailed talks begin. I have only recently and reluctantly come to

:09:23. > :09:27.this conclusion. Since I became Prime Minister, I have said there

:09:28. > :09:31.should be no election until 2020. Now I have concluded that the only

:09:32. > :09:37.way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to

:09:38. > :09:43.hold this election and seek your support for the decisions I must

:09:44. > :09:46.take. And so tomorrow I will move a motion in the House of Commons,

:09:47. > :09:52.calling for a general election to be held on the 8th of June. That

:09:53. > :09:56.motion, as set out by the fixed term parliament act, will require a two

:09:57. > :10:01.thirds majority by the House of Commons. I have a simple challenge

:10:02. > :10:06.to the opposition parties. You have criticised the Government's decision

:10:07. > :10:09.for Brexit, challenged our objectives, threatened to block the

:10:10. > :10:15.legislation we put before Parliament. This is your moment to

:10:16. > :10:20.show you mean it, show you are not opposing the Government for the sake

:10:21. > :10:26.of it, to show that you do not treat politics as a game. Let us tomorrow

:10:27. > :10:29.vote for an election. Let us put forward our plans for Brexit and our

:10:30. > :10:40.alternative plans for government and then let the people decide. And the

:10:41. > :10:59.decision facing the country will be all about leadership. It would be a

:11:00. > :10:59.choice between strong and stable leadership in the national interest

:11:00. > :11:00.with me as your Prime Minister, or weakens, unstable, coalition

:11:01. > :11:00.government led by Jeremy Corbyn, propped up by the Liberal Democrats,

:11:01. > :11:01.who want to reopen the divisions of the referendum and Nicola Sturgeon

:11:02. > :11:04.and the SNP. A vote for the Conservatives will make it harder

:11:05. > :11:09.for opposition politicians who want to stop me from getting the job

:11:10. > :11:13.done. Every vote for the Conservatives will make me stronger

:11:14. > :11:17.when I negotiate for Britain with the prime ministers, presidents and

:11:18. > :11:21.chancellors of the European Union. Every vote for the Conservatives

:11:22. > :11:26.will mean that we can stick to our plan for a stronger Britain and take

:11:27. > :11:32.the right long-term decisions for a secure future. It was with

:11:33. > :11:37.reluctance that I decided the country needs this election. It is

:11:38. > :11:41.with strong conviction that I say it is necessary to secure the strong

:11:42. > :11:47.and stable leadership the country needs to see us through Brexit and

:11:48. > :11:53.beyond. So, tomorrow, let the House of Commons vote for an election. Let

:11:54. > :11:56.everybody put forward their proposals for Brexit and their

:11:57. > :12:01.programmes for government and let us remove the risk of uncertainty and

:12:02. > :12:12.instability and continue to give the country the strong and stable

:12:13. > :12:15.leadership it demands. A dramatic announcement in Downing Street by

:12:16. > :12:20.the Prime Minister, calling a general election for the 8th of

:12:21. > :12:25.June. Previously, she had said she would not call a snap election and

:12:26. > :12:29.referencing what she said about the prospects of a snap election in the

:12:30. > :12:33.past, chief said, it is only recently and reluctantly that she

:12:34. > :12:36.has come to the conclusion that an early election is needed for the she

:12:37. > :12:41.said it was the only way to guarantee certainty and stability

:12:42. > :12:45.for the years ahead. She said her government is determined to see

:12:46. > :12:49.Brexit through and she said opposition MPs, in the way they have

:12:50. > :12:53.been talking about voting against the Government, is damaging that and

:12:54. > :12:58.hampering the Government's negotiating position in Europe. That

:12:59. > :13:03.is why she will start the process tomorrow in the Commons to override

:13:04. > :13:10.the fixed term parliament act in order to allow an election to go

:13:11. > :13:14.ahead on June eight. Let's go back to our assistant political editor,

:13:15. > :13:20.Norman Smith, in Downing Street. There it is. Another election, the

:13:21. > :13:24.second in two years. The six-week election campaign. He would have

:13:25. > :13:31.guessed that? Who would have thought we would go into a snap general

:13:32. > :13:46.election? The argument of Theresa May is basically Brexit. She cannot

:13:47. > :13:52.secure the best deal for the British people because of what she says is

:13:53. > :13:53.the uncertainty, the divisions in Westminster, pinpointing the blame

:13:54. > :13:53.on Labour who say they may have vote against a final deal and the SNP

:13:54. > :13:54.said they may vote against the great repealed bill. In effect, she is

:13:55. > :13:58.saying they jeopardised temp Aand threaten the livelihoods of millions

:13:59. > :14:03.of people because of the outcome which she may be able to secure

:14:04. > :14:08.being weakened by the factual have a weaker negotiating hand. If she wins

:14:09. > :14:13.a general election, Mrs May said she will have the mandate to secure the

:14:14. > :14:17.sort of deal she wants. It seems she was almost trying to pictures have

:14:18. > :14:21.as on the side of the people against Westminster, against those

:14:22. > :14:27.Westminster parties, playing games, she said. She is presenting this as

:14:28. > :14:38.the Brexit election and she is the Brexit candidate, is, in effect, how

:14:39. > :14:40.Theresa May is presenting theirs. She said she had come to this

:14:41. > :14:43.decision reluctantly. That is the only nod we had that she has done a

:14:44. > :14:47.U-turn and scrapped her previous promises. She will not go for a snap

:14:48. > :14:51.election, she had said. Reluctantly she decided she could not go on

:14:52. > :14:57.because of the division and uncertainty at Westminster. We now

:14:58. > :15:02.face a really ferocious battle over the next six weeks. Difficult for

:15:03. > :15:09.the other parties to work out how did a pitch it. Do they take her on

:15:10. > :15:14.over Brexit and campaign against it? The Liberal Democrats certainly

:15:15. > :15:18.well. A difficult one for Labour. Theresa May is revising the fear

:15:19. > :15:25.that David Cameron stoked up in the last general election which is the

:15:26. > :15:27.idea of labour being propped up by the Scottish Nationalists. Theresa

:15:28. > :15:33.May again alluding to that idea saying, do you really want that sort

:15:34. > :15:38.of outcome? Tomorrow, of course, Mrs May will go to Parliament and in

:15:39. > :15:41.effect throw down the gauntlet to Jeremy Corbyn saying, again, you

:15:42. > :15:46.said you are ready for a general election, vote for it. The real

:15:47. > :15:50.challenge for him will be, it is hard to see how he cannot vote for a

:15:51. > :15:56.general election without being accused of running away and deny the

:15:57. > :16:01.people a vote. Does that make it almost certain it will get through

:16:02. > :16:07.or are their speculations about whether this can go ahead? It seems

:16:08. > :16:11.almost inconceivable that Jeremy Corbyn can say, we will not vote for

:16:12. > :16:15.it. We would like you to carry on anyway. What sort of message does

:16:16. > :16:21.that send your own people went Jeremy Corbyn has been so forthright

:16:22. > :16:27.in attacking Theresa May? That seems to me a non-runner, quite apart from

:16:28. > :16:32.the political dynamics how would it look? Mr Johnson, are you glad there

:16:33. > :16:38.is an early election? Ie Looking forward to an early election?

:16:39. > :17:01.Obviously, Cabinet ministers have been in there since 8:30am and they

:17:02. > :17:03.are now leaving. Are you looking forward to an election? I get the

:17:04. > :17:05.feeling there will be a futile task. They will probably be very obedient,

:17:06. > :17:06.not wanting to Trump Theresa May. To come back to your point, Joanna, it

:17:07. > :17:07.is inconceivable that Jeremy Corbyn will not vote for it. It looks like

:17:08. > :17:10.he was running away, and he would be crucified in the media. Normally, we

:17:11. > :17:13.will be back with you but let's check in on what the polling has

:17:14. > :17:18.indicated about what might happen with an early election. We can speak

:17:19. > :17:24.to Professor John Curtice, Professor of politics at the University of

:17:25. > :17:29.Strathclyde. And the polling has been indicating that if Theresa May

:17:30. > :17:33.was to call an early election, it would favour. There is no doubt that

:17:34. > :17:37.the Conservatives are in a strong position in the opinion polls. If

:17:38. > :17:41.you take the average done by all the companies recently, the

:17:42. > :17:45.Conservatives are standing at 42% and Labour at 27%. Clearly, that

:17:46. > :17:49.would be enough to give Theresa May a substantial majority. However, two

:17:50. > :17:54.words of caution in order. The first, we have to in mind that it is

:17:55. > :17:57.quite difficult these days for either party to actually win a

:17:58. > :18:02.landslide in the House of Commons because not only is Northern Ireland

:18:03. > :18:06.now out of the UK wide political picture, but also is Scotland and I

:18:07. > :18:10.would be surprised if the SNP does not hang onto most of the seats

:18:11. > :18:13.north of the border. Secondly, although the Labour Party are in a

:18:14. > :18:19.dire position in the opinion polls, a lot of the seats they have are

:18:20. > :18:22.safer. And the truth is that if the opinion polls narrowed during the

:18:23. > :18:28.course of this campaign, and we should bear in mind that Theresa May

:18:29. > :18:32.is very much going for a vote Conservative for my vision of

:18:33. > :18:36.Brexit, which should make some conservative voters unhappy, but if

:18:37. > :18:39.the lead narrows we could discover that she is back with a smaller

:18:40. > :18:44.majority than perhaps she was hoping for this morning. Would this

:18:45. > :18:49.election effectively become another referendum on Brexit? Certainly that

:18:50. > :18:54.is the way she seems to be pitching it. She is essentially saying that

:18:55. > :19:01.the reason we need to have this is because we need a government that

:19:02. > :19:02.has a clear majority and are committed to the version of Brexit I

:19:03. > :19:05.want, which is a vision that says we will not be in the single market and

:19:06. > :19:09.we will probably not be in the customs union and we will end of

:19:10. > :19:14.freedom of movement. One of the reasons she is hoping that will be a

:19:15. > :19:18.successful pitch is that the Labour Party is at sixes and sevens on its

:19:19. > :19:23.stance on Brexit. There are divisions inside the Conservative

:19:24. > :19:25.Party and we will see how they survive the general election but the

:19:26. > :19:28.truth is that the opposition is probably even more divided on this

:19:29. > :19:32.subject and she is probably banking that as long as it remains the

:19:33. > :19:40.central issue, the Labour Party will not be capable of fighting -- and

:19:41. > :19:45.effective alternative position. Do we have to look at how different

:19:46. > :19:50.constituencies voted in the referendum in order to get a better

:19:51. > :19:55.prediction of the outcome? If you look at the by-election in Richmond

:19:56. > :20:00.that Zac Goldsmith lost, it came down to the fact that constituents

:20:01. > :20:04.there were in favour of Remain. That is true but there are not many

:20:05. > :20:11.constituencies with a historic Liberal Democrat vote and a clear

:20:12. > :20:14.Remain vote. That will be one of the considerations but certainly what

:20:15. > :20:19.lies behind Theresa May's 42% is a coalition. Around two thirds of that

:20:20. > :20:23.vote is a leave vote and probably people who are happy with her vision

:20:24. > :20:28.of Brexit. One third of it is a Remain vote and the question is, how

:20:29. > :20:31.much of that is willing to say, well, look, I was not actually that

:20:32. > :20:38.keen on the European Union in the first place and I am happy to stick

:20:39. > :20:41.with the Tories' plan. Theresa May is hoping that a lot of those

:20:42. > :20:46.conservative remain voters were reluctant voters and will be hoping

:20:47. > :20:49.to stick with her. It will be interesting to see how voters feel

:20:50. > :20:53.about going back to the polls so soon. And indeed it is certainly one

:20:54. > :20:56.of the things that will be thrown at the Prime Minister, the fact that

:20:57. > :20:59.she has said strongly during the course of the last nine months or so

:21:00. > :21:04.that she did not think they should be a general election. She did not

:21:05. > :21:10.want to hold one. And this, in a sense, can be regarded as her first

:21:11. > :21:13.major U-turn of her premiership. But we should not exaggerate the extent

:21:14. > :21:20.to which voters had concerned about issues of process. In the end,

:21:21. > :21:24.perhaps, she will be able to get away. Certainly, we can anticipate

:21:25. > :21:27.in that debate that will take place in the Commons tomorrow, that will

:21:28. > :21:34.be thrown at her pretty rigorously, I expect. Stay with us, John

:21:35. > :21:39.Curtice, because we would like to be able to keep on talking to you as we

:21:40. > :21:43.continue to digest this breaking news that the Fry Minister is going

:21:44. > :21:51.to be calling an election on the 8th of June. In order to get to that

:21:52. > :21:55.point, she needs a majority of two thirds of MPs in the Commons in

:21:56. > :22:01.order for the six term Parliament act to be overwritten. That would

:22:02. > :22:05.have meant the next election being in 2020. Until now, Theresa May had

:22:06. > :22:08.said she had no intention of calling an election prior to that but in the

:22:09. > :22:12.last five minutes in Downing Street, she has said that recently and

:22:13. > :22:15.reluctantly she has come to the conclusion that the only way to

:22:16. > :22:21.guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead and for her to

:22:22. > :22:24.see through Brexit is for her to call an election. We have had

:22:25. > :22:26.reaction from the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, on

:22:27. > :22:55.Twitter. He said: Adverse reaction from one of the

:22:56. > :22:58.political parties. -- the first reaction. Our Political

:22:59. > :23:05.Correspondent, Vicki Young, is in Westminster with a Liberal Democrat.

:23:06. > :23:08.Westminster likes nothing more than speculation but we now know that

:23:09. > :23:12.Theresa May is wanting another general election on June eight. As

:23:13. > :23:16.you say, she has to get a vote through Parliament first. Let's find

:23:17. > :23:19.out from Liberal Democrats and Conservative MPs about what they

:23:20. > :23:26.think. Alistair Carmichael from the Liberal Democrats, will you vote for

:23:27. > :23:30.a general election? We're up for the fight. If that is when it is going

:23:31. > :23:33.to be, this is a tremendous opportunity for the Liberal

:23:34. > :23:36.Democrats. We are now the only party in British politics is putting the

:23:37. > :23:41.positive case for Britain at the heart of Europe. This is an

:23:42. > :23:45.opportunity for people who are not happy with Theresa May's hard Brexit

:23:46. > :23:52.taking us out of the single market and away from the customs union to

:23:53. > :23:54.make their views known. The way to do that is by giving your vote to

:23:55. > :23:57.the Liberal Democrats. Theresa May has made this sound like it will be

:23:58. > :24:03.able to buy Brexit. That is part of the reason why she has Jewish mind,

:24:04. > :24:05.because parties like yours wants to grind down parliamentary business

:24:06. > :24:11.and reverse the will of the British people. If you want to see Britain

:24:12. > :24:22.remain in the single market, in the currency union, if you reject the

:24:23. > :24:27.idea of a hard Brexit, just nine Liberal Democrat MPs are able to

:24:28. > :24:30.make white hard for her, just imagine what we could do if we got

:24:31. > :24:36.back to the strength we had before 2015. How confident are you of

:24:37. > :24:42.making games? We had a very difficult time in 2015, that is well

:24:43. > :24:47.known. People see the difference that the Liberal Democrats have made

:24:48. > :24:50.within a coalition government. They can see what majority government has

:24:51. > :25:00.been like with the Conservatives and it is not a pretty sight. It is not

:25:01. > :25:03.a good time to be poor or young or lacking opportunities in this

:25:04. > :25:10.country. You get no help from a majority Conservative government.

:25:11. > :25:14.But as Theresa May once, and this becomes an election about Brexit,

:25:15. > :25:18.Theresa May has said that she wants a hard Brexit. The Labour Party has

:25:19. > :25:25.said they will not stand in the way of that. The SNP cannot take any

:25:26. > :25:29.more than one seat from the Conservatives. The only people who

:25:30. > :25:32.can make a difference, if you want to see Britain remain engaged with

:25:33. > :25:53.the European Union, are the Liberal Democrats. Are you surprised by this

:25:54. > :25:54.decision, Iain Duncan Smith? Theresa May said she did not want an early

:25:55. > :25:54.election. Everyone will be surprised because the Prime Minister always

:25:55. > :25:55.keep things quiet until she announces it. I think she has come

:25:56. > :25:56.up with something very focused and clear. She has strong leadership. I

:25:57. > :26:02.think she is right that at the moment we have a government that was

:26:03. > :26:06.elected before the referendum, which means that right now we have a

:26:07. > :26:11.problem. Because in the Lords there has been talk about delaying and

:26:12. > :26:15.blocking this, making it difficult to get through. She is right to

:26:16. > :26:18.clear the air, to come back and say, right, the British people want us to

:26:19. > :26:21.get on with this and negotiate properly in Europe. That is the

:26:22. > :26:27.right thing to do from a position of strength. But there is a riskier,

:26:28. > :26:32.because just only half of the people who voted wanted to leave the EU. If

:26:33. > :26:36.she makes this about Brexit, is there not a risk? It is not about

:26:37. > :26:39.Brexit, it is about electing a government with a strong mandate to

:26:40. > :26:43.carry on the normal domestic business. The key thing about all of

:26:44. > :26:46.this, the reason for the general election is that right now there is

:26:47. > :26:52.a disproportionate state in the House of Lords which has a chance to

:26:53. > :26:56.vote on this. We have 100 members of the House of Lords who are liberal

:26:57. > :26:59.peers but only nine members of the House of Commons. I think resetting

:27:00. > :27:04.that balance and making it very clear that you have a mandate in the

:27:05. > :27:07.Commons, Theresa May and the government, for them to get on and

:27:08. > :27:11.run this, so that we have a strong and stable government over the next

:27:12. > :27:16.five years, able to do Brexit but also strong enough to do good

:27:17. > :27:20.domestic legislation. But before that, the real reason is that Labour

:27:21. > :27:24.are calling 20 points behind the Tories and Jeremy Corbyn's

:27:25. > :27:28.leadership is in trouble. Theresa May looked at that and realise she

:27:29. > :27:32.could make a lot of games. That is a secondary issue. The reality is that

:27:33. > :27:37.she feels strongly that she needs that mandate. The Labour Party has

:27:38. > :27:40.its own particular problems and I suspect there will be a number of

:27:41. > :27:43.Labour MPs who want to see this general election for internal

:27:44. > :27:47.reasons. But the reality is that this is a bold, strong, serious

:27:48. > :27:52.decision made by somebody who has complete confidence in their

:27:53. > :27:56.leadership. The public, as they have shown in the personal polls,

:27:57. > :28:00.generally feel like she is the right person. Her personal ratings are

:28:01. > :28:04.high? Ian says this is the reason but there is no such thing. We have

:28:05. > :28:07.heard an excuse. House of Lords did not stand in the way of the

:28:08. > :28:11.government when it came to triggering Article 50. She got what

:28:12. > :28:15.she wanted through that, albeit that even that limited provision had to

:28:16. > :28:20.be brought kicking and screaming from her as the result of a court

:28:21. > :28:23.case. It is opportunistic. She is doing something now that she said

:28:24. > :28:30.categorically she was not going to do. This is how she has operated

:28:31. > :28:34.since day one. She is trying to run this country not in national

:28:35. > :28:39.interests but from the narrow party advantage of the Conservatives. This

:28:40. > :28:42.is just the most recent example. It is utterly opportunistic but I tell

:28:43. > :28:47.you, it is an opportunity for the Liberal Democrats and we will not

:28:48. > :28:51.pass it up. But for you, you may well make some gains but if she's

:28:52. > :28:56.heading for a landslide, what can you get out of it? The only way to

:28:57. > :28:58.stop a Conservative landslide, and we have to be careful about

:28:59. > :29:05.predicting the future of politics, but the only way to stand in the way

:29:06. > :29:10.of a Conservative landslide is the Liberal Democrats taking back the

:29:11. > :29:14.seats that we lost to them in 2015. That is happening week in and week

:29:15. > :29:17.out in Council by-election is up and down the country. You will see that

:29:18. > :29:23.happen again, I believe, come general election. But there will be

:29:24. > :29:26.Conservatives on the surplus of them and who will not be chuffed by that

:29:27. > :29:29.announcement. They will feel that they might lose out to the Liberal

:29:30. > :29:35.Democrats but Theresa May, you presume, we'll look at the weakness

:29:36. > :29:42.of Labour. I think most importantly, she personally is wanting a mandate

:29:43. > :29:48.to be the Prime Minister elected by the British people. It is reasonable

:29:49. > :29:50.to want that. She feels it is important, with the most important

:29:51. > :30:00.negotiations to have been conducted in 50 years, to mandate to do that

:30:01. > :30:04.with strength. And the 30 area, they need our government that can get

:30:05. > :30:07.that legislation through. -- and the third area. If you had this

:30:08. > :30:11.together, it is a sensible decision. My instinct is that there will not

:30:12. > :30:15.be a single Conservative MP that says they are unhappy about this.

:30:16. > :30:18.Everyone of them wants to get this done so that we can come back here

:30:19. > :30:22.and say, hopefully, if we get elected because we take that for

:30:23. > :30:28.granted, if we come back elected, then we can get onto business and

:30:29. > :30:31.stop the nonsense of saying we do not have a mandate. The Liberals

:30:32. > :30:36.have used this argument, you were not elected as Prime Minister, well,

:30:37. > :30:40.let's call their bluff and put this on the table and say, now here is a

:30:41. > :30:42.chance for all of you to go out and fight the election and let the

:30:43. > :30:44.British people decide who they want to leave them and where they want

:30:45. > :30:54.the leader to take them. If this was about Theresa May having

:30:55. > :31:00.a mandate of her own, the time that this would have been in July last

:31:01. > :31:05.year. At that time she said categorically she would not do it.

:31:06. > :31:10.What you see now is the temptation of the polling had become too much

:31:11. > :31:14.for her. She needs to be cautious. It seems to me there is a lot of

:31:15. > :31:18.complacency and a measure of arrogance in this announcement. They

:31:19. > :31:27.are taking the voters for granted already. The way you

:31:28. > :31:31.by giving your vote to the Liberal Democrats. I do not think she is

:31:32. > :31:35.taking them for granted. You do not take an electric granted by going

:31:36. > :31:40.back and asking them, can you decide he want to govern and how strong you

:31:41. > :31:47.on that government to be? That is what she is asking for. You want a

:31:48. > :31:53.general election and Theresa May has said we need to clear the air and

:31:54. > :32:01.get it clear mandate. Maybe the party that does not want the

:32:02. > :32:06.election are not in this interview. Let's get those battle buses ready.

:32:07. > :32:10.Thank you. We still have not heard from Labour. As soon there is a

:32:11. > :32:16.reaction from Jeremy Corbyn, we will bring it to you. You can get in

:32:17. > :32:22.touch with me by twitter if you want to let me know what you think. Carl

:32:23. > :32:28.Gothard has said, it is brilliant, a really good call. A referendum last

:32:29. > :32:32.year and now we are heading for another general election on the 8th

:32:33. > :32:35.of June. Let's just remind ourselves of the moment that Theresa May make

:32:36. > :32:41.the dramatic announcement in Downing Street little while ago. I have just

:32:42. > :32:44.chaired a meeting of the Cabinet where we agreed the Government

:32:45. > :32:50.should call a general election, to be held on the 8th of June. I want

:32:51. > :32:55.to explain the reasons for that decision. What will happen next and

:32:56. > :33:03.the choice facing the British people when you come to vote in this

:33:04. > :33:07.election. Last summer, after the country voted to leave the European

:33:08. > :33:14.Union, Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership.

:33:15. > :33:19.Since I became Prime Minister, the Government has delivered precisely

:33:20. > :33:25.that will stop despite predictions of immediate, financial and economic

:33:26. > :33:30.danger, since the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain

:33:31. > :33:35.high, record numbers of jobs and economic growth that has exceeded

:33:36. > :33:41.all expectations. We have also delivered on the mandate we were

:33:42. > :33:44.handed by the referendum result will stop Britain is leaving the European

:33:45. > :33:52.Union and that can be no turning back. As we look to the future, the

:33:53. > :33:58.Government has the right plan for negotiating our new relationship

:33:59. > :34:03.with Europe. We want a deep and special partnership between a strong

:34:04. > :34:09.and successful European Union and the United Kingdom that is free to

:34:10. > :34:14.chart its own way in the world. That means we will regain control of our

:34:15. > :34:19.own money, our own laws and our own borders and we will be free to

:34:20. > :34:24.strike trade deals with old friends and new partners all around the

:34:25. > :34:31.world. This is the right approach and it is in the national interest.

:34:32. > :34:37.But the other political parties oppose it. At this moment of

:34:38. > :34:43.enormous, National significance, there should be unity here in

:34:44. > :34:49.Westminster. Instead, there is division. The country is coming

:34:50. > :34:53.together but Westminster is not. In recent weeks, Labour has threatened

:34:54. > :34:58.to vote against the final agreement we reach with the European Union.

:34:59. > :35:03.The Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business of

:35:04. > :35:07.government to a standstill. The Scottish National Party says it will

:35:08. > :35:11.vote against the legislation up formally repealed Britain's

:35:12. > :35:14.membership of the European Union and unelected members of the House of

:35:15. > :35:21.Lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way. Our opponents

:35:22. > :35:26.believe, because the Government majority is so small, our resolve

:35:27. > :35:33.will weaken and they can force us to change course. They are wrong. They

:35:34. > :35:38.underestimate our determination to get the job done. I am not prepared

:35:39. > :35:43.to let them endanger the security of millions of working people across

:35:44. > :35:51.the country. What they are doing jeopardised as the work we must do

:35:52. > :35:56.to prepare for Brexit at home and it weakens the Government's negotiating

:35:57. > :36:01.position in Europe. If we do not hold a general election now, their

:36:02. > :36:04.political gameplaying will continue and the negotiations with the

:36:05. > :36:11.European Union will reach their most difficult stage in the run-up to the

:36:12. > :36:17.next scheduled election. Division in Westminster will risk our ability to

:36:18. > :36:21.make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and

:36:22. > :36:26.instability to the country. So, we need a general election and we need

:36:27. > :36:32.one now. We have, at this moment, a one-off chance to get this done

:36:33. > :36:37.while the European union agrees its negotiating position and before the

:36:38. > :36:41.detailed talks begin. Theresa May with her announcement that she will

:36:42. > :36:45.be calling a general election for the 8th of June. That announcement

:36:46. > :36:49.completely unexpected and just in the last half hour. Let's go

:36:50. > :36:53.straight to Norman Smith in Downing Street. Unexpected because she has

:36:54. > :36:57.been questionably diddly about whether she might call a general

:36:58. > :37:03.election and she has said no before. -- repeatedly. She has been very

:37:04. > :37:07.clear about the fact she would serve a full term and would not cut and

:37:08. > :37:11.run full she will face accusations of voting party interests before

:37:12. > :37:15.country and an opportunistic scuttle to the electorate when the polls in

:37:16. > :37:20.her favour. She has decided that is a price worth paying, given that she

:37:21. > :37:26.has a 20 point lead in some of the opinion polls at the weekend. Let's

:37:27. > :37:31.just remember what she has said. On the Andrew Marr programme, Chi was

:37:32. > :37:37.asked about a snap early election. I think what is important, having had

:37:38. > :37:41.the referendum vote, we need a period of stability. There is a

:37:42. > :37:46.challenge ahead in making sure we have made a successor coming out of

:37:47. > :37:51.the European Union. We must focus on that and the other agenda I have for

:37:52. > :37:55.the country as we go forward. We will be continuing the manifesto on

:37:56. > :38:00.which the Conservative government was elected in 2015. I do not think

:38:01. > :38:06.there is a need for an election. I think the next election will be in

:38:07. > :38:13.2020. This is very important. Under current law, the next election will

:38:14. > :38:19.in 2020. Is that absolutely certain that we will not see an election

:38:20. > :38:23.before 2020? I will not be calling a snap election. We need that period

:38:24. > :38:29.of time, that stability, to do with the issues the country is facing and

:38:30. > :38:33.have that election in 2020. I am sure it is the sort of clip the

:38:34. > :38:38.opposition parties will be playing and referring to over and again.

:38:39. > :38:42.Theresa May breaking her word. Reluctantly she said it was in the

:38:43. > :38:48.national interests to go for an early general election. What do you

:38:49. > :38:55.think was the crucial factor that made Mrs May change her mind? In the

:38:56. > :38:58.words of one of my sources, we have had 100% lies for weeks and weeks

:38:59. > :39:04.that there would be no early election. And yet, the logic of

:39:05. > :39:09.holding a poll now was pretty big. Theresa May is about to embark on

:39:10. > :39:15.the negotiations on Brexit. There is just this window, while Europe gets

:39:16. > :39:20.its negotiating strategy together and the French hold their elections

:39:21. > :39:24.ahead of the German poll in the autumn, Theresa May could hold a

:39:25. > :39:29.cost free election before the heavy lifting begins without damaging the

:39:30. > :39:34.British interests, she will hope, and take advantage of this

:39:35. > :39:39.extraordinary polling. We have had problems with polls in the past and

:39:40. > :39:43.no one can deny that. What you getting is incredibly large polling

:39:44. > :39:49.leads. We heard one from YouGov over the weekend, a 21 point lead in that

:39:50. > :39:54.poll. Another similar sized poll from a rival company at the weekend.

:39:55. > :39:59.When the leaves are that big, it points to detention for a big shift.

:40:00. > :40:03.In England, Labour MPs will today be facing the possibility of them

:40:04. > :40:07.losing their jobs in six weeks' time, lots of them. One senior

:40:08. > :40:15.figure in the Labour Party was suggesting we could go down to 180,

:40:16. > :40:18.170, Labour MPs unless something accurate happens based on current

:40:19. > :40:25.trends and what they observe on the doorstep. That is a big and decisive

:40:26. > :40:31.change. That does not mean this is a risk-free option by Theresa May.

:40:32. > :40:35.This is a gamble. She has lied and we will have days of her being

:40:36. > :40:39.accused of lying. That will make the passage of the necessary legislation

:40:40. > :40:47.through parliament authorising a general election more difficult.

:40:48. > :40:52.Some Tories are nervous. In the south-west, some have just got their

:40:53. > :40:55.seats for the first time in 2015 and now face a potentially resurgent

:40:56. > :41:00.Liberal Democrats eating away at their majorities. You have people on

:41:01. > :41:05.the Tory Right who did not really want an early general election as

:41:06. > :41:09.they could see that Theresa May only has a majority of 18 and needs the

:41:10. > :41:16.Unionists onside. They can see they have quite a lot of leveraged over

:41:17. > :41:21.Theresa May. If her majority goes up to 50, 60, they're negotiating power

:41:22. > :41:27.for a clean break from Europe, perhaps a free trade deal for

:41:28. > :41:30.Europe, becomes diminished. There are opponents in her own party who

:41:31. > :41:34.will be loyal in public today. They'll be interested to see what

:41:35. > :41:41.stance opposition parties take on it. There just was a sweet spot that

:41:42. > :41:46.she could use. Thank you very much. The polls have been wrong before but

:41:47. > :41:50.they seem to have given Mrs May a consistent lead for so long it would

:41:51. > :42:01.be extraordinary if they are wrong again. Who knows? Elections,

:42:02. > :42:05.referendums, they are repeatedly a surprise. None of us should take

:42:06. > :42:07.anything for granted. The Liberal Democrats have already said they

:42:08. > :42:11.welcomed the news that there will be a general election in June. Let's go

:42:12. > :42:17.to our chief political correspondent who has reaction from Jeremy Corbyn.

:42:18. > :42:22.In a similar vein, he has said he welcomes the decision by the Prime

:42:23. > :42:25.Minister to give the British people are chance to put the interests of

:42:26. > :42:29.the majority first. He says Labour will be offering the country and

:42:30. > :42:34.effective alternative to a government that has fell to rebuild

:42:35. > :42:38.the economy, delivered falling living standards, damaged schools

:42:39. > :42:40.and the NHS. He says Labour has set up policies offering a clear and

:42:41. > :42:44.credible choice to the country and he says he looks forward to showing

:42:45. > :42:49.how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain. They will be

:42:50. > :42:54.voting with Theresa May tomorrow. That is the vote that will get heard

:42:55. > :42:58.that election on June eight, as she once. I spoke to senior Labour

:42:59. > :43:02.figures a few weeks ago about speculation on an election and they

:43:03. > :43:07.said, yes, they are ready for that fight. They believe if Jeremy Corbyn

:43:08. > :43:11.gets the publicity, they think he can win people over. As you say, the

:43:12. > :43:16.polls have not suggested that. You'll be a huge test for him.

:43:17. > :43:22.Someone who has been a backbench MP for most of his long career. This

:43:23. > :43:25.will be on a completely different scale to anything he has done

:43:26. > :43:30.before. The glare of the media on him relentlessly for several weeks.

:43:31. > :43:36.Supporters say he will win people over. The more people see him, the

:43:37. > :43:47.more they will like him. He has a huge task. If you look at the last

:43:48. > :43:48.general election, under Ed Miliband, that was a terrible result for

:43:49. > :43:53.Labour. They will have to try to claw their way back from that. A big

:43:54. > :43:58.task for Jeremy Corbyn. Thank you very much. Just hearing from Paul

:43:59. > :44:03.Nuttall from Ukip on twitter. Every vote will be reminded to the Prime

:44:04. > :44:07.Minister that the British people want a clean Brexit with restored

:44:08. > :44:12.borders. We are also hearing from Kezia Dugdale. This country faces a

:44:13. > :44:17.significant and historic choice as we approach the UK leaving the EU

:44:18. > :44:19.will stop at the last election in 2015, we said it will be a clear

:44:20. > :44:24.choice between a destructive Tory Party and a better future with

:44:25. > :44:28.Labour. At this election the choice will be clear. The Tory Party intent

:44:29. > :44:31.on hard and damaging Brexit or a Labour Party that will oppose a

:44:32. > :44:37.second Independence referendum and fight for a better future for

:44:38. > :44:42.everyone. Let's go to our Scotland correspondent. Is there any word yet

:44:43. > :44:52.from Nicola Sturgeon? Nicola Sturgeon watched the Prime

:44:53. > :44:56.Minister's statement at her official residence in Edinburgh but she has

:44:57. > :45:02.not formally responded to it. The SNP has had their best ever general

:45:03. > :45:07.election result in 2015. They won 56 of the 59 available seats in

:45:08. > :45:12.Scotland. In those circumstances, I am not sure they would relish the

:45:13. > :45:16.possibility, the potential, for an early election and certainly their

:45:17. > :45:21.political opponents think they could make gains in these circumstances.

:45:22. > :45:26.The SNP do want a vote of a different kind in the next 18 months

:45:27. > :45:30.to two years, another referendum on Scottish independence. They have

:45:31. > :45:34.requested formally from the UK Government the power to hold that.

:45:35. > :45:39.The Prime Minister's response has been now is not the time. I think

:45:40. > :45:44.there will be some focus on that phrase from the SNP in their

:45:45. > :45:50.responses. The party ) a pity leader has said, whatever happened to now

:45:51. > :45:59.is not the time. If now is not the time for an independence referendum,

:46:00. > :46:02.the SNP will question why now is the time for a general election. Already

:46:03. > :46:04.Mr Robertson framing the contest in Scotland as a straight choice

:46:05. > :46:08.between the SNP and the Conservatives. On the opinion polls,

:46:09. > :46:10.the SNP remains the first place party in Scotland with the

:46:11. > :46:17.Conservatives in second and Labour in third. The Conservative leader,

:46:18. > :46:21.Ruth Davidson, has yet to formally respond. She will relish the

:46:22. > :46:25.opportunity, the chance of an early general election in Scotland. You

:46:26. > :46:28.mentioned the Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale, he says the

:46:29. > :46:32.party is ready and has been preparing for a general election.

:46:33. > :46:37.She says that Labour in Scotland. The process of selecting candidates

:46:38. > :46:43.this afternoon. In terms of a countdown, Peter Murrell, the chief

:46:44. > :46:45.Executive of the SNP the husband of the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon,

:46:46. > :46:50.has tweeted saying the polls open in 50 days and hours.

:46:51. > :46:55.Thank you very much. We're right back in it, to make years after the

:46:56. > :46:59.last general election, headed for another one. So what do you think?

:47:00. > :47:12.If you want to get in touch on Twitter, @bbcjoannag. Anders says,

:47:13. > :47:20.it makes sense to me. The Lib Dem search is less, and Labour are

:47:21. > :47:23.weakened. Another viewer says, the Conservatives want to rid Parliament

:47:24. > :47:26.of opposition. Anna says, completely unnecessary, we voted to make years

:47:27. > :47:30.ago and Theresa May was part of that. Sick of voting and a waste of

:47:31. > :47:36.time and money. Aidan Fletcher says, we can possibly predict the outcome

:47:37. > :47:41.of the election. The PM has the upper hand but it is a risky call.

:47:42. > :47:44.Let's bring in Professor John Curtis, Professor of politics at the

:47:45. > :47:50.University of Strathclyde. How risky is this because the Tories are well

:47:51. > :47:53.ahead in the polls. In a sense, the risk for the bright minister is that

:47:54. > :47:58.because the party starts so far ahead in the polls, the truth is

:47:59. > :48:03.that unless the Conservatives emerge with at least a majority of 100 in

:48:04. > :48:08.the House of Commons, the election will be regarded as something of a

:48:09. > :48:11.failure. And to that extent, the Prime Minister is going into this

:48:12. > :48:15.election with very high expectations of success. Maybe she will succeed,

:48:16. > :48:21.but just to repeat the warning we made earlier, if the lead goes down

:48:22. > :48:27.to some degree, so that maybe it is around eight, nine, ten points, well

:48:28. > :48:30.actually, given that a 7-point lead to make years ago only got the

:48:31. > :48:35.Tories a majority of 12 or so, then actually the Tory majority in the

:48:36. > :48:42.new House of Commons may not be that big. Insofar as Theresa May has been

:48:43. > :48:46.trying to bolster her authority, in particular are trying to ensure that

:48:47. > :48:49.her backbenchers cannot make life difficult for the opposition

:48:50. > :48:56.parties, she now needs to win big, and in a sense the only question

:48:57. > :48:59.about the general election is do they win big or do the polls

:49:00. > :49:05.narrowed during the course of the next 50 days or so? So yes, she is

:49:06. > :49:08.taking a fair gamble because she is wanting to win big. She is not just

:49:09. > :49:15.wanting to win. And suddenly it throws out the possibility to voters

:49:16. > :49:20.of potentially overturning Brexit. Without a general election, the have

:49:21. > :49:25.no chance of that happening. That is certainly true. The only party that

:49:26. > :49:28.will be campaigning, as far as we know, exquisitely for a second

:49:29. > :49:32.referendum, are the Liberal Democrats. I guess it is not

:49:33. > :49:35.surprising that Tim Farron was pretty sharp off the mark in

:49:36. > :49:43.welcoming this announcement because he probably reckons that given

:49:44. > :49:48.Theresa May is making Brexit, her vision of Brexit, the central issue

:49:49. > :49:52.of this issue, and the Lib Dems are united in being opposed to that

:49:53. > :49:56.vision, and most of them want a second referendum, he is hoping that

:49:57. > :50:02.maybe he will succeed in appealing to at least a quarter of the

:50:03. > :50:06.electorate who sometimes are Labour voters and would like to see the

:50:07. > :50:13.Brexit decision provoked. Given the only has nine MPs to start with, any

:50:14. > :50:17.movement in that will be welcomed. The crucial question is the extent

:50:18. > :50:21.to which Jeremy Corbyn is able to unite his party on Brexit and more

:50:22. > :50:24.generally on the issue of his leadership. The most important thing

:50:25. > :50:29.has happened in the last half an hour, Jeremy Corbyn's announcement

:50:30. > :50:32.that he welcomes the announcement and Labour are meant to be voting in

:50:33. > :50:36.favour of the motion when it comes to the House of Commons tomorrow.

:50:37. > :50:41.The question we will now be asking is does he succeed in taking all

:50:42. > :50:45.Labour MPs with him or does this general election campaign start with

:50:46. > :50:48.yet another division inside the Labour Party? Because one suspect

:50:49. > :50:53.there are some Labour MPs who are perhaps unhappy about the prospect

:50:54. > :50:57.of fighting a general election under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and so

:50:58. > :51:00.therefore they will vote against it. I can tell you that there is one who

:51:01. > :51:03.has come out and said that he will be voting against the snap general

:51:04. > :51:09.election and that is the chest and MP, Chris Matheson. His majority is

:51:10. > :51:14.just 93, the most marginal Labour seat in the country. He says he will

:51:15. > :51:20.vote against the snap general election but as John Curtice

:51:21. > :51:25.indicates, which Jeremy Corbyn saying the Labour Party welcomes the

:51:26. > :51:28.announcement by the Prime Minister that she will be holding a general

:51:29. > :51:31.election in June, it will almost certainly go ahead. In order for it

:51:32. > :51:34.to go ahead, the Prime Minister needs to get it through the Commons

:51:35. > :51:38.with a two thirds majority of MPs because David Cameron introduced a

:51:39. > :51:42.fixed term Parliament act which meant that Parliament would last for

:51:43. > :51:46.a fixed term of five years, which would mean that the next election

:51:47. > :51:52.was not until 2020. But instead, that can now be overridden by a

:51:53. > :51:58.majority vote in the Commons. And it looks like that will be happening.

:51:59. > :52:00.So we are on course for Junior. More reaction from Fraser Nelson, the

:52:01. > :52:06.editor of the Spectator. Were you surprised? Yes, absolutely. For a

:52:07. > :52:10.long time people have said that perhaps Theresa May would have an

:52:11. > :52:13.early general election, but we thought she wouldn't for three

:52:14. > :52:18.reasons. One was a boundary review that would give the Tories more

:52:19. > :52:23.seats. The other was that if you look at the Labour Party, they do

:52:24. > :52:29.not need to have one right now. But most of all, she said she wouldn't.

:52:30. > :52:33.Four or five times she had pledged not to have if snap election. To

:52:34. > :52:37.break her words in spectacular fashion is not a good look. Also

:52:38. > :52:41.remember the great risk is that this election campaign could be a rerun

:52:42. > :52:45.of the EU referendum campaign. The liberal Democrats will be delighted.

:52:46. > :52:49.This is the best news they have had for a long time. So the risk is that

:52:50. > :52:53.Labour will get a lot more votes and the Lib Dems will get a lot more

:52:54. > :52:58.votes because people who want to have Britain stay in the EU will see

:52:59. > :53:02.this as a chance to stop it. And then the two tribes we saw dividing

:53:03. > :53:08.Britain last year will form again and make life more difficult for the

:53:09. > :53:11.Tories than if Theresa May had waited until 2020. Theresa May was

:53:12. > :53:16.throwing down the gauntlet to Jeremy Corbyn saying that he had said he

:53:17. > :53:22.would vote against any deal on Brexit, if the terms were not

:53:23. > :53:29.completely matching what the UK currently has inside the EU. It will

:53:30. > :53:32.be, RBC, and we have heard that Jeremy Corbyn is welcoming the

:53:33. > :53:36.election but it is interesting to see how they play it. It is very

:53:37. > :53:42.difficult for Jeremy Corbyn, who has an ambivalent decision on Brexit. He

:53:43. > :53:46.was fundamentally a Remainer. If he was, he would get a lot more votes

:53:47. > :53:51.than he is getting now. A lot of the voters he needs to get back voted

:53:52. > :53:55.for Brexit. Yes, Theresa May is right that Labour is in a difficult

:53:56. > :53:58.position. Although the pretext of this was that he would thwart

:53:59. > :54:02.Brexit, that does not really hold up. She managed to get the Brexit

:54:03. > :54:07.legislation through the Commons pretty easily. There is not a

:54:08. > :54:10.practical reason for the selection rather than the party political

:54:11. > :54:15.advantage of the Conservative Party. Voters will sense that. This is the

:54:16. > :54:18.other risk Theresa May is taking. She's been telling Scotland that you

:54:19. > :54:22.could not have another referendum because we had a vote a few years

:54:23. > :54:26.ago. Well, you she is putting through a general election vote

:54:27. > :54:29.against on Word and in a way that is not really necessary. That is really

:54:30. > :54:33.the strange thing. Why do she have to have an right now. The reason she

:54:34. > :54:37.gave this morning was not particularly convincing. On that,

:54:38. > :54:44.she says that she has only recently and reluctantly come to the

:54:45. > :54:48.conclusion. She says it is the only way to guarantee certainty and

:54:49. > :54:53.stability in the years ahead. She said that the opposition was

:54:54. > :54:59.weakening Britain's and in the negotiations by the stands. It does

:55:00. > :55:03.not stand up to scrutiny at all. If she had had the Article 50 wrote to

:55:04. > :55:07.trigger Brexit thwarted in the House of Commons or the House of Lords,

:55:08. > :55:10.then she would have been able to say, OK, let's have a general

:55:11. > :55:15.election so I can make sure the will of the people is enacted, but as it

:55:16. > :55:20.stands she won victory after victory on that relatively easily. I don't

:55:21. > :55:24.think that she or anybody else could really points to this great big

:55:25. > :55:26.obstacle in the House of Commons that is stopping Brexit. Those

:55:27. > :55:30.battles have been fought and she was winning them. This election is to

:55:31. > :55:36.make sure the Tories get a majority of about 100 when the Labour Party

:55:37. > :55:39.looks to be at its weakest point. Thank you very much, Fraser Nelson.

:55:40. > :55:45.We have a tweet from Scotland's First Minister. The Tories see a

:55:46. > :55:49.chance to move the UK to the right, forced through a hard Brexit and

:55:50. > :55:59.impose deeper cuts. Let stand up for Scotland. #GE17. That is a hashtag

:56:00. > :56:03.we're going to be getting used to because we have six weeks until the

:56:04. > :56:09.next general election into my dears --, two years since the last one.

:56:10. > :56:16.Downing Street this morning confirming the news. Just have an

:56:17. > :56:20.hour before the statement, there was absolutely no indication for the

:56:21. > :56:24.statement could be. We knew it would be dramatic and in the event, it

:56:25. > :56:28.was. We will be having a general election on the 8th of June. Let's

:56:29. > :56:32.bring in Ben Thomson with reaction from the markets. What are they

:56:33. > :56:34.doing? That they do the numbers because it is interesting. If we

:56:35. > :56:40.look at that regulation before the announcement, there was a big

:56:41. > :56:45.sell-off in the pound and that has now bounced back. That is off the

:56:46. > :56:51.table. The FTSE 100 is currently down by 1.5%. It is a two month low.

:56:52. > :56:56.We should not expect much reaction, apart from this region are -- knee

:56:57. > :57:02.jerk reaction, until the vote on June. Unless, and it is a big

:57:03. > :57:06.caveat, unless the polls suggest that there is weakening support for

:57:07. > :57:11.the Conservatives. This is interesting though because there is

:57:12. > :57:14.lot more uncertainty. There is a vote in France and now in the UK and

:57:15. > :57:18.the markets do not like uncertainty. That is what we have got in bucket

:57:19. > :57:23.loads now. As you would expect, we're getting reaction from big city

:57:24. > :57:27.institutions, and some of that is coming into me now. One suggesting

:57:28. > :57:30.this is just the Prime Minister wanting full control of the Brexit

:57:31. > :57:36.process. They say this allows her to do that without interference.

:57:37. > :57:41.Another one saying that this would hand her a strong mandate to stand

:57:42. > :57:46.up to hardline anti-backbenchers. They say that would be welcomed by

:57:47. > :57:49.the financial markets. So clearly at this point some uncertainty as to

:57:50. > :57:56.what investors think happens next. Some suggesting that if we see that

:57:57. > :57:58.support continue for the Conservative Party, there will not

:57:59. > :58:02.be a huge change to the markets. Maybe the Prime Minister will have a

:58:03. > :58:10.bit more power than going into the process as far as Brexit is

:58:11. > :58:12.concerned. When she made the announcement, she outlined the

:58:13. > :58:16.current economic position of the UK and talked about the strong

:58:17. > :58:19.fundamentals, much stronger fundamentals that had been predicted

:58:20. > :58:23.in the run-up to the referendum, in the event of a vote for Brexit. Of

:58:24. > :58:26.course Brexit had not actually happened. Yes, and we should

:58:27. > :58:31.remember that the divorce the seedings are underway, but we have

:58:32. > :58:35.not left. Therefore there are all sorts of forecasts about what could

:58:36. > :58:41.happen to the UK economy if we left. Wild claims on both sides. I think

:58:42. > :58:44.it is fair to say that a lot of those are not come true. Some of the

:58:45. > :58:49.most pessimistic predictions about what would happen to the economy, we

:58:50. > :58:53.have approached these negotiations in a pretty robust financial health.

:58:54. > :58:55.That will change the way that we approach the negotiations about the

:58:56. > :59:01.relationship that we may have with the UK after we leave the European

:59:02. > :59:05.Union. As we heard they are from the city, a statement saying that we

:59:06. > :59:08.should give the prime Minster a stronger mandate, so that maybe she

:59:09. > :59:12.can fend off some of the criticism. This gives her a stronger position

:59:13. > :59:21.from which to negotiate. I think we would expect the market reaction

:59:22. > :59:29.around the June vote, or if, or if -- or if the support for the Tories

:59:30. > :59:39.drops. Let's go back to normal Smith for more reaction. A huge moment and

:59:40. > :59:42.it was all a surprise. Particularly since Theresa May had repeatedly

:59:43. > :59:45.suggested that you would not cut and run. She said today that reluctantly

:59:46. > :59:51.and recently she had changed her mind that an early election was not

:59:52. > :59:56.in the national interest to provide certainty and stability in the

:59:57. > :59:59.run-up to the Brexit referendum. Her claim that the opposition parties

:00:00. > :00:05.were providing disunity and endangering the prospects of

:00:06. > :00:10.millions of people ahead of Brexit. I have just chaired a meeting of the

:00:11. > :00:14.Cabinet or we agreed that the government should call a general

:00:15. > :00:17.election to be held on the 8th of June.

:00:18. > :00:19.The shock announcement was made just an hour ago.

:00:20. > :00:21.Britain will go to the polls in seven weeks.

:00:22. > :00:25.It comes just after the firing gun was triggered for Brexit.

:00:26. > :00:29.At this moment of enormous national significance,

:00:30. > :00:32.there should be unity here in Westminster.

:00:33. > :00:36.But instead there is division. The country is coming together

:00:37. > :00:48.The Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, welcomed the move, saying it give

:00:49. > :00:50.the British people the chance to vote for a government that

:00:51. > :00:55.will put the interests of the majority first.

:00:56. > :01:01.Nicola Sturgeon said she would stand up for Scotland and the

:01:02. > :01:18.Conservatives were planning to force through a hard Brexit.

:01:19. > :01:30.The Prime Minister Theresa May has announced that she is calling

:01:31. > :01:32.for a snap general election on the 8th of June.

:01:33. > :01:34.Mrs May had previously said there would be no

:01:35. > :01:37.election until 2020 but said she had reluctantly

:01:38. > :01:39.come to the conclusion that it was the only way

:01:40. > :01:41.to guarantee certainty and stability to see the country

:01:42. > :01:47.Explaining the decision, Mrs May said:

:01:48. > :01:49."The country is coming together but Westminster is not."

:01:50. > :01:52.However, under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, the Prime Minister

:01:53. > :02:03.must ask the House of Commons to vote for an early election

:02:04. > :02:13.The Labour Party has confirmed that Jeremy Corbyn will vote for that

:02:14. > :02:17.decision. Let's talk to our Assistant

:02:18. > :02:32.Political Editor, Norman Smith, It is there to say she caught

:02:33. > :02:36.everyone unawares. She did. We are heading for the Brexit election.

:02:37. > :02:40.That is how to reason me is pitching it was she decided to drop her

:02:41. > :02:45.previous pledge not to cut and run because she said there is a need to

:02:46. > :02:49.provide certainty and stability ahead of Brexit and strengthen her

:02:50. > :02:53.hand in these negotiations and counter what she sees as an attempt

:02:54. > :02:59.by opposition parties to thwart Brexit, 40 not just Labour, the

:03:00. > :03:03.Liberal Democrats and SNP, but also the House of Lords. She knows

:03:04. > :03:08.opinion polls give her a colossal lead of more than 20 points over

:03:09. > :03:12.Labour and she may well calculate it is never going to get any better for

:03:13. > :03:16.her. Let's have a listen to her statement.

:03:17. > :03:19.I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet where we have agreed

:03:20. > :03:21.the Government should call a general election to be held

:03:22. > :03:27.I want to explain the reasons for that decision.

:03:28. > :03:30.What will happen next, and the choice facing the British

:03:31. > :03:34.people, when you come to vote in this election.

:03:35. > :03:43.Last summer, after the country voted to leave the European Union,

:03:44. > :03:50.Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership

:03:51. > :03:58.Since I became Prime Minister the Government has

:03:59. > :04:04.financial and economic danger, since the referendum we have seen

:04:05. > :04:11.Economic growth that has exceeded all expectations.

:04:12. > :04:13.We have also delivered on the mandate that we were handed

:04:14. > :04:17.Britain is leaving the European Union and there

:04:18. > :04:27.As as we look to the future, the Government has the right

:04:28. > :04:31.plan for negotiating our new relationship with Europe.

:04:32. > :04:44.We want a deep and special partnership between a strong

:04:45. > :04:48.That means we will regain control of our own money, our own laws,

:04:49. > :04:54.We will be free to strike trade deals with old friends

:04:55. > :04:58.and new partners all around the world.

:04:59. > :05:03.This is the right approach and it is in the national interest.

:05:04. > :05:07.But the other political parties oppose it.

:05:08. > :05:10.At this moment of enormous national significance,

:05:11. > :05:14.there should be unity here in Westminster.

:05:15. > :05:23.The country is coming together but Westminster is not.

:05:24. > :05:30.In recent weeks, Labour has threatened to vote

:05:31. > :05:33.The Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business

:05:34. > :05:50.The Scottish National Party said it will vote

:05:51. > :05:52.that formally repealed Britain's should

:05:53. > :05:56.Unelected members of the House of Lords have vowed to fight us

:05:57. > :06:11.Opponents believe our resolve will weaken and they can force

:06:12. > :06:14.They underestimate our determination to get the job done.

:06:15. > :06:16.I am not prepared to let them endanger the security

:06:17. > :06:18.of millions of working people across the country.

:06:19. > :06:21.What they are doing jeopardises the work we must do to prepare

:06:22. > :06:29.And it weakens the Government's negotiating position in Europe.

:06:30. > :06:32.If we do not hold a general election now, their political

:06:33. > :06:39.And the negotiations with the European Union

:06:40. > :06:42.will reach their most difficult stage in the run-up to the next

:06:43. > :06:49.Division in Westminster will risk our ability to make

:06:50. > :06:52.a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty

:06:53. > :07:00.We need a general election and we need one now.

:07:01. > :07:04.We have, at this moment, a one-off chance to get this done

:07:05. > :07:07.while the European Union agrees its negotiating position

:07:08. > :07:18.I have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion.

:07:19. > :07:21.Since I became Prime Minister, I have said there should be no

:07:22. > :07:29.Now I have concluded that the only way to guarantee certainty

:07:30. > :07:32.and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election

:07:33. > :07:37.and seek your support for the decisions I must take.

:07:38. > :07:42.And so tomorrow I will move a motion in the House of Commons,

:07:43. > :07:52.calling for a general election to be held on the 8th of June.

:07:53. > :07:55.That motion, as set out by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act,

:07:56. > :07:58.will require a two thirds majority by the House of Commons.

:07:59. > :08:01.I have a simple challenge to the opposition parties.

:08:02. > :08:02.You have criticised the Government's decision for Brexit,

:08:03. > :08:04.challenged our objectives, threatened to block the legislation

:08:05. > :08:11.This is your moment to show you mean it, show you are not opposing

:08:12. > :08:14.the Government for the sake of it, to show that you do not

:08:15. > :08:20.Let us tomorrow vote for an election.

:08:21. > :08:24.Let us put forward our plans for Brexit and our alternative plans

:08:25. > :08:29.for government and then let the people decide.

:08:30. > :08:34.And the decision facing the country will be all about leadership.

:08:35. > :08:39.It would be a choice between strong and stable leadership

:08:40. > :08:45.in the national interest with me as your Prime Minister,

:08:46. > :08:48.or weak and unstable, coalition government

:08:49. > :08:50.led by Jeremy Corbyn, propped up by the Liberal Democrats,

:08:51. > :08:53.who want to reopen the divisions of the referendum and Nicola

:08:54. > :09:00.Every vote for the Conservatives will make it harder for opposition

:09:01. > :09:04.politicians who want to stop me from getting the job done.

:09:05. > :09:07.Every vote for the Conservatives will make me stronger

:09:08. > :09:09.when I negotiate for Britain with the prime ministers,

:09:10. > :09:12.presidents and chancellors of the European Union.

:09:13. > :09:17.Every vote for the Conservatives will mean that we can stick

:09:18. > :09:20.to our plan for a stronger Britain and take the right long-term

:09:21. > :09:27.It was with reluctance that I decided the country

:09:28. > :09:33.It is with strong conviction that I say it is necessary to secure

:09:34. > :09:36.the strong and stable leadership the country needs to see us

:09:37. > :09:44.So, tomorrow, let the House of Commons vote for an election.

:09:45. > :09:48.Let everybody put forward their proposals for Brexit

:09:49. > :09:51.and their programmes for government and let us remove the risk

:09:52. > :09:57.of uncertainty and instability and continue to give the country

:09:58. > :10:13.the strong and stable leadership it demands.

:10:14. > :10:19.So, Theresa May setting out her reasons for reluctantly changing her

:10:20. > :10:25.mind about going for the snap general election, putting Brexit at

:10:26. > :10:29.the ball front of her thinking. She will also hope that if the polls are

:10:30. > :10:32.right she may be returned with a significantly larger majority, which

:10:33. > :10:37.would hugely strengthen her position in the House of Commons where, at

:10:38. > :10:44.the moment, Mrs May is permanently Barbara Ball two revolts. We saw

:10:45. > :10:49.that, Philip Hammond forced into a humiliating U-turn over national

:10:50. > :10:52.insurance contributions. Mrs May will hope if she can increase her

:10:53. > :11:01.majority she will be bombproof from those sorts of revolts in the

:11:02. > :11:05.future. But, elections are entirely unpredictable. We saw that in the

:11:06. > :11:09.last referendum. You could argue we saw that with Donald Trump. You

:11:10. > :11:15.would hesitate to predict anything on the basis of opinion polls. Given

:11:16. > :11:19.the consistency of the polls, given the fact that Mrs May one that

:11:20. > :11:24.by-election victory in Copeland when she sees what should have been a

:11:25. > :11:31.safe Labour seat, the Prime Minister may well have concluded it will not

:11:32. > :11:35.get any better. Now is as good as it will get. We have heard from Jeremy

:11:36. > :11:42.Corbyn, welcoming the fact there would be an election. As for Labour,

:11:43. > :11:45.what will their stance be? I think it is a tough election for the

:11:46. > :11:52.Labour Party to fight. They will back the election and vote for the

:11:53. > :11:55.election tomorrow went to aid puts it to the House of Commons. It would

:11:56. > :12:01.be impossible commended it anything else. How would they fight it? To

:12:02. > :12:07.reset me wants to fight it as the Brexit election and wants to set

:12:08. > :12:13.herself as the Brexit candidate. She said the country was coming together

:12:14. > :12:16.behind Brexit but it was disunity at Westminster, the opposition of

:12:17. > :12:19.Labour, the SNP and members of the House of Lords who were endangering

:12:20. > :12:26.the livelihoods of millions of people. She is almost positioning

:12:27. > :12:28.herself as the anti-Westminster candidate, the popular, Brexit

:12:29. > :12:33.candidate. That is how she wants to fight the election. The real

:12:34. > :12:38.challenge for Labour is, can they break out of that and pitch it more

:12:39. > :12:42.as an anti-stare at each election? Can they get some of their broader

:12:43. > :12:50.messages over or are they pinned down as reluctant Brexiteers? That

:12:51. > :12:53.is the difficulty for them. That's just read through this statement

:12:54. > :12:57.from Jeremy Corbyn pulled he has welcomed the announcement of a

:12:58. > :13:00.general election and said: I welcome the decision by the Prime Minister

:13:01. > :13:03.to give the British people the chance to vote for a government

:13:04. > :13:07.which will put the interests of the majority first. Labour will be

:13:08. > :13:11.offering the country and effective alternative to a government that has

:13:12. > :13:15.failed to rebuild the economy, delivered failing living standards

:13:16. > :13:20.and delivered cuts to our schools and the NHS. We are hoping to

:13:21. > :13:24.interview a member of the Shadow Cabinet but we have not managed to

:13:25. > :13:34.get anybody yet. We're aiming for that. We have heard members of the

:13:35. > :13:39.Liberal Democrats and the Tory Party on the programme. Still no word on

:13:40. > :13:47.the front bench from the Labour ranks. Let's go to our chief

:13:48. > :13:52.political correspondent who is in Westminster. A big surprise for the

:13:53. > :13:57.hows it going down? A complete surprise. A complete shock. Theresa

:13:58. > :14:01.May coming out today saying she felt forced into it full sub she said

:14:02. > :14:06.opposition parties and MPs would start messing around over Brexit and

:14:07. > :14:11.she wants to get her own personal mandate. That's beak to Crispin

:14:12. > :14:17.Blunt, who is with me now. A bit of a surprise. A huge surprise. A

:14:18. > :14:25.tactical and strategic surprise. I admire the way she has kept

:14:26. > :14:27.confidentiality around this. Everyone is astonished at the

:14:28. > :14:33.decision. No one saw it coming. There is a perfectly sound case for

:14:34. > :14:36.it which she made this morning. In terms of delivering Brexit, to

:14:37. > :14:41.reorientate ourselves, the country took that decision last year. It

:14:42. > :14:46.makes a certain amount of sense to make sure she has got a mandate from

:14:47. > :14:52.the electorate to get it done. Plainly there is an opportunity to

:14:53. > :14:57.so do. You must hope the electorate delivers that in the next few weeks.

:14:58. > :15:02.For those who voted to remain, is a chance for them to try to change the

:15:03. > :15:07.outcome, the direction of the country, as the Liberal Democrats

:15:08. > :15:11.are saying? That will be the pitch from the Lib Dems. Their leader is

:15:12. > :15:18.not particularly convincing. It does not look that the leader is remotely

:15:19. > :15:21.like a Prime Minister and that will be difficult. The country recognises

:15:22. > :15:27.the decision has been taken and what we need to do is get on and deliver

:15:28. > :15:30.it. People are quite admiring of the Prime Minister of how she has

:15:31. > :15:33.conducted the Government over the past nine months for the people who

:15:34. > :15:38.are not obsessed with politics will think she needs authority to get

:15:39. > :15:41.this done. People who are hugely committed to the European ideal and

:15:42. > :15:47.really getting your appear in a way that others do not, they will be

:15:48. > :15:51.attracted by that. That was a tiny minority in the Conservative Party

:15:52. > :15:55.that felt like that. A pretty small minority in the country. The 48%

:15:56. > :16:01.mostly thought, I do not know that it is probably the best decision

:16:02. > :16:05.overall for the country. 52% of people, many believed in Britain

:16:06. > :16:12.taking back its sovereignty. They took that decision. She is in a

:16:13. > :16:15.strong place. She has been accused of political opportunism. She can

:16:16. > :16:21.see where she is in the polls and has decided to put the interests of

:16:22. > :16:29.her and her party about the country. The biggest change in our country's

:16:30. > :16:34.positioning for 40 years. In those terms cashiers serving the national

:16:35. > :16:42.interest by securing her position as Prime Minister. -- she is serving.

:16:43. > :16:45.Do you think she wanted a personal mandate? Nicola Sturgeon has made

:16:46. > :16:50.the point that David Cameron one member general election in 2015. Do

:16:51. > :16:55.you think she wanted to get people to vote for her? I do not think that

:16:56. > :17:02.would have been behind her decision. If you like, it is a fringe benefit.

:17:03. > :17:04.Issue does get the victory she hopes she will on the 8th of June, it

:17:05. > :17:10.would be her victory. For her making the decision, it is about the

:17:11. > :17:14.national interest and plainly the national interests and the interests

:17:15. > :17:18.of the Conservative Party overlap if you are Conservative Prime Minister.

:17:19. > :17:22.Of course they do for the people will see this in terms of a national

:17:23. > :17:25.interest. Having a government behind her with sufficient authority in

:17:26. > :17:31.Parliament to get the difficult process of Brexit delivered.

:17:32. > :17:39.Much indeed. I think the calculation has been that the Brexit stations do

:17:40. > :17:43.not get underway in earnest until the autumn, so this was her last

:17:44. > :17:47.opportunity for that general election. Thank you, Vicki Young. We

:17:48. > :17:53.have other statement through from Donald Tusk, the president of the

:17:54. > :17:58.European Council, on the Bretton negotiations. Saying that the

:17:59. > :18:02.negotiating guidelines will not be affected by the British government's

:18:03. > :18:07.call for an early general election unduly eighth. Let's get some

:18:08. > :18:10.reaction... I should say that we are expecting to hear in the next couple

:18:11. > :18:13.of minutes from Jeremy Corbyn, we are respecting an interview to come

:18:14. > :18:23.in with him. We will bring you that as soon as it comes through. Let's

:18:24. > :18:26.go to John Rentoul, Chief Political

:18:27. > :18:32.what was your reaction to make it is very difficult to see why the Prime

:18:33. > :18:36.Minister, faced with the opportunity of increasing her majority to 100

:18:37. > :18:41.seats, how she could have resisted the pressure to hold an election. I

:18:42. > :18:44.thought she was going to but she took everyone by surprise. It was

:18:45. > :18:47.slightly awkward because she had to blame the opposition parties for

:18:48. > :18:50.causing disunity in Westminster as the reason why she had only

:18:51. > :18:55.reluctantly changed her mind recently. But it is worth that

:18:56. > :18:59.temporary awkwardness, I think, for the prospect of gaining a huge

:19:00. > :19:04.personal mandate for herself in domestic politics and also in her

:19:05. > :19:07.negotiations with Europe. Donald Tusk, as you have just heard, says

:19:08. > :19:12.it does not make any difference but actually it does if Theresa May does

:19:13. > :19:15.win a large majority in the general election. She will then have more

:19:16. > :19:23.authority in negotiations with our European partners. But it is not

:19:24. > :19:27.certain. It is always unpredictable. The polls are saying what they are

:19:28. > :19:29.saying at this stage but it is uncharted territory. Personally, I

:19:30. > :19:33.think the opinion polls flatter the Labour Party at the moment. Theresa

:19:34. > :19:39.May is taking that view, too. The last time Labour went as low as 23%

:19:40. > :19:46.in a national opinion poll was just before the 1983 general election

:19:47. > :19:49.when Margaret Thatcher won 144 seats as her majority. I think Labour are

:19:50. > :19:54.in a better position -- weaker position today than them because the

:19:55. > :19:59.majority of Labour MPs can hardly, with their hands on their heart, go

:20:00. > :20:02.to their constituents and say... I'm so sorry, I'm going to interrupt you

:20:03. > :20:09.because we are expecting to hear from Jeremy Corbyn right now. Let's

:20:10. > :20:12.take a look. What is your reaction to the news that there is going to

:20:13. > :20:17.be a general election? I welcome the opportunity for us and the people of

:20:18. > :20:21.Britain to stand up against this government and its failed economic

:20:22. > :20:25.agenda which has left our schools are underfunded, which has led to

:20:26. > :20:31.many people uncertain. We want to put a case to the people of Britain

:20:32. > :20:35.for a society that cures for all, an economy that works for all and

:20:36. > :20:40.Brexit that works for all. Labour has been consistently behind in the

:20:41. > :20:43.opinion polls, so they are not in a particularly strong starting

:20:44. > :20:47.position. Do you concede that you face an uphill struggle? We are

:20:48. > :20:51.going out there to put the case for how this country could be run, how

:20:52. > :20:55.it could be different, how we could have a much fairer society that

:20:56. > :20:58.works for all. For everybody in our community. That is the case that

:20:59. > :21:02.we're putting and I I'm looking forward to doing it. What will you

:21:03. > :21:05.be doing to turn around the polls over the coming weeks? We will be

:21:06. > :21:08.putting the case out there to deal with the housing crisis, to deal

:21:09. > :21:16.with the education funding crisis, to deal with the NHS and above all,

:21:17. > :21:19.about an economy that works for all, by investment in infrastructure and

:21:20. > :21:23.manufacturing industries, to get real hope and real opportunity for

:21:24. > :21:28.everybody in this country. Labour lost the general election just two

:21:29. > :21:32.years ago. What is different in what you're offering to the country this

:21:33. > :21:42.time around? We are challenging the economic narrative which says there

:21:43. > :21:46.has to be huge cuts. We are saying instead, invest in economy, invest

:21:47. > :21:51.in the future. We are a party that will put forward a case that will

:21:52. > :21:54.bring about a much fairer, much more decent country then we are getting

:21:55. > :22:00.at the present time. Where we have massive inequalities between the

:22:01. > :22:05.very rich minority and sadly too many people living in desperate

:22:06. > :22:07.poverty. Does the 8th of June give you time to get that message out of

:22:08. > :22:12.there? I am starting straightaway and looking forward to it. We will

:22:13. > :22:14.take our message to every part of the country and we will challenge

:22:15. > :22:20.the government to debate these issues in every town and city in

:22:21. > :22:23.this country. If Labour loses the election, will you stand down? We

:22:24. > :22:26.are campaigning to win this election and that is the only question now.

:22:27. > :22:30.Will you be the next Prime Minister? If we win the election, yes. I'm

:22:31. > :22:34.going to lead a government that will transform this country, and give a

:22:35. > :22:40.real hope to everybody. And above all, bring about a principle of

:22:41. > :22:47.justice for everybody and economic opportunity for everybody. Jeremy

:22:48. > :23:00.Corbyn's first reaction to the news that a general election is now seven

:23:01. > :23:04.weeks away. Jeremy Corbyn saying he welcomes the election. The main

:23:05. > :23:10.parties saying they welcome it. Surprised that it is going to be

:23:11. > :23:13.happening. There has been some speck elation in recent weeks. Labour have

:23:14. > :23:18.always said they are on an election footing. As the main opposition

:23:19. > :23:24.party, it would be hard to justify keeping the Conservatives in power.

:23:25. > :23:28.He is going to tell his MPs to vote for a general election unduly

:23:29. > :23:32.eighth. Let's see how Labour MPs are reacting to that. Stephen Kinnock

:23:33. > :23:36.joined me. You have quite a safe seat in South Wales but what about a

:23:37. > :23:42.lot of your colleagues? A lot of them could lose their seats. Well, I

:23:43. > :23:45.got elected two years ago and there are some fantastic colleagues. What

:23:46. > :23:50.they all do is stand up for their constituents. They are a strong

:23:51. > :23:55.voice for their constituents in Westminster and a strong local

:23:56. > :23:59.campaign. We are going to fight for every single vote and I think we are

:24:00. > :24:03.going to fight on that platform, standing up for our communities,

:24:04. > :24:08.standing up for our constituents. My constituency, with a steel crisis,

:24:09. > :24:15.we have managed a combination of trade unions and labour unions, who

:24:16. > :24:23.have fought a rearguard action on steel and have managed to turn

:24:24. > :24:28.things around. That is how we're going to fight this election. But

:24:29. > :24:32.Labour MPs knocking on doors have been saying that Jeremy Corbyn or

:24:33. > :24:37.not -- is not a vote winner for the party. He will be the figure on news

:24:38. > :24:42.bulletins and on TV over the next six weeks. Is he a vote winner?

:24:43. > :24:45.Theresa May stood on the steps of Delhi street today and said she

:24:46. > :24:50.wanted a united Westminster. I found those words quite chilling. -- on

:24:51. > :24:54.the steps of Downing Street. That suggests she wants to turn our

:24:55. > :24:58.country into some kind of dictatorship where there is no

:24:59. > :25:03.opposition, with the government is not held to account and they

:25:04. > :25:06.steam-roll through Brexit. She is being run by a cabal of extremists

:25:07. > :25:09.who want to turn this country into a European version of the Kaymer

:25:10. > :25:15.Islands using Brexit as the vehicle for doing that. If people want a

:25:16. > :25:19.stronger position, they want an opposition holding Theresa May to

:25:20. > :25:22.account, they need to vote Labour on the 8th of June. -- the Caymans

:25:23. > :25:26.Islands. I have spoken to some Labour MPs last week who said they

:25:27. > :25:32.would vote for a general election, knowing that Labour would do badly,

:25:33. > :25:38.but hoping they would get Jeremy Corbyn out as leader. I think one of

:25:39. > :25:43.the things we have learned about in global for Latics is that making

:25:44. > :25:46.forecasts is a mug's game. We -- in global politics. We need to get the

:25:47. > :25:50.doorknocking schedule sorted out and show what the Labour Party can do as

:25:51. > :25:54.a local, campaigning force to really make a difference our

:25:55. > :25:57.constituencies, and here in Westminster. I think what Theresa

:25:58. > :26:02.May has done today is talked good game about uniting the country, but

:26:03. > :26:06.actually at a time where more than anything we need stability,

:26:07. > :26:10.continuity and certainty for the British economy. She has thrown a

:26:11. > :26:13.hand grenade into all of that. I think people will look at that and

:26:14. > :26:17.say, do we really want a pro Minister putting party interests

:26:18. > :26:23.ahead of the national interest, or do we want a strong opposition

:26:24. > :26:26.campaigning for us in Westminster and holding the government to

:26:27. > :26:30.account, making sure that we do not have a Brexit which turns our

:26:31. > :26:37.country into a paradise for tax dodgers, into a deregulators' haven.

:26:38. > :26:40.In a word, do your voters think that Jeremy Corbyn could be the next

:26:41. > :26:44.Prime Minister? We will find that out on the 8th of June. I'm going to

:26:45. > :26:48.fight a campaign based on my record as a local MP, shouting here for the

:26:49. > :26:51.interests of my people. Stephen Kinnock, thank you very much indeed.

:26:52. > :26:55.I think that will be the approach from many Labour MPs who have not

:26:56. > :26:59.backed their leader over recent years. They will be very much

:27:00. > :27:03.fighting local and pains. Thank you, Vicki Young. We are

:27:04. > :27:09.hearing comments from the Prime Minister's spokesperson, saying that

:27:10. > :27:13.the Prime Minister spoke to the Queen by telephone yesterday to tell

:27:14. > :27:19.her of her intention to call an early election. A spokesperson

:27:20. > :27:23.saying that she has the full backing of top team of ministers for the

:27:24. > :27:29.early election. There was a cabinet meeting earlier this morning and

:27:30. > :27:33.they were all briefed. And we're hearing that she has the support of

:27:34. > :27:39.all of them. Let me tell you, but we do that we are getting from Donald

:27:40. > :27:48.Tusk. It was Hitchcock who directed Brexit. First an earthquake and the

:27:49. > :27:57.tension rises. That's slightly surreal tweet from Donald Tusk. We

:27:58. > :28:01.heard from him, from his spokesperson a little while ago.

:28:02. > :28:10.Hearing about his negotiations. Saying that the negotiations are

:28:11. > :28:16.unchanged by this decision. Slightly surreal, I knew tweet from Donald

:28:17. > :28:21.Tusk. -- a tweet from Donald Tusk. Let's get some reaction from

:28:22. > :28:29.Northern Ireland. Our correspondent, Chris Page. Yes, well the Northern

:28:30. > :28:32.Ireland parties are now facing what will be their third election in a

:28:33. > :28:38.little over one year. Already this year we have had a snap election

:28:39. > :28:43.from the Stormont assembly and then the last Stormont election was just

:28:44. > :28:47.last year. We're now looking at yet another election coming in the midst

:28:48. > :28:52.of the worst political crisis that Northern Ireland has faced in the

:28:53. > :28:55.last ten years. The devolved government, the power-sharing

:28:56. > :29:00.partnership between the DUP and Sinn Fein collapsed in January. Northern

:29:01. > :29:05.Ireland has pulled out of government since then. The election was held in

:29:06. > :29:08.March and was a significant shift in the political landscape. The

:29:09. > :29:12.Nationalist vote surged and unionist lost their overall majority in the

:29:13. > :29:16.Stormont chamber for the first time. Sinn Fein came within a whisker of

:29:17. > :29:20.toppling the DUP has the largest party. What does that mean for the

:29:21. > :29:26.selection? I think it will mean that more than ever before, this election

:29:27. > :29:30.will be more about Unionism versus nationalism, orange versus green.

:29:31. > :29:36.The key question will be, can Sinn Fein sustain their support or will

:29:37. > :29:40.the Unionists regain ground? In the last Westminster election, the two

:29:41. > :29:43.main Unionist parties formed a pact in several constituencies to invite

:29:44. > :29:47.-- to avoid splitting the unionist vote. As a result, at least two

:29:48. > :29:49.seats went to Unionists which otherwise would have gone to

:29:50. > :29:59.Northern Unionists. It is likely that Unionists will go for another

:30:00. > :30:02.pact to maximise unionist rippers edition and minimise Nationalist

:30:03. > :30:05.representation. We had had a brief reaction from the leader of the DUP,

:30:06. > :30:08.Arlene Foster, saying that the general election will be a chance

:30:09. > :30:12.for people in Northern Ireland to vote for the union. Jerry me Adams

:30:13. > :30:17.-- Gerry Adams has tweeted that Sinn Fein are up for another election.

:30:18. > :30:21.The broader question, what will happen to the negotiations to

:30:22. > :30:24.restore the government? Several deadlines have been missed and

:30:25. > :30:28.negotiations have paused. They are due to resume next week but the

:30:29. > :30:32.government has said that if there is no agreement by the Stormont parties

:30:33. > :30:38.by early May, then we have to make options. One, the one that is kind

:30:39. > :30:41.of forlorn, for yet another Stormont election, where Westminster will

:30:42. > :30:45.take over running Northern Ireland, and bring over direct rule. The

:30:46. > :30:48.calling of another election, it will be another divisive election and I

:30:49. > :30:53.do not think it will improve the chances of a deal at Stormont, as

:30:54. > :30:56.the parties tend to retreat and take a more hardline position at election

:30:57. > :30:59.time. So the prospects for an agreement are probably not been

:31:00. > :31:02.helped. The bigger question, what will happen over the two weeks

:31:03. > :31:06.before the election campaign kicks in. Will we have it returned to

:31:07. > :31:10.direct rule? Will legislation be passed for that or will we have

:31:11. > :31:12.another Stormont election calls and yet another opportunity for voters

:31:13. > :31:18.in Northern Ireland to hit the bulls?

:31:19. > :31:29.If you want it to let me know your thoughts, you can get in touch on

:31:30. > :31:31.twitter. Now for the latest developments following the

:31:32. > :31:35.announcement by Theresa May this morning that she will be holding a

:31:36. > :31:39.general election on the 8th of June. The political process will be

:31:40. > :31:43.getting under way in the House of Commons tomorrow. There is a rule

:31:44. > :31:49.now that elections should take place every five years, Fixed-term

:31:50. > :31:56.Parliaments Act for five years. That will need to be overridden in order

:31:57. > :32:00.to allow the election to go ahead. The Prime Minister said in calling

:32:01. > :32:04.that that she had only recently and reluctantly come to the conclusion

:32:05. > :32:08.that an early election is the only way to guarantee certainty and

:32:09. > :32:12.stability for the years ahead. She said that the Government is

:32:13. > :32:16.determined to get the job of Brexit done and opposition politicians have

:32:17. > :32:23.been trying to thwart at in threatening to vote against the

:32:24. > :32:27.Government position on Brexit full she said the negotiating position of

:32:28. > :32:35.the Government had been weakened by political opposition. In the polls,

:32:36. > :32:41.the Conservative Party is currently 21 points ahead of Labour in the

:32:42. > :32:49.latest poll. It was a poll in the Independent. It gave the Tories 46%

:32:50. > :32:56.of the vote share. That gave the Tory Party the greatest lead for a

:32:57. > :33:00.government since 1983. As a result of that, Theresa May is being

:33:01. > :33:05.accused of political opportunism. She said this is what is in the best

:33:06. > :33:08.interests of the country. Let's take a closer look at the constitutional

:33:09. > :33:13.implications of the announcement by the Prime Minister. The deputy

:33:14. > :33:16.director of the Institute the Government is joining us live from

:33:17. > :33:21.Central London. What is your perspective on where we are heading?

:33:22. > :33:26.I think it took everyone by surprise. Now, looking forward to

:33:27. > :33:30.the process in some ways will feel like any general election we have

:33:31. > :33:33.had over the years. The Prime Minister has made an announcement

:33:34. > :33:39.and the country is looking forward to a vote on the 8th of June. It is

:33:40. > :33:42.quite different, the technical way the Prime Minister is ending up

:33:43. > :33:47.calling this election. She has not been able to do it under her own

:33:48. > :33:51.authority for that that used to be how the UK system worked. She is

:33:52. > :33:56.asking Parliament if it agrees she can have an election. That will be

:33:57. > :34:00.tomorrow for the most people expect get the two thirds majority she

:34:01. > :34:03.needs at that point and the Queen will issue a proclamation saying the

:34:04. > :34:09.election date. The political parties no doubt will start their

:34:10. > :34:14.campaigning well in of that. She spoke after becoming Prime Minister

:34:15. > :34:17.of the need for stability after the uncertainty of what lay ahead,

:34:18. > :34:22.following on from the referendum result. Is it right now to call an

:34:23. > :34:28.election in the country's best interests in order for there to be a

:34:29. > :34:34.clear mandate? There will be a lot of factors. The Prime Minister spoke

:34:35. > :34:44.a lot about Brexit and the potential for the opposition parties voting

:34:45. > :34:48.against and things like that. She did not mention the potential of her

:34:49. > :34:53.own backbench to vote against parts of the agreement. There are other

:34:54. > :34:59.implications. The impact of Brexit will take a long time. People are

:35:00. > :35:03.talking about the two years. We will leave the EU formally in 2019.

:35:04. > :35:09.Implementation of the new systems round immigration, round customs,

:35:10. > :35:15.all of that may take quite a bit longer. I suspect the Prime Minister

:35:16. > :35:19.was thinking this gives her a good five years to actually do the

:35:20. > :35:22.negotiations and implement the changes and then returned to the

:35:23. > :35:26.country on a platform saying this is what Brexit was, this is how I have

:35:27. > :35:34.delivered it and this is how things have changed. The planned election

:35:35. > :35:39.would have been quite soon in showing what has changed even though

:35:40. > :35:44.it is quite a weight off. We have heard from the spokesman of Donald

:35:45. > :35:50.Tusk saying what is being done on the EE part in terms of preparing

:35:51. > :35:56.for Brexit continues unaffected by this. -- the EU part of it puts it

:35:57. > :36:01.on the back burner here, for six or seven weeks. I do not think it will

:36:02. > :36:05.make that much difference to the timelines for negotiation. The EU

:36:06. > :36:10.has major elections happening. The Frenchman is coming up in a few

:36:11. > :36:15.weeks and the Germans have a general election in September. There is a

:36:16. > :36:20.lot that will not really happened on the high political scene until those

:36:21. > :36:24.elections are out of the way. The more detailed, technical

:36:25. > :36:29.preparations will simply continue. In the background, the U:K.'s civil

:36:30. > :36:34.service will continue to do the work necessary to lay the scene for the

:36:35. > :36:40.big, political negotiations which will come in six months or so. It

:36:41. > :36:46.does not really change that timeline for negotiation is very much. That

:36:47. > :36:52.will probably in Theresa May's mind, get the triggering of Article 50 out

:36:53. > :36:57.of the way and take this space before the in earnest negotiations

:36:58. > :37:01.start. It is interesting, looking on twitter, how people are reacting to

:37:02. > :37:06.the fact will be having a second general election in two years we had

:37:07. > :37:15.the referendum last year. There was a Scottish referendum election.

:37:16. > :37:19.There were a lot of votes and a lot of uncertainty. Gary Chapman has

:37:20. > :37:22.said, the Conservatives will almost certainly win but look at what

:37:23. > :37:29.happened with David Cameron on Brexit. My sister was so

:37:30. > :37:37.disappointed that she could not vote to remain and now will she -- and

:37:38. > :37:44.now will be able to vote to make a difference. Just looking obviously,

:37:45. > :37:50.people are self-selecting and getting in touch on twitter. There

:37:51. > :37:55.is a lot of good debate on the about what the implications of another

:37:56. > :37:59.vote will be. Will be interesting to see if there is such a high level of

:38:00. > :38:05.engagement around the country with things like turnout and how people

:38:06. > :38:09.will feel about it. People generally do not like elections. Lots of

:38:10. > :38:13.people will have local elections coming up starting in May with the

:38:14. > :38:17.general election starting in June. Not to mention people in Northern

:38:18. > :38:23.Ireland who seem to be in perpetual elections. People do not like that.

:38:24. > :38:26.That being said, most people who are really into politics have been

:38:27. > :38:31.speculating about this for quite some time. For the general public,

:38:32. > :38:36.this will come as a surprise. I am sure the Prime Minister will hope

:38:37. > :38:43.they can see her point. This is giving stability to the country over

:38:44. > :38:48.Brexit. Others will be talking about some of the other huge issues. We

:38:49. > :38:54.are going to hear from the leader of the Liberal Democrats. They do not

:38:55. > :38:57.want a hard Brexit was they want to keep Britain in the single market.

:38:58. > :39:02.It is another Trinity for us to have a strong opposition in this country

:39:03. > :39:06.that we desperately need. Only through the Liberal Democrats is

:39:07. > :39:10.that any pathway for the Conservatives losing their majority.

:39:11. > :39:14.Theresa May says it is the right time for that is it the right time

:39:15. > :39:18.for the Liberal Democrats? We have been calling for an early general

:39:19. > :39:21.election since Theresa May came to power. It is an opportunity for the

:39:22. > :39:25.country to say this is the direction we want the country to going but not

:39:26. > :39:30.the extreme direction that Theresa May is taking us in. The Prime

:39:31. > :39:36.Minister thinks this is a good time for the Tory Party. Will it be a

:39:37. > :39:41.good time for you? Across the country, people will want to express

:39:42. > :39:45.their views that whether in or out of the European Union, we want to

:39:46. > :39:50.remain in the single market. Theresa May has no mandate to take a stab of

:39:51. > :39:54.the single market. It is the opportunity for the British people

:39:55. > :40:00.to have a decent, strong opposition. Are you organised and ready for this

:40:01. > :40:05.fight? The Liberal Democrats were prepared for an election we thought

:40:06. > :40:08.would happen in autumn. The Liberal Democrats are always prepared. Here

:40:09. > :40:15.we are in Cornwall, the place where our fightback began. From this

:40:16. > :40:21.springboard, we had an Berchiche to give the British people a chance to

:40:22. > :40:27.change direction for the company. -- we had an opportunity. Let's talk

:40:28. > :40:31.about Cornwall. You were wiped out here in that last election you just

:40:32. > :40:36.mentioned. I cannot affect the result for the last election but I

:40:37. > :40:45.can for the next one. We are here today to do just that. Most people

:40:46. > :40:49.in Cornwall voted for Brexit. As evidence now becomes clear, this is

:40:50. > :40:53.an opportunity for the British people to say whether we're in or

:40:54. > :41:00.out of the European Union, we desperately need to be in single

:41:01. > :41:03.market. Were you surprised by the announcement today? I have always

:41:04. > :41:09.assumed she would go for an early election. I thought she needed a

:41:10. > :41:14.mandate of her own after she was elected or appointed Tory leader

:41:15. > :41:19.last summer. Of course, the rest of us today, this has come as a

:41:20. > :41:24.surprise and we are prepared. Thank you very much indeed. We are alive

:41:25. > :41:27.with the Daily Politics any minute now. That is Tim Farron, who is

:41:28. > :41:33.enjoying this moment that this is something he wanted to happen. He

:41:34. > :41:37.has repeatedly said the referendum result that voted through Brexit did

:41:38. > :41:41.not clearly indicate whether people want to leave the single market or

:41:42. > :41:49.not. Let's go back to the deputy director of the Institute for

:41:50. > :41:53.government. Will we get clarity? Tim Farron has repeatedly said since the

:41:54. > :41:58.referendum result, people did not actually mean they wanted hard

:41:59. > :42:02.Brexit. It was more about staying in the single market. It is not clear

:42:03. > :42:09.what people's in tensions were about. Will we get complete clarity

:42:10. > :42:15.going forward as a result of this general election about what the

:42:16. > :42:18.country wants to see? In many ways this will be helpful. General

:42:19. > :42:22.elections, parties put out manifestos and going to a lot more

:42:23. > :42:25.detail about what they really are standing for and where they are on

:42:26. > :42:30.things like whether we are in and out of the single market and what an

:42:31. > :42:35.immigration system should look like, how we trade with the rest of the

:42:36. > :42:41.world back will be spelt out. The Government can say this is what we

:42:42. > :42:45.were elected to do. There is lots of speculation about what the British

:42:46. > :42:49.public meant. This will give us a general election which will elect a

:42:50. > :42:54.government which can claim to have a mandate to implement in detail what

:42:55. > :42:59.it wants to do. I think it will be very interesting to see how this

:43:00. > :43:05.plays. Brexit is something the Liberal Democrats are keen to play.

:43:06. > :43:08.Labour will no doubt want to talk a lot about the spending situation in

:43:09. > :43:13.the UK where there is real pressure on public services and real issue is

:43:14. > :43:19.going on. In Scotland, no doubt, this will be used as a referendum on

:43:20. > :43:22.whether there should be a second referendum for Scottish

:43:23. > :43:28.independence. There will be a lot of moving parts in this election

:43:29. > :43:31.campaign will stop we have seven weeks to see it play out. Thank you

:43:32. > :43:44.very much. Let me tell you that Donald Tusk has tweeted again. He

:43:45. > :43:54.has said he has had a good phone call with Theresa May on the

:43:55. > :43:59.upcoming UK elections. The tweet is saying, if Hitchcock directed

:44:00. > :44:00.Brexit, the tension is rising. It was an unexpected announcement from

:44:01. > :44:01.the Prime Minister in Downing Street. We knew she was going to

:44:02. > :44:06.make a significant announcement. No prior detail about what it would be.

:44:07. > :44:12.A lot of speculation. We are now heading for a snap general election

:44:13. > :44:14.on the 8th of June. Earlier on, our chief political correspondent spoke

:44:15. > :44:19.to Iain Duncan-Smith and Alastair Carmichael of the Lib Dems to get

:44:20. > :44:22.their reaction. Everyone will be surprised. The hands of the Prime

:44:23. > :44:26.Minister are always to keep this quiet until she announced it. I

:44:27. > :44:30.think she made the right choice with the public has enough time to

:44:31. > :44:34.realise with Theresa May they have someone who is focused and has

:44:35. > :44:39.strong leadership. I think she is right. At the moment the Government

:44:40. > :44:42.was elected before the referendum. It means right now we have a

:44:43. > :44:46.problem. In the House of Lords there has been a lot of talk about

:44:47. > :44:50.delaying and blocking this and making it difficult to get through.

:44:51. > :44:54.She is right to clear the air, have a mandate and say, the British

:44:55. > :44:58.people want us to get on with this we can properly negotiate in Europe.

:44:59. > :45:03.I think that is the right thing to do. There is a risk. Only half of

:45:04. > :45:12.the British people who voted wanted to leave the be you. She makes this

:45:13. > :45:15.about Brexit again. Isn't that the risk? It is not about Brexit, it is

:45:16. > :45:20.about electing a government to get on with Brexit and carry on the

:45:21. > :45:23.normal business. The reason for this general election is, right now,

:45:24. > :45:29.there is a disproportionate bake in the House of Lords which has a

:45:30. > :45:33.chance to vote on this. You have 100 members of the House of Lords who

:45:34. > :45:39.are liberal peers but only nine members of the House of Commons.

:45:40. > :45:41.Resetting balance and making it clear you have a mandate in the

:45:42. > :45:46.Commons for Theresa May and the Government to get on and run their

:45:47. > :45:50.so we have a proper, strong, stable government over the next five years

:45:51. > :45:54.which can do Brexit and strong enough to do good, domestic

:45:55. > :46:02.legislation as well. Aye the real reason is Labour polling 20 points

:46:03. > :46:05.behind the Tories. Jeremy Corbyn's leadership is in trouble. Theresa

:46:06. > :46:10.May has looked at that realise she can make a lot of gains full stop

:46:11. > :46:13.that is secondary. She realises she needs that mandate. The Labour Party

:46:14. > :46:17.has its own particular problems. There will be Labour MPs who also

:46:18. > :46:22.want to see the general election for internal reasons. The reality is,

:46:23. > :46:25.for Theresa May, this is a bold, strong, serious decision made by

:46:26. > :46:30.somebody who has complete confidence in their leadership. The public, as

:46:31. > :46:36.they have shown, genuinely feel she is the right kind of person.

:46:37. > :46:49.? Ian says this is no such thing, but the reality is that she got what

:46:50. > :46:52.she wanted. Albeit that Article 50 had to be brought kicking and

:46:53. > :46:58.screaming from her as a result of a court case. So it is opportunistic.

:46:59. > :47:03.She is doing something now that she said categorically she was not going

:47:04. > :47:08.to do. But this is how she has operated since day one. She has

:47:09. > :47:11.tried to run this country not from a national interest, but from the

:47:12. > :47:16.narrow party advantage of the Conservatives. This is just the most

:47:17. > :47:20.recent example of it. It is utterly opportunistic but it is an

:47:21. > :47:25.opportunity for the Liberal Democrats and we will not pass it

:47:26. > :47:32.up. You may well make some gains but if she's heading for a landslide,

:47:33. > :47:37.can you stop? The only way to stop Conservative landslide, and you have

:47:38. > :47:42.to be careful about pre-getting politics, the only thing that will

:47:43. > :47:45.stand in the way of the Conservative landslide is Liberal Democrats

:47:46. > :47:49.taking back seats that we lost to them in 2015. And that is happening

:47:50. > :47:51.week in and week out in Council by-election is up and down the

:47:52. > :47:58.country. You will see that happen again, I believe, come the general

:47:59. > :48:04.election day. That was reaction from Liberal Democrats and Iain Duncan

:48:05. > :48:09.Smith of the Tories earlier. Gideon Skinner is from Ipsos MORI and joins

:48:10. > :48:12.us from central London. Theresa May has called the selection knowing

:48:13. > :48:16.that the Conservatives are riding high in the polls. The latest

:48:17. > :48:24.polling puts the Tories 21 points ahead of Labour. Does that make it a

:48:25. > :48:27.dead cert for the Tories? What are the risks? No pollster will ever

:48:28. > :48:31.call anything a dead cert. Clearly the Conservatives are in a strong

:48:32. > :48:37.position. They have been since Theresa May was elected. Well, was

:48:38. > :48:44.made by Minister. And even before then. But it is not without risk. We

:48:45. > :48:47.do not know how the public will react to this announcement and the

:48:48. > :48:50.Conservatives have had a strong lead. Her personal ratings are in

:48:51. > :48:56.particular are very good. The honeymoon has lasted a lot longer

:48:57. > :49:01.than her predecessors, David Cameron or Gordon Brown. We need to see how

:49:02. > :49:05.it will play out over the next couple of weeks. I want to bring

:49:06. > :49:16.reaction from Nicola Sturgeon. She has just been speaking.

:49:17. > :49:22.Is now the right time, First Minister, for a UK general election?

:49:23. > :49:26.This is a big issue. It is very clear that the Prime Minister's

:49:27. > :49:30.announcement today is one all about the narrow interests of the party,

:49:31. > :49:34.not the interests of the country overall. Clearly, she seized the

:49:35. > :49:38.opportunity, given the total disarray in the rights of the Labour

:49:39. > :49:41.Party, to crush all opposition to her, to get rid of people that

:49:42. > :49:45.disagree with her, and to give herself a free hand to take the

:49:46. > :49:48.country in the increasingly right-wing direction she wants to

:49:49. > :49:52.take it in. And that would mean not just the hardest possible Brexit but

:49:53. > :49:56.more austerity and deeper cuts. So now is the time for Scotland's voice

:49:57. > :49:59.to be heard and for people in Scotland to stand up for the kind of

:50:00. > :50:02.country that we want Scotland to be and that is a campaign I look

:50:03. > :50:07.forward to leading in the weeks ahead. Given your calls for another

:50:08. > :50:12.independence referendum and a resistance to Theresa May's approach

:50:13. > :50:16.to Brexit, are you partly responsible for this early vote? I

:50:17. > :50:21.make no apology for standing up for Scotland and how they voted in the

:50:22. > :50:26.EU referendum, which was against Brexit, and particularly against

:50:27. > :50:29.hard Brexit. I think when you listen to Theresa May's statement this

:50:30. > :50:32.morning, it is that democratic opposition which is healthy in any

:50:33. > :50:38.democracy that she sees the opportunity to crush. I do not think

:50:39. > :50:41.that is a good way forward and it would not be in Scotland's interest.

:50:42. > :50:44.The question of what country we want to be is very much going to be at

:50:45. > :50:50.stake in this election campaign and whether we want that to be a country

:50:51. > :50:53.the future of which is steered and directed by a Tory Party moving ever

:50:54. > :50:58.more to the right or whether we want the people of Scotland to be in

:50:59. > :51:01.charge. This is an opportunity to make Scotland's voice heard and make

:51:02. > :51:07.sure we have MPs from Scotland that will first and foremost be about

:51:08. > :51:13.fighting Scotland's corner. If the Tories crush some of your gains from

:51:14. > :51:16.the last election, how likely is that? We will be defending all the

:51:17. > :51:19.seats that we fought last time around and I will be fighting to

:51:20. > :51:25.win. I think the prime ministers called the selection selfish and

:51:26. > :51:28.narrow, for party political interests, and I relish the prospect

:51:29. > :51:32.of getting out there and standing up for Scotland's interests and values,

:51:33. > :51:38.standing up for Scotland's voice be heard and standing against the

:51:39. > :51:42.ability of a right wing Conservative Party to impose which ever policies

:51:43. > :51:47.it once in Scotland. I relish the possibility. Will you see a fresh

:51:48. > :51:51.mandate for the -- will you seek a mandate for a second independence

:51:52. > :51:54.referendum? I have that mandate and I won it at the Scottish Parliament

:51:55. > :51:59.elections last year. The Scottish Parliament has since voted by

:52:00. > :52:03.majority for that position. That mandate is there and it is clear.

:52:04. > :52:06.This election will be about the kind of country we want Scotland to be

:52:07. > :52:09.and whether we want the Tories to have a free hand in determining that

:52:10. > :52:14.or whether we want to make sure that we stand up for Scotland's public

:52:15. > :52:17.services, public spending, against further Tory austerity. These are

:52:18. > :52:20.the issues that will be to the fore in this campaign and look forward to

:52:21. > :52:28.reading that campaign. Would you a specific commitment promising

:52:29. > :52:31.another independence referendum within 18 months or two years. My

:52:32. > :52:36.opinion on a second referendum is clear and will continue to be. It is

:52:37. > :52:40.as I set out in this very room a few weeks ago. When the time is right,

:52:41. > :52:43.it should be for Scotland to determine our own future, not for a

:52:44. > :52:46.Tory government to determine our future. That position is the one

:52:47. > :52:51.that we will take into this election and the one that we will have after

:52:52. > :53:02.this election as well. It will be in your manifesto? I will set out a

:53:03. > :53:05.manifesto but the position on the referendum will be the one I set out

:53:06. > :53:08.in this room a few weeks ago. Will you tell us your next move towards

:53:09. > :53:11.securing the power to have that vote? I plan to do that over the

:53:12. > :53:14.next few weeks and that is still the suction I am working on. Clearly we

:53:15. > :53:16.have a development today that changes the nature and the shape of

:53:17. > :53:19.the next few weeks, so I will consider the timing of that in the

:53:20. > :53:21.context of the election campaign and of course I will send that to

:53:22. > :53:29.Parliament in due course. Can Michelle Thomson be an SNP candidate

:53:30. > :53:33.in this election? The SNP committee will meet over the next few days to

:53:34. > :53:36.set the terms of candidate selection and a number of other matters will

:53:37. > :53:39.set the terms of candidate selection be discussed in the formal way. And

:53:40. > :53:46.for the record, it may be academic but will SNP MPs vote for this

:53:47. > :53:53.election when Theresa May brings it to the house? We will not stand in

:53:54. > :53:59.the way of collection, albeit though we think that it has been called for

:54:00. > :54:02.particles go reasons. I think people will judge Theresa May on the

:54:03. > :54:04.reasons for calling this election and that will be a factor in how

:54:05. > :54:09.people choose to vote. Nicola Sturgeon. Let's bring you

:54:10. > :54:21.some reaction from the Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Leanne -- Leanne

:54:22. > :54:29.Wood. More Plaid Cymru MPs, for a stronger Wales voice. I am unable

:54:30. > :54:36.to... Let's go back to Ipsos MORI. Gideon Skinner, does this become

:54:37. > :54:40.effectively another referendum on EU membership? Will people vote with

:54:41. > :54:43.Brexit in the front of their minds? Well, we know that Brexit is the

:54:44. > :54:48.single most important issue facing the country. In fact it is higher

:54:49. > :54:52.than we have ever seen concern about Europe since 1970. That does not

:54:53. > :54:57.mean it is the only issue. Concern about the NHS is high. We know that

:54:58. > :55:00.there is more pessimism about the future of public services than we

:55:01. > :55:04.have seen for a long time. Brexit will be key and there was a lot of

:55:05. > :55:07.confidence in Theresa May, and the way she's handling Brexit, but it

:55:08. > :55:13.will not be the only issue. Skinner, thank you. It was an unexpected

:55:14. > :55:16.statement from the Prime Minister when she announced this morning that

:55:17. > :55:21.she would be calling a general election for the 8th of June. Seven

:55:22. > :55:26.weeks away. Previously, she had said she would not call a snap election.

:55:27. > :55:34.But this is how she made the announcement this morning.

:55:35. > :55:37.I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet where we agreed

:55:38. > :55:40.the Government should call a general election to be held

:55:41. > :55:43.I want to explain the reasons for that decision.

:55:44. > :55:45.What will happen next, and the choice facing the British

:55:46. > :55:50.people, when you come to vote in this election.

:55:51. > :55:56.Last summer, after the country voted to leave the European Union,

:55:57. > :56:01.Britain needed certainty, stability and strong

:56:02. > :56:12.And since I became Prime Minister, the Government has

:56:13. > :56:20.Despite predictions of immediate financial and economic danger,

:56:21. > :56:27.since the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain high,

:56:28. > :56:29.record numbers of jobs and economic growth that has

:56:30. > :56:33.We have also delivered on the mandate that we were handed

:56:34. > :56:36.Britain is leaving the European Union and there

:56:37. > :56:42.And as as we look to the future, the Government has the right

:56:43. > :56:47.plan for negotiating our new relationship with Europe.

:56:48. > :56:51.We want a deep and special partnership between a strong

:56:52. > :56:53.and successful European Union and a United Kingdom that is free

:56:54. > :57:04.That means we will regain control of our own money, our own laws,

:57:05. > :57:10.And we will be free to strike trade deals with old friends

:57:11. > :57:11.and new partners all around the world.

:57:12. > :57:18.This is the right approach and it is in the national interest.

:57:19. > :57:22.But the other political parties oppose it.

:57:23. > :57:26.At this moment of enormous national significance,

:57:27. > :57:28.there should be unity here in Westminster.

:57:29. > :57:42.The country is coming together but Westminster is not.

:57:43. > :57:44.In recent weeks, Labour have threatened to vote

:57:45. > :57:47.against the final agreement we reach with the European Union.

:57:48. > :57:49.The Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business

:57:50. > :58:04.The Scottish National Party said it will vote against the legislation

:58:05. > :58:08.that formally repeals Britain's membership of the European Union.

:58:09. > :58:11.And unelected members of the House of Lords have vowed to fight us

:58:12. > :58:17.Theresa May with that dramatic announcement this morning that she

:58:18. > :58:21.plans to call a general election on the 8th of June, an announcement she

:58:22. > :58:25.says is in the national interest. The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn,

:58:26. > :58:27.has welcomed the news of an election. Scotland's First Minister

:58:28. > :58:29.has said it 'A 24-year-old man

:58:30. > :58:31.has been charged with murder.' You made sure an innocent man

:58:32. > :58:34.is charged! What gives you the right to say

:58:35. > :58:36.he's innocent? I've come to you

:58:37. > :58:40.because you're AC-12.