:00:07. > :00:09.Tonight at Ten - the people of France have chosen
:00:10. > :00:10.their new president, the youngest in the
:00:11. > :00:20.Celebrations in Paris tonight, as Emmanuel Macron, a strong
:00:21. > :00:23.supporter of the European Union, wins power at the age of 39,
:00:24. > :00:36.it will be his first experience of elected office.
:00:37. > :00:41.TRANSLATION: With total devotion, with total determination,
:00:42. > :00:45.I'm going to serve France on your behalf.
:00:46. > :00:47.Long live the Republic and long live France.
:00:48. > :00:50.It's a night of defeat for the hard right campaign of Marine Le Pen,
:00:51. > :00:52.but she insists her agenda is now in the mainstream
:00:53. > :00:57.TRANSLATION: I will be at the head of a battle to gather together,
:00:58. > :00:59.all those who choose France to protect its independence,
:01:00. > :01:06.its freedom, its prosperity and its security.
:01:07. > :01:09.We'll have reaction from Paris and we'll be asking what this result
:01:10. > :01:11.means for the future of the European Union,
:01:12. > :01:22.Labour's tax pledge - if it wins the election it
:01:23. > :01:29.won't raise income tax for anyone earning less than ?80,000 a year.
:01:30. > :01:31.The Conservatives focus on mental health -
:01:32. > :01:33.promising another 10,000 staff in England if they're
:01:34. > :01:36.And a first glimpse of the 82 Nigerian schoolgirls,
:01:37. > :02:07.kidnapped three years ago and now free after a prisoner swap.
:02:08. > :02:09.Good evening from Paris, where Emmanuel Macron has
:02:10. > :02:11.scored a notable victory in today's election.
:02:12. > :02:14.He'll take office in a week's time as the youngest president
:02:15. > :02:16.in the history of France, at the age of 39.
:02:17. > :02:19.He has never held elected office before and his independent political
:02:20. > :02:26.The margin of victory, after a divisive campaign,
:02:27. > :02:28.was convincing, projected results show centrist Macron
:02:29. > :02:31.took 65% of the vote, while the hard-right
:02:32. > :02:36.The turnout was slightly down on the last presidential
:02:37. > :02:43.Mr Macron comes to power at a critical moment
:02:44. > :02:45.not only for France, but also for the European Union,
:02:46. > :02:48.as it grapples with many challenges, including the Brexit process,
:02:49. > :02:54.Our first report tonight on the result is by our Europe
:02:55. > :03:09.There is some flash photography coming up.
:03:10. > :03:16.Young, dynamic and very, very confident. Emmanuel Macron, said to
:03:17. > :03:22.be the youngest leader since Napoleon took the crowd by storm. In
:03:23. > :03:27.the face of extremism, I know there are disagreements and I will respect
:03:28. > :03:35.this. And I will be faithful to that commitment taken, I will protect the
:03:36. > :03:42.Republic. This is an incredible moment. An economic and political
:03:43. > :03:47.world heavyweight comic key EU nation will be presided over by a
:03:48. > :03:55.39-year-old virtual political new, who has made a lot of big promises.
:03:56. > :03:59.To bring revolution, to change hungry France and the European
:04:00. > :04:05.Union. Business friendly, yet socially just, neither left nor
:04:06. > :04:14.right wing. Sound like a tall order? His delighted supporters have faith.
:04:15. > :04:15.I am very happy because he is a good choice to keep our valour in France.
:04:16. > :04:19.We love Europe. He means confidence,
:04:20. > :04:22.he means the future, France is not dead, France is not
:04:23. > :04:38.an old country, dying. But easy it won't be, this is a
:04:39. > :04:44.divided country. Marine Le Pen may have lost an eye, but millions voted
:04:45. > :04:49.for her and her far right programme. TRANSLATION: I propose to transform
:04:50. > :04:52.our movement into a new political force, for small French people are
:04:53. > :04:56.calling for and which is more necessary than ever before to
:04:57. > :05:01.rebuild our country. I call on all patriots to join us for a decisive,
:05:02. > :05:09.political battle which begins this evening and we continue in the
:05:10. > :05:13.months ahead. Far from being defeatist, her supporters were
:05:14. > :05:18.defiant. You are never happy unless you win, but we have got to look at
:05:19. > :05:21.the good side of this result. We have gathered around us, people from
:05:22. > :05:26.outside the party for the protectionist views we have for the
:05:27. > :05:33.programme of independence put forward. Supporters also took to the
:05:34. > :05:38.streets tonight, some in a violent mood. For them, Emmanuel Macron is
:05:39. > :05:44.no solution. He is part of the problem, they think, of elitist, big
:05:45. > :05:50.business minded government. But the night, I knew French Revolution is
:05:51. > :05:54.promised with a new president from a brand-new party announcing a new
:05:55. > :05:59.dawn for France. For his supporters at least, the three colours of the
:06:00. > :06:00.French flag are not just about liberty, equality and fraternity,
:06:01. > :06:05.but above all, hope. By any measure, the political
:06:06. > :06:07.rise of Emmanuel Macron He's a former investment banker,
:06:08. > :06:12.and served as an adviser and later a minister,
:06:13. > :06:14.in the Socialist government of Francois Hollande,
:06:15. > :06:18.the outgoing president. But he resigned last year
:06:19. > :06:21.to form his own centrist political movement, called En Marche,
:06:22. > :06:27.or On The Move. Lucy Williamson reports now
:06:28. > :06:29.on the man chosen to be France's new head of state,
:06:30. > :06:32.and asks what kind of president he's He's the choice of a country
:06:33. > :06:39.desperate for change, neither left nor right,
:06:40. > :06:42.part of the French establishment yet A fresh face who served
:06:43. > :06:48.in the outgoing government. To his supporters he is their
:06:49. > :06:56.Emmanuel, their political messiah, a provincial boy from outside
:06:57. > :06:59.the establishment who But he went to France's most
:07:00. > :07:16.prestigious schools, met its most powerful people
:07:17. > :07:18.and made millions in A former colleague says that
:07:19. > :07:28.Macron's rise is partly down to charm but that at heart,
:07:29. > :07:31.he is a secretive man. He is able to tell people
:07:32. > :07:36.what they really want to hear. So a very seducive man
:07:37. > :07:48.and he manages to agree So a very seducive man
:07:49. > :07:51.and he managed to agree Macron's wife, Brigitte,
:07:52. > :07:55.told one journalist that her husband The couple met when she taught
:07:56. > :08:01.him drama at school. Their unusual love affair is a sign,
:08:02. > :08:04.says one of Macron's old friends, of his determination,
:08:05. > :08:10.self-belief and drive. I think the only person who really
:08:11. > :08:16.knows him inside deeply is Brigitte. You have to imagine, he seduced her,
:08:17. > :08:23.he convinced her to marry him, Just imagine, it's
:08:24. > :08:33.not a small thing. France has not opted
:08:34. > :08:36.for the political extremes, the far right rejected in favour
:08:37. > :08:38.of a liberal newcomer Emmanuel Macron has vowed to unite
:08:39. > :08:45.a divided and disillusioned France but his critics say
:08:46. > :08:50.he is the old wine in a shiny new bottle and the price
:08:51. > :08:56.of failure could be high. Some say that Emmanuel Macron
:08:57. > :08:59.has won the presidency by being all things to all people
:09:00. > :09:02.but he won't be able He has five years to solve France's
:09:03. > :09:31.problems or risk it choosing more Lucy is with me now. He has talked
:09:32. > :09:39.about rebuilding a divisive France after the campaign. For those who
:09:40. > :09:43.voted for him, despite themselves and those who voted for Marine Le
:09:44. > :09:47.Pen, he is aware he won decisively the night with his liberal vision. A
:09:48. > :09:54.third of people voted for the far right. If you think back a couple of
:09:55. > :09:57.weeks to the first round, Mr macron was the first choice for less than a
:09:58. > :10:02.quarter of the electorate, so he knows he has a lot of work to do. We
:10:03. > :10:07.have been underlining all day why this result is not just important
:10:08. > :10:10.for France, but the European Union. It is facing many challenges, not
:10:11. > :10:17.least the Brexit process coming up. To what extent will the government
:10:18. > :10:22.of the UK be wanting to talk to him carefully in the months ahead? They
:10:23. > :10:27.will want to talk to him, he will have a big say because he is a
:10:28. > :10:32.complete Europhile and wants closer cooperation with the European
:10:33. > :10:35.countries and the EU. He said some tough things about Brexit, so it
:10:36. > :10:41.remains to be seen if he follows through on them. He really wants to
:10:42. > :10:46.build up the economy of France in that way. So Theresa May will want
:10:47. > :10:50.to talk to him very soon. Lucy Williams, thank you very much.
:10:51. > :10:53.We'll have more from Paris a little later and we'll be looking
:10:54. > :10:55.at the campaign promises made by Mr Macron and asking what he's
:10:56. > :10:58.likely to prioritise when he takes office in a few weeks' time.
:10:59. > :11:00.But now it's back to Mishal in London.
:11:01. > :11:03.In election campaigning here, Labour has made a pledge on tax,
:11:04. > :11:06.saying that if it wins on June the 8th, it wont raise income tax
:11:07. > :11:08.for anyone earning less than ?80,000 a year.
:11:09. > :11:10.The Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, said those earning
:11:11. > :11:13.more than that would be asked to pay "a bit more" to help
:11:14. > :11:17.The Conservatives say they have no plan to raise income tax but have
:11:18. > :11:19.so far refused to completely rule it out.
:11:20. > :11:21.Our political correspondent Ben Wright reports.
:11:22. > :11:23.It was a slogan used by Tony Blair, now revived
:11:24. > :11:30.Setting out what he called a big deal to upgrade the economy,
:11:31. > :11:32.John McDonnell promised not to raise VAT or national insurance
:11:33. > :11:37.for anyone, but said the top 5% of earners would pay more.
:11:38. > :11:40.If Labour is elected next month, we will guarantee for the next five
:11:41. > :11:43.years, there will be no income tax rises, for all those earning less
:11:44. > :11:56.Labour is now the party of low taxes for middle and lower earners.
:11:57. > :11:59.Mr McDonnell said people earning more than ?80,000 a year would pay
:12:00. > :12:02.a modest amount more but the rates and details would have
:12:03. > :12:09.The Conservatives have promised not to raise VAT but have so far made no
:12:10. > :12:12.matching pledge on national insurance or income tax.
:12:13. > :12:18.Today, the Tories said Labour was going back to the past.
:12:19. > :12:22.They want to raise taxes, they want to penalise business,
:12:23. > :12:25.they want to penalise wealth creation and I think they will end
:12:26. > :12:28.up wrecking the economy as they have done in the past.
:12:29. > :12:31.The total amount of income tax raised in 2016 is
:12:32. > :12:37.The top 5% of UK earners, Labour's target group for tax rises, paid
:12:38. > :12:42.just over 47% of that, close to ?80 billion.
:12:43. > :12:46.You cannot make a really big change to the amount of money
:12:47. > :12:50.that is available just by focusing on people over 80,000 a year,
:12:51. > :12:54.partly because they already pay an awful lot of tax and a lot more
:12:55. > :12:57.than they did a few years ago, but partly because if you really
:12:58. > :12:59.want significant amounts of money, you have to do something
:13:00. > :13:02.the politicians don't like doing, which is hit the majority of people,
:13:03. > :13:06.which is where VAT and the national insurance and a lot of income
:13:07. > :13:13.You are pledging to increase tax on high earners have to pay
:13:14. > :13:15.for public services and borrow billions for infrastructure,
:13:16. > :13:18.but that has been Labour's message since Jeremy Corbyn became leader.
:13:19. > :13:22.Why do you think it can turn things around for Labour in the last four
:13:23. > :13:25.weeks of this general election campaign when it seems it
:13:26. > :13:31.I think there is an opportunity now in the general election campaign
:13:32. > :13:35.which we have not had before since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader.
:13:36. > :13:39.I think we can turn the polls around and I genuinely think we can secure
:13:40. > :13:45.Many of the bankers and financiers who work here would pay more income
:13:46. > :13:48.tax under Labour's plan and this is the first general
:13:49. > :13:50.election for many years, when there is a stark choice
:13:51. > :13:52.developing between Labour and the Conservatives with how
:13:53. > :14:02.the economy should be run and how money should be raised and spent.
:14:03. > :14:04.The Conservatives put the focus on mental health today,
:14:05. > :14:06.promising to reform the law to reduce discrimination,
:14:07. > :14:13.and recruit thousands more staff in England.
:14:14. > :14:16.The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said a "lot of new money"
:14:17. > :14:18.is going into improving England's mental health services
:14:19. > :14:20.under the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats dismissed
:14:21. > :14:22.today's pledge as "meaningless rhetoric".
:14:23. > :14:30.Theresa May has already talked of transforming the way mental
:14:31. > :14:34.health problems are dealt with across society.
:14:35. > :14:39.Now there are more details of what she wants to do if she gets
:14:40. > :14:44.The Conservatives say there are concerns that individuals,
:14:45. > :14:47.including young people, are detained unnecessarily
:14:48. > :14:50.in police cells and secure mental health wards,
:14:51. > :14:53.so the Mental Health Act, which dates back more than 30 years,
:14:54. > :14:59.If you have a child that has severe mental health problems
:15:00. > :15:03.and you find that child, instead of being treated by the NHS,
:15:04. > :15:07.actually ends up in a police cell, it's a terrible thing for the child,
:15:08. > :15:10.probably make their condition worse, but it's also very bad
:15:11. > :15:17.But the Liberal Democrats criticised the Conservative government's
:15:18. > :15:21.When I come across families who are waiting desperately
:15:22. > :15:24.for their children to receive the care they need, they feel badly
:15:25. > :15:31.So for me, it's empty rhetoric at the moment.
:15:32. > :15:33.The Conservatives also say they want to increase staffing
:15:34. > :15:38.levels in all areas of mental health care in England, with 10,000
:15:39. > :15:43.Currently, there are 200,000 in a variety of roles,
:15:44. > :15:48.but according to government figures, the number of mental health nurses
:15:49. > :15:56.Mental health charities welcome the aims, but are doubtful
:15:57. > :16:02.We've got to resource the front line so that there are enough beds
:16:03. > :16:04.and enough people and we wonder if the 10,000 people promised that
:16:05. > :16:13.will be trained by 2020, will be sufficient to meet such demand.
:16:14. > :16:16.The Conservatives acknowledge funding will come from existing
:16:17. > :16:22.Labour said the Tories hadn't delivered on a promise to give
:16:23. > :16:25.mental health the same priority as physical health and warm words
:16:26. > :16:29.wouldn't help tackle the injustice of unequal treatment.
:16:30. > :16:35.82 Nigerian schoolgirls, kidnapped by the extremist group
:16:36. > :16:39.Boko Haram three years ago, met their country's President
:16:40. > :16:42.today after being freed in a prisoner swap.
:16:43. > :16:45.They were among more than 200 girls taken from their school
:16:46. > :16:51.in the town of Chibok, at least 100 are still being held.
:16:52. > :16:56.With more details, here's our Africa correspondent, Alastair Leithead.
:16:57. > :17:03.Three years held in the forest by Boko Haram, here they are in
:17:04. > :17:07.the Nigerian capital, meeting the President.
:17:08. > :17:09.Campaigners and the families of those held, still don't
:17:10. > :17:13.know if their daughters are among those freed.
:17:14. > :17:18.Or that more than 100 are still being held.
:17:19. > :17:20.Whether she is among the ones that's freed
:17:21. > :17:22.or still in captivity, I don't know yet.
:17:23. > :17:25.Whether my baby is freed or not, I am very happy.
:17:26. > :17:30.This photograph was the first proof they were free.
:17:31. > :17:35.And once in Abuja, they were under the care of Nigerian soldiers,
:17:36. > :17:40.They looked tired and confused by all the attention.
:17:41. > :17:51.I am very glad and every Nigerian today must be forgetting how
:17:52. > :17:54.they were suffering because this is a very joyous moment.
:17:55. > :17:59.This Boko Haram video shows the girls shortly
:18:00. > :18:03.after they were kidnapped in April 2014, they were taken from Chibok
:18:04. > :18:07.It sparked international outrage and a global
:18:08. > :18:14.Last October, the first 21 were released, as negotiations
:18:15. > :18:20.The government says talks will now continue to free the rest.
:18:21. > :18:24.These girls have grown up under Boko Haram.
:18:25. > :18:27.Captives are often forced to marry their captors.
:18:28. > :18:30.Emotions will be in turmoil and returning to their families
:18:31. > :18:48.North Korea says it has detained an American citizen on suspicion
:18:49. > :18:50.of carrying out what it called "hostile acts".
:18:51. > :18:52.The state news agency said the man had been working
:18:53. > :18:54.for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.
:18:55. > :18:56.He's the second American to be detained by North
:18:57. > :19:01.A total of four US nationals are now being held by Pyongyang.
:19:02. > :19:04.Back to the General Election now and the Liberal Democrats have said
:19:05. > :19:06.today their manifesto will include a commitment to keep the "triple
:19:07. > :19:09.lock" on the state pension, which guarantees it rises by as much
:19:10. > :19:14.as wages, inflation or 2.5%, whichever is highest.
:19:15. > :19:18.Labour has also pledged to retain the triple lock.
:19:19. > :19:20.Theresa May has declined to say whether the
:19:21. > :19:26.Each week, the BBC's Steph McGovern, and the Reality Check team,
:19:27. > :19:30.will be looking at some of the key issues facing voters.
:19:31. > :19:32.Starting tonight with the state pension, and the triple lock
:19:33. > :19:40.I'm sure we've all thought of ways to try and make a bit of extra money
:19:41. > :19:43.and make life a bit easier, especially as you're getting older
:19:44. > :19:50.It can be tough to save for a private pensions for a lot
:19:51. > :19:55.There are around 13 million people claiming the state pension.
:19:56. > :20:00.It works out at a maximum of just over ?159 a week and that costs
:20:01. > :20:03.over ?90 billion a year, about 12% of the government's
:20:04. > :20:09.So how much it goes up by each year is based on something
:20:10. > :20:14.Statisticians will look at how much average earnings have gone up
:20:15. > :20:17.by and how much inflation, the cost of living,
:20:18. > :20:23.If either of them are over 2.5% then they will go with the highest.
:20:24. > :20:26.If they are less than that then they will increase
:20:27. > :20:32.Basically whichever of these three is highest.
:20:33. > :20:36.So this means that even at times when price rises and the increase
:20:37. > :20:39.in the cost of living has been close to zero, the state pension has
:20:40. > :20:50.Since April 2010, the state pension has gone up by 25%,
:20:51. > :20:54.compared with earnings going up by 14% and prices,
:20:55. > :21:02.So, if you're retired or close to retiring then this system
:21:03. > :21:06.Barry, you think you deserve this rise?
:21:07. > :21:08.I do deserve the rise, we need the increase every year.
:21:09. > :21:10.I am 73 years old and I'm still working.
:21:11. > :21:16.But for George, a different story, because you are a lot younger
:21:17. > :21:18.and you're finding it tough to save for anything.
:21:19. > :21:21.Yes, I'm 28 and I've been working since I finished university
:21:22. > :21:27.Do you think you'll be working a long time before you retire?
:21:28. > :21:30.Yeah I feel that retirement is a long way off.
:21:31. > :21:32.It's clear the triple lock system divides the generations.
:21:33. > :21:36.Older people are more likely to vote in an election so it is good
:21:37. > :21:39.for harnessing the grey vote but it's stirring up
:21:40. > :21:42.inequalities between the young and old in the future.
:21:43. > :21:47.There's also the question about whether it is sustainable.
:21:48. > :21:53.It's already costing the country several billion pounds more
:21:54. > :21:57.to sustain at the moment and the cost is going to go up over
:21:58. > :22:01.So the next government is going to have to make some pretty
:22:02. > :22:03.tough decisions about how and when it is going to get
:22:04. > :22:06.rid of the triple lock and what it will do instead.
:22:07. > :22:09.I will let you get back to your shopping.
:22:10. > :22:12.If we don't have that system, what do we do, because people
:22:13. > :22:15.still need money when they retire and it can't be a fixed rate
:22:16. > :22:21.So, one option is to have a double lock system, get rid of the 2.5%
:22:22. > :22:25.minimum and instead go by either how much earnings are increasing or how
:22:26. > :22:33.This is about fairness and sustainability.
:22:34. > :22:36.Some organisations think the triple lock system is simply an arbitrary
:22:37. > :22:39.way of setting pension rises and, if things carry on as they are,
:22:40. > :22:42.it's highly likely the age of retirement will have
:22:43. > :22:55.Steph McGovern, BBC News, Walton on Thames.
:22:56. > :23:00.Part of a new series we will be running between now and the
:23:01. > :23:02.election. Football now and you'll be
:23:03. > :23:04.able to watch highlights of today's Premier League
:23:05. > :23:06.and Scottish Premiership matches in Match of the Day 2
:23:07. > :23:08.and Sportscene later on. Meanwhile, Newcastle have won
:23:09. > :23:10.the Championship title It comes as the 1995 Premier League
:23:11. > :23:13.champions Blackburn were relegated to the third tier of English
:23:14. > :23:16.football, that's despite That's it from me in London,
:23:17. > :23:26.now back to Huw Edwards in Paris. So the people of France are taking
:23:27. > :23:29.in the news that they have elected the youngest president
:23:30. > :23:32.in their history, a politician with no background of elected
:23:33. > :23:37.office, he's beaten Marine Le Pen of the Front National,
:23:38. > :23:39.who declared tonight that her party was now firmly established
:23:40. > :23:41.as the main party of Our Paris correspondent
:23:42. > :23:59.Lucy Williamson is with me. I'd like to talk about what kind of
:24:00. > :24:06.president Mr Macron will be. What do you think this presidency will be
:24:07. > :24:11.about? He is young, energetic, charismatic. He talks about
:24:12. > :24:15.optimism. He talks a lot about breaking the system, renewing the
:24:16. > :24:20.system. I will tell you an anecdote from his time as a state auditor.
:24:21. > :24:28.One of his colleagues remembered how he used to leapfrog layers of senior
:24:29. > :24:34.management. He once took his oppose all straight to the Lee is a palace.
:24:35. > :24:39.He doesn't like obstacles getting in his way. He has the Parliamentary
:24:40. > :24:42.elections next month. With out a stable coalition and a good result,
:24:43. > :24:45.he won't be able to implement his project very easily and that is the
:24:46. > :24:49.biggest thing facing him at the moment. Lucy, thank you very much.
:24:50. > :24:52.That's all from Paris for tonight, in a moment we'll have the news
:24:53. > :24:55.where you are, but we'll leave you with some of the memorable
:24:56. > :24:58.scenes from France, on the day Emmanuel Macron was elected