Election 2017 Special Newsnight

You're joking? Another one! That the government should call a general

election. It's too much. The 8th of June. I can't really see the reason

why... To secure the strong and stable leadership the country needs.

For God's sake, I can't... I honestly can't stand it.

For the Prime Minister, it has a kind of impeccable

fix the majority while the sun is shining.

She might need those extra seats if the rain falls

She's gambling on a bigger win than David Cameron achieved last

time, and the polls make that look a good bet for her.

But for some in the country I suspect the feeling will be,

if the sun is shining we should be out barbecuing, rather

Even Westminster professionals, who normally love elections, must be

feeling punch drunk - are we to have momentous

national votes every year, as we've been doing since 2014?

We have an extended programme tonight -

we'll join Emily in Edinburgh later on, and we'll hear from

But this could be a strange one: there are to be no TV debates,

Also we have hugely important local elections

And above all, the main parties are in Brexit-related

Let's start with Nick Watt, our political editor.

You will probably be seen a lot more of him over the next six weeks.

Well, well, well. Where did that come from? Until recently all the

signals from number ten word that the Prime Minister was adamant there

should be no early general election. One Cabinet minister told me she

thought it would be destabilising for the Brexit process. But I

understand that in recent months a number of senior ministers, led

notably by Philip Hammond and David Davis, said we respect what the

Prime Minister is saying but don't close off your options, because it

may well be that the most stabilising thing to do is hold the

early general election. David Davis has been saying in private since

Christmas that unless there was an early general election he would face

trench warfare in the House of Lords with his early Brexit legislation.

Interestingly as far back as July David Davis was heard saying in his

inner circle he did not see how Brexit could be achieved without an

early general election. OK, Nick. So any indications as to what sort of

campaign Theresa May hopes to fight? The Prime Minister has secured the

services of Lynton Crosby -- Sir Lynton Crosby, the pollster and

political strategist who was rewarded with a knife

-- rewarded with a knighthood by David Cameron. The choice on Brexit

will be between certainty from the Torres and uncertainty from a

hodgepodge of other parties, but this minister said to me there is

one big difference, Jeremy Corbyn is a much better target for the

Conservatives than Ed Miliband ever was. So, look, Evan, it's been

another dramatic day in this still young Premiership.

Over the quiet holiday period, Theresa May was busy hatching and

Easter surprise. Only a handful of ministers and close aides were let

in on the secret overnight, which was finally revealed after the media

were unexpectedly summoned to Downing Street. It was with

reluctance that I decided the country needs this election, but it

is with strong conviction that I say it is necessary to secure the strong

and stable leadership the country needs to see us through Brexit and

beyond. Today's announcement amounted to the biggest U-turn by

Theresa May, who had definitively rolled out an early election from

the moment she stood for the Tory leadership. Under you, is it

absolutely certain we will not see an election before 2020? I'm not

going to be calling a snap election. I've been very clear that I think we

need that period of time, that ability, to be able to deal with the

issues the country is facing and have that election in 2020. The

Prime Minister, who takes great pride in sticking to her word,

darted to have a rethink as she started to embark on the Article 50

process. She thought her in tire Brexit strategy could become gummed

up in parliamentary wrangles after Lib Dem leader Tim Farron talked

about using his sizeable contingent of peers to grind business to a

halt. One minister also told me that a big mandate could strengthen the

Prime Minister's and in Brussels negotiations and sideline hardline

Brexiteers and hardline Remainers back home. Perish the thought that

the strong poll lead was anywhere in the Prime Minister's Mind. I think

she has made an entirely cynical calculation that between now and

2020, now gives her the best chance of having a win. What she doesn't

seem to be worried about, and denying she would do it, is throwing

the whole Brexit process and our future as a country into uncertainty

while we have that general election. Theresa May, who finally made up her

mind during a walking holiday with her husband in Snowdonia, is

sensitive to the charge that she is acting in her own, rather than the

national, interests. Supporters were at pains to stress that the Prime

Minister would never stoop so low. I really do think that the Prime

Minister is governed by the national interests, and certainly that has

been my experience of working with her. I think she would have very

reluctantly taken the decision to call a general election. As she

herself said, she didn't want to call this general election. It is of

course rather handy that the national interest tallies with the

Prime Minister's. It strengthens her hand because she will have the

direct endorsement of the British people in an election and she would

get an enhanced parliamentary majority to achieve that. One

leading Tory Brexiteer believes the Prime Minister was left with no

choice. At the moment what you have is Labour effectively threatening to

hijack the final deal, the Lib Dems want a second referendum and have

100 unelected members of the House of Lords who want to effectively

gridlock this place, that is her threat -- their threat. The Scottish

separatists have their own agenda. It is her reflection on how she's

going to conduct these negotiations. And to eyeball the other side and

say look, I can deliver this. Jeremy Corbyn's poor showing in opinion

polls has prompted nerves among MPs that the party could face its worst

ever election result in the post-war period. One minister told me Theresa

May could close Central office and still win a landslide. We are in

politics to change the way that our society works, to make it fairer and

more socially sustainable for everybody. Those are arguments that

we have had at every general election, regardless of who is the

leader, and it is that argument that we have to get across. Jeremy will

do it in his way, I will do it in my way. After her message, she was

received enthusiastically to night. It's a general election, watch out,

one former minister said. We were not meant to have

an election until the 7th May 2020. That Act was meant to take

the decision out of the hands It didn't work so well

on that score. On the other hand,

we have seen something That she is more of a tactician

than she publicly likes to admit. Well, I sat down a little earlier

with the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd. I began by asking her when she found

out there would be a snap election. This morning, so after the Queen

but before the rest of the Cabinet. Before the rest of the country,

not before the rest of the Cabinet, or did you learn before the rest

of the Cabinet? I learned before the rest

of the Cabinet and then she set it And was there any dissent

or debate in Cabinet, "We're going to have

an election, that's that"? It's the Prime Minister's

decision, isn't it, whether Well, no, because we have the fixed

Parliament act, to stop... And indeed it is her decision

to call the general election but it is up to the MPs tomorrow

to decide whether that should go through or not,

and we need two thirds then. But actually the answer

to your question is, no, there was no dissent,

a lot of people were surprised as well, but she had the unanimous

support of Cabinet members. What would you say to those

members of the public, and they may be a minority,

who say, "We have voted in a referendum last year,

an election in the year before, you've got a majority,

just get on with it!" "Don't come back to us for another

say, you should just Well, I would urge them to listen

to the statement the Prime Minister made and perhaps the arguments

the rest of us are setting out. She's been very clear why

she has called this. The fact is, if we can have a strong

negotiating hand as we go incredibly important EU negotiation,

it will improve her opportunity to get

a good deal for the UK. But this is a matter

of trust, isn't it? "There will not be

a general election". She could have said,

"Read my lips", but she didn't. She must have anticipated

we were going to have a negotiation with the EU, she must have

anticipated there would be the odd bit of dissent

in the House of Lords... It's a perfectly fair point to make

but the fact is the Prime Minister did address that argument,

she did say, "I've come to this reluctantly and these

are the reasons why". She hasn't been coy

about hiding behind that. How can we trust her on other things

that she's said, if she's so willing to change her mind on things

on which she has been And then she will just

pop up and say, OK, How could we trust her on, say,

the pledge to reduce, which she has repeated recently,

the pledge to reduce immigration Well, I would say,

listen to the arguments. She has taken head-on that criticism

in the speech that she made earlier today and we will be hearing more

about it today. It is about the fact that we are now

entering into this negotiation. There is no better time, really,

to make sure that the Prime Minister We have always known

that she wanted a strong hand. I do accept that it has been

premeditated, as you're suggesting. I accept the fact that she has

come to this reluctantly after thinking about it recently,

and made this decision. She has been very candid about that

and she has a reputation for taking her time to consider

things and then making a decision. She has a reputation for being

straight with the people... She took her time, she made

a decision, and when the polls turned in her favour,

decisively in her favour, And the public will have

an opportunity to decide whether they see it like that

in approximately 50 days. I asked you how we could

trust her on other Can we trust her that immigration

will come down to tens of thousands? The manifesto, if that's

what you're asking about, We will be setting that out in next

couple of weeks and then we will address that question

and many others. Then it is possible that the 10,000

pledge will not be in the manifesto? Right, well then it must be

possible that it's not. It's really very hard

for me to give an answer. It was reiterated on the 2nd

of April when she was in India. You are now saying it is possible

that that won't be in the manifesto. I'm not prepared to tell

you what is going to be When it's out, I hope I'll

have an opportunity for further The real reason many Tory analysts

are suggesting that she called an election is not the polls,

it is that she wants a bigger majority because she's

scared of the Brexiteers Because, one day, she might have

to come back in the next two years and say it's not as easy as I have

suggested, folks, it's going to be quite a tough thing and the Brexit

is not going to be as clear-cut Do you think that's

why she has done it? There are many people trying

to rationalise what happened today which did come as a

surprise to many others. I can't give you I a yes or no

to that question because people are throwing up all sorts

of different theories about it. What I can say is that it certainly

gives her an opportunity, if she gets what we hope she'll get

but we are not complacent, a good majority, the opportunity

to arrive at an potential compromises within the EU,

potential lines that she can set but there will be plenty

of opportunities to debate them You are actually, in a way,

your language, very interestingly, is confirming some of the suspicions

that people have voiced, which is she is paving the way

to get a bigger majority which will make it easier

for her to deliver a slightly softer Brexit than

she has hitherto suggested. I think you're jumping

too far ahead on that. I don't think we know yet what sort

of Brexit were going to end up with. She's told us what she

wants, hasn't she? And she's going to

get what she wants. Well, we hope so but those

negotiations haven't even begun yet. But you're entertaining the idea

that it could be slightly softer Again, I don't think we should look

yet for all those conspiracy There are lots of different

theories, perfectly sensible, perhaps, but the one that is most

important is the timing. The fact that we have triggered

Article 50, we don't want to be going into an election year,

as we enter the final We want to be able to have that full

mandate, the five years to go ahead so that we do negotiations and then

go ahead for the next years. There's a whole year of being out

before the next election. We don't have a year

of elections, do we? The fact is, the EU would know,

in terms of any negotiations, for the final deal, that the UK

would be going into In terms of having a strong hand

in negotiating with the EU, you don't want a UK election

to be on the cards. If you want to say this

is the mandate that the UK has, last year's referendum

was decisive but close. I hope that this year we can get

a strong mandate so we can go and negotiate for Brexit

in the national interest. Theresa May has made very clear

voting for her gives her So, what should people say

to her if they like Theresa May, they like the Tories but they don't

like her Brexit? Well, I would ask them

to interrogate that Brexit. So she set out, at the Lancaster

House meeting, her Brexit proposals. You say she wants out

of the single market, I agree. But the phrase is,

the widest possible access You said she wants out

of the customs union, I agree but she still wants to have

negotiating where we can participate in some elements of the customs

union to help our businesses. So, I don't think it's quite

as clear cut as you're putting it. I listened to that Lancaster House

speech that she gave... She talked about the widest possible

access to the single market. She's been admirably clear

about a very hard Brexit. Stephen Dorrell, who was

a Tory Health Secretary was saying we need to vote for candidates

candidates who are pro-European who wanted to extend

our relationship with Europe. I don't recognise this

description of hard Brexit You can call it sensible Brexit,

you can call it national interest Brexit, but it's neither

one extreme or the other. It's a practical Brexit

were going to try and deliver Theresa May wants it to be

an election about Brexit She said the country is coming

together, but Westminster is not, hence the need to change

the personnel at Westminster, so what will this

election be fought over? Theresa May's other plans such

as the reinvention of capitalism? Jeremy Corbyn's plans

for social care and inheritance tax? Maybe issues

won't determine it at all. One thing to look out

for is the fact the new election gives parties a chance to dump

the promises they've made before, Our policy editor,

Chris Cook, reports. Soon, the electoral bandwagons

will start their role across the UK. We've had a lot of big

public votes lately. This time around, though, what will

the arguments actually be about? A useful idea here is

so-called issue salience. Pollsters track which topics people

are really thinking about. Don't worry too much

about the numbers, just watch this line here,

representing interest and worry It has surged as a topic lately,

overtaking old standards Brexit is Britain's

number one issue. So, as pollsters we're trying

to understand all the different things that have an impact

on how people vote. That includes things like

party image, leader image, But one of the crucial things

in the mix is issues. Things like the economy, NHS,

immigration, Brexit and so on. What is most important to voters

when they go to the polling station? So here are the latest up issues

according to Ipsos Mori. In fourth place,

education or schools. So, watch which topics

Ms May chose today. Britain is leaving

the European Union. Let us put forward our plans

for Brexit and our alternative programmes for government,

and then let the people decide. The Liberal Democrats think

Brexit works for them too. Well, it's an opportunity

for the people of this country to change the direction of this

country, to decide that they do not want a hard Brexit,

they want to keep Britain Labour, though, seemed to be seeking

a broader discussion. I welcome the opportunity to put

the case to the people of Britain, to stand up against this government

and its failed economic agenda which has left our NHS in problems

which has left our schools underfunded which has left

so many people uncertain. The SNP is trying to

define itself broadly That would mean not just

the hardest possible Brexit. More austerity and deeper cuts

so now is the time for Scotland's voice to be heard and for people

in Scotland to stand up for the kind of country we want Scotland to be

under but the campaign that I look forward to leading

in the weeks ahead. But the thread of another

independence referendum is going to be the one that runs

through all the other parties Theresa May's defining topic though

might be something else. Collectors don't just

look at policy topics. It's also about issues

such as competence. Do voters think that the parties

will make a difference and they take a kind of emotional view

on this, as well. Parts of her speech have played

alongside a chart of whom voters And the decision facing the country

will be all about leadership. It will be a choice between strong

and stable leadership in the national interest with me

as your Prime Minister all week -- or weak and unstable coalition

government led by Jeremy Corbyn. You may have heard

some of this before. This was basically

the 2015 Tory pitch. Britain has a choice

between the competence that has got us this far or the chaos of giving

it up, going backwards, So, in short, expect something

of a best of compilation some of the 2016 fight on Brexit,

some of the 2015 general election and, for viewers in Scotland,

yet another chapter in the argument I said this was an interesting

election. This is why. Much of the action is within the parties.

Will voters defy the usual party boundaries.

We're joined by the Baroness Tessa Jowell, who served under Tony Blair,

Do you think Brexit is going to loom over this election? This is on that

-- undoubtedly a Brexit election. What is important to remember is

that Brexit has served as a powerful proxy for people. I represented a

seat in south London for 23 years, I did surgeries every week, nobody

ever came to my surgery and said, the real problem I face is that we

are members of the European Union. So, Brexit has become a very

powerful proxy for, I think, and apprehension about change, a sense

of being left behind, seeing the economy create hot spots like

London, like other successful cities in the UK, whereas very many

communities feel overwhelmed by the pace of change and the consequences

of that for them. Here's one example. Very quickly. Boston in

Lincolnshire voted by the largest margin to leave the European Union,

a very large number of migrants, not any longer working in the fields,

the agricultural community of Boston on a seasonal basis but because

technology has changed living there most of the time. I'm interested in

how this plays in the election. 48% are the ones feeling the political

system has left them behind. Some of them would say let's not go ahead

with this. You are among those. What is the tactic over the next seven

weeks? Do you stick with party loyalty or do you say look at my

candidate, I want a candidate who stands up for the things I believe

in and I'm not going to vote for one who doesn't. This is one of those

seas where, as the report said, brakes on nonparty, non-tribal

lines. In a sense, that's always been the case. There has always

been... What happens in the election? What are you going to do

if you are fanatically for Remain and you are in Kate Hoey's

constituency and she is a fervent lever. -- leave. Many people want to

make this about the National Health Service, so on. This is not going to

happen. It is about Brexit. The responsibility of candidates of

every party is to not just sign up to Brexit at any cost, which I

believe will create enormous damage to the country in the long-term but

to come back, those who are elected to Westminster, with a mandate based

on the understanding of their constituents, invested trust in them

as their representatives. I'm going to push you a little bit. I want to

know where this goes. Would you consider voting Lib Dem if you had a

Labour candidate who was pro-Brexit? No. I am now a member of the House

of Lords. I am not facing election. But I hope that the members of my

party who are facing election and whose efforts I hope to support will

take the case for Europe. They have failed to make the case for Europe.

To give people the opportunity to think again, if the promises that

the Brexit lobby have made do not materialise. Tony Blair has said he

is ready to stand and support certain Lib Dems. Would you support?

I don't think that's the case. I think it is pure mischief. It's a

very dangerous thing to discredit the importance of this issue and

turn it into one about tactical political cross-dressing. Tessa,

thank you very much. The two men who ran

the 2015 campaign for the Conservatives and Labour -

Sir Craig Oliver Political crossed Racing. How much

of it is going to go on? -- political crossed Racing. Tessa is

right. This is going to be a Brexit election. It will enable more

tactical decision-making than before. Do I think Labour voters

should vote Lib Dem? I don't. I don't think Labour can win the

election that I think we need to have strong opposition after the

election and that some point were going to have a different leader

than Jeremy Corbyn and they need to inherit some MPs and spirit within

the Labour Party. Craig, I asked Tessa Jowell whether she would vote

for Kate Hoey. How should Michael Heseltine vote in this election? I'm

not going to advise Michael Heseltine. What was interesting

about what Teza was saying, she is right. This is largely going to be a

Brexit election. It is an election where the majority of the electorate

understand it is going to happen and they will ask who is most competent

to deal with this big issue. The second thing is who is going to be

the most effective leader. By a country mile, Theresa May is ahead

in that front. I suspect when those questions are asked, who is the best

leader, who is the most competent, I think for many people be answerable

be obvious. Do Labour need to have a specific Brexit plan for people to

vote for? I think they do. One of the problems today is Labour trying

to change the subject. They have got to embrace that this is about Brexit

and they have got to get some clarity and distinctiveness. They

are not going to get anywhere by saying, take a little bit of

immigration and get some access to the single market. People need to

know where they stand on this central issue of our generation. And

I don't. Right, and you work in the party!

Let talk about where you would run this? If you're a head in the polls

and ahead on leadership, those are the two natural questions. What I

think you will see is the Conservative Party over the next

seven weeks constantly asking those questions, who is best to deal with

Brexit? Who has the best leader? They feel they have the answers,

they feel the stars have aligned. They feel the Labour Party is in

total disarray. Interesting point Tom makes about having to have a

Lear position on Brexit, when half of your seats are Remain and half

are Leave, that is very difficult. What would be the advice to the

Torres on how to run this election? We will come to Labour in a second.

I think they probably taken it. Theresa May holds all the cards. She

is trying to pitch this as, who do you trust to get the best deal for

Britain? The alternative for Labour, trying to make it about anything

other than Brexit, it comes down to the personality of the leader and

Theresa May is going to win on that. She has got to make it about her

leadership and the Brexit negotiations and that looks very

strong. I did quite a feud interviews today and the only people

really coming out for Labour were people like Tom, who are basically

feeling a bit awkward about the reality of their current leadership.

And I think that's another real problem during this campaign, there

is a lot of Labour people thinking, maybe if Jeremy Corbyn just gets

damaged that little bit will knock out and we can get someone who is

more effective. We will put that to Emily Thornbury, who will be on.

What would be your advice to Labour? It wouldn't start from here. They

are in an incredibly difficult situation. They've got a leader who

is seen, broadly, as incompetent. They are split down the middle. The

reality is, you're going to have to try and force it on issues like the

NHS, education. There is a lot of divisiveness about that kind of

thing. They are trying to talk about the NHS and other things and maybe,

Tom, that is the best place. They've got a mountain to climb. That may be

the best thing for Labour. If they don't take this opportunity to get

clarity on Brexit, they're going to offer even more because it will

become about Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May. They have this one

opportunity to get some clarity on this key issue. I think they could

say that this is an election where Theresa May looks incredibly strong

but she is actually called it out of weakness. She knows Brexit is going

to be a disaster, she knows it's not going to be a land of milk and

honey, she is cutting and running before the reality bites for Brexit.

This is actually Theresa May being week rather than strong. Thank you

both very much indeed. Anything can happen in politics

these days, and so even though Labour looks to have a mountain

to climb, it surely can win. But it is, in a way,

two parties at the moment, not one. Corbyn supporters and his critics

take different views on many things. The critics probably

won't want to rock the boat, The New Statesman's special

correspondent, Stephen Bush, the country's closest watcher

of Labour politics, has been looking This piece contains graffiti that

some may find offensive. Jeremy Corbyn's challenge is to break out

of places like this and appeal to people all around the country.

Labour will fight two campaigns in June. The first will be campaigns

all around the country, campaigns designed to say we will take the

most and give to everybody, like free school meals. They hope this

will give people a chance to change their mind on Jeremy Corbyn.

The pessimists in Jeremy Corbyn's campaign are fighting a very

They believe that the opposition of its

own MPs, the effectiveness of Brexit on the Labour vote and Theresa May's

own popularity means that they cannot win this election.

What they are hoping to do is to fight a

second election as leader, just as Neil Kinnock did.

That's why they, like his critics, will actually be fighting

another campaign - to convince other

Labour Party members that th ensuing defeat was

If we ask how we got here, it is possible to answer that

traditional politics - both new Labour and old Tory -

had failed to maintain a connection to blue collar voters,

often in towns and small cities of the north of England.

They often voted for Brexit and have electoral force.

They are Labour's old base, but it has been suggested that some

of them might be persuaded to vote Tory.

The Labour constituency of Barrow and Furness is a good one

Filmmaker Nick Blakemore has spent time before

today's announcement, sounding out voters

The Conservatives at this time are the only party that are going to

deliver Brexit. Could you consider voting for them? I could consider

voting for them because of that. All my friends are working class people.

We are all working class people, mainly in Barrow. But a lot of my

friends think the Conservatives are the ones with brains, and sometimes,

to put it bluntly, they think they are a pack of

away they treat people, I don't think people see the left as being

smart people at the moment. I have worked since the age of 14. I work

long hours and I put everything I've got into it. I don't expect anything

handed to me. But I do know people who have actually said to me, I am

better off being on the dole, though why should I work? I have voted

Labour all my life but I don't think I will in the next election. I'm

swinging towards Theresa May, I think she's a strong woman. I think

she will get more backing from her party than Jeremy Corbyn look will.

I think she's very patriotically machine once the country to be

better. I think she cares about what normal people, everyday people that

go to work nine to five, have to do all the stuff that we don't like, I

think she cares about what they think and she wants to make that

better for them. So for someone who has voted Labour all their life is

it fair to say that you might think about voting Conservative? Yes. If

they are the ones that are going to get the job done, absolutely. --

yes. With Brexit. Yes. I'm looking for a party that tells me the truth,

that not only talks the talk but walks the walk. I'll be honest with

you, I am a Labour man. Theresa May, yeah, I'm not saying... She's saying

the right things, but I don't think I could actually pull myself to vote

Tory at this point in time. Having said that, I've got to be honest

with you, Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party, if there was ever a

time in the Labour Party's existence, now is the time for unity

and it's just not there. Everybody in the country can see it. There's

no way that the establishment, the media and the establishment, are

going to allow a left of centre government to get into power. The

media perception of Corbyn is disgraceful. He doesn't stand up for

himself. If Corbyn was my MP in Barrow, I would vote for him as a

constituency MP, but I don't think I support him in his views in

government. Because I think he is too wishy-washy. Brexit is obviously

the issue. It's certainly confusing. I think the electorate will be

confused as to where they would vote with their natural allegiances. What

Theresa May said on the streets of Downing Street, if she was a Labour

Prime Minister, I would have been very pleased with it. What do you

mean by that? Because I thought she was very... This is when she became

Prime Minister? When she became Prime Minister, yeah. She was going

to look after the ones who were only just managing, she said. The actions

will be so much different from the words, but it's going to take time

for that to come through, for the electorate to see that, that they

don't really mean that, they're going to look after their own like

they always do. The working class people now are changing. They don't

want to be classed as working class. That's it, it's gone. We are a small

island, but we are miles apart, you know, from the southern end to the

northern end, and miles apart in the thinking, sometimes. Voters in

Barrow and Furness, there. The Labour MP for Barrow and Furness,

John Woodcock, has said in a Facebook video tonight that he

cannot endorse Jeremy Corbyn is the next Prime Minister, adding that

there is still time for him to stand down as the Labour leader rather

than take Labour to defeat. Emily Thornbury is

the Shadow Foreign Secretary. Do you accept that there has been some cut

through from Theresa May into the labour base in the last couple of

years? I thought what he said was very interesting and he said, I like

what it is that she says and what this election ought to be about is,

what it is that they're doing. Let's look at the evidence. Let's look at

fact that they are cutting money per pupil, we're getting cuts to

schools. For the first time since, I don't know, 30, 40 years, if your

child breaks their arm, they will wait seven hours in A We know

this. Your carer will only be there at lunch time, you have to go along

and look after your mum yourself because of the cuts to social care.

That is the reality. That is what is our job during this election, to

say, actually as a country we are failing. We're failing

internationally but we're failing nationally in terms of the

economy... How many years has it been since the banks now, seven

years, and we're told we need to continue to cut back on public

services to pay off the debt, and the debt continues to go up. A lot

of people are saying this is a Brexit election, Labour will try and

talk about other things because Labour's position Brexit just isn't

clear. When it comes to Brexit, the Lib Dems are very clear. The Torres

are clear. And Labour is kind of straddling... Well, you know, we

haven't picked a side. We are a national party and we want to

represent the nation. The fact that we have people who wanted to remain

at people who wanted to leave is actually a strength. It's a

strength? It is a strength because there has to be a party that tries

to pull the country together, that gets a deal that works for

everybody. But that implies people should say, look, I'm a Brexit here,

I'm not going to remain for a Remain MP, or vice versa. If you can't come

up with a party position on what is the overwhelmingly most important

issue that everybody is talking about, isn't that a problem? Two

things, the first thing is we have a ready had a vote on Brexit, why do

we need another one? We had one a year ago when the public decided

they wanted to leave. Labour's position is that we accept that

result but we need to make sure we look after the economy first. The

most important thing is the safety and security of citizens and the

second most important thing is the economy. Then we say, Theresa May,

you promised six things that we really like and we're going to hold

you do that and we will vote against you if you don't. Will you come up

with an alternative Brexit model that the voters can say, actually we

prefer the Labour model to Theresa May's model? Let's just start with

this. We need to have a government that understands that the economy is

more important than anything else. That is what every economy around

the world does. -- every country. A plan that says, here is a clear

choice, Britain, you have two Brexit Global you can choose... The

government has said they can get a free trade deal with the European

Union where we can get the same benefits as we have at the moment.

We say, great, you can do that and we will hold you do that, because

that is what we need. That is saying you should vote for Theresa May! To

see if she can get that. The point is that her vision for Brexit is

promising everyone everything and hoping to press every single button,

and we have said, you cannot have all of that. Here are the things we

think are the priorities and we will hold you to account on that. Having

an election about you holding them to account on something they haven't

done... Today on the steps of Downing Street she is saying, we

don't like the opposition playing games with us and being mean to us,

we're going to have a general election and hope to get rid of the

opposition and get lots of votes, and we want a blank cheque. They had

a limited amount of time to do these elections, negotiations...

Respectfully, the election has to be on your alternative prospectus, not

on you holding them to account on their prospectus. It has to be about

the colony, it has to be about people's day-to-day lives. It is

about schools being cut, it is about... John Woodcock, an MP saying

I couldn't vote for Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister but I am Labour and I

wanted win my seat and be reselected as the candidate for Labour. What

should the members of his party in that constituency do? People who are

sitting MPs will be how candidates in the next general election.

-- John Woodcock doesn't have to vote for Jeremy Corbyn as leader.

Absolutely we can win. Theresa May can't put forward what she wants for

Brexit because she wants to put everything at the moment. If people

vote Conservative, they will be giving her a blank cheque. Vote

Labour. Well, Scotland turned out to be

one of the big stories the SNP was cited by Theresa May

as one reason for going So let us go to Edinburgh

now, and Emily there. Thanks very much. We've come to

Scotland to ask whether the Prime Minister 's decision was the huge

political miscalculation that Nicola Sturgeon declared it to be today.

The SNP dominated here. They created the biggest elliptical swings ever

seen in a modern UK election when they fought the Westminster seats

here some two years ago. They won all but three. Can they maintain

that level of power or will they have two slide backwards from

something that already seems pretty miraculous in terms of election

gains. Perhaps the biggest question is what will the decision to cause a

Westminster general election mean for the future of Scotland? Has

Theresa May given a mandate to Nicola Sturgeon to do the same thing

here in triggering the second referendum we know she wants. If so,

can she bring Scotland in behind her. Lets talk to Sarah Smith. We've

already leapfrogged that sense of the general election to move onto

this question of Scotland's future. The independent is going to totally

dominate this campaign. It won't be about Brexit, it will be about

another referendum. In some ways, it will be a referendum on whether

there should be another referendum on independence. The SNP believe

they can use this to bolster their demands for another referendum

because at the moment Theresa May says she will not allow one until

Britain has left the EU. They may have two answer a few tricky

questions. If we have a campaign talking about independence, voters

might want to know what an independent Scotland would be like.

What currency? Whether Scotland would seek full EU membership.

Questions they are not ready to answer fully yet. The Scottish

Parliament already voted for another referendum but a campaign could help

them in that demand. The Tories feel that they can make significant gains

in Scotland. They could put in their manifesto a specific aim to deny a

referendum on Scottish independence. I am going to put that question to a

supporter of the SNP and someone who is a thorn in the side for Nicola

Sturgeon. Do you think this is what she has in mind, this idea that

Theresa May could put something in the manifesto that rules out a

referendum in Scotland? I think so. The SNP will be compelled to put

something in their manifesto as well. By any measurement, the SNP is

going to come out of this election with the most seats and biggest vote

share in Scotland. The Conservatives will argue if the SNP slipped back

from that high point of 56 seats and nearly 50% of the vote in 2015, then

somehow that represents a shift, that it vindicates the Tory argument

that there is no appetite for a second referendum. You think Nicola

Sturgeon is weakened tonight? Not in the least. Most Scots will be gassed

that there is a cynical power grab by Theresa May today. It's nothing

to do with Brexit or resolving the dilemmas... That was an accusation

levelled at the SNP when that referendum was mooted. The majority

of people in Scotland want to be in Europe. The SNP have 56 MPs as

opposed to a paltry 84 the Tories. What does the SNP have to hold onto

to feel that it has Scotland behind it? They just have to get more than

40 seats and that seems likely. The real question is how the

Conservatives in Scotland measure a victory. They had a revival, a

modest revival last year. They are confident it will be extended in the

local government elections and in the general election. They are

looking at around half a dozen seats. The sort of constituencies

they picked up in last year's Scottish Parliamentary elections.

The SNP by any measure will win the election but I think the Tory

calculation is that they will check SNP momentum. The Tories currently

have one MP north of the -- north of the border. One more would be 100%

increase. Is there a worry that the SNP will go back? How could they?

Labour is in disarray both sides of the border. I think this will be

about Brexit. Scotland is trying to define itself differently than the

society emerging south of the border. There are a lot aspects that

people find objectionable. The SNP are in the process of pivoting away

from rejoining the EU immediately if Scotland were to become independent

and towards the European economic area. They are not being upfront

about that because it has caught them unaware because they are going

to have to play catch-up. They have to be clear in their manifesto about

precisely what they are proposing. Would she spell out revenue or

money, all the rest of it? We have had this sprung on others for one

day. I am not an SNP member or key supporter. There are ample

opportunities for Scotland and variations of what we could do in

Europe and the one thing most Scots would agree on is that we need to be

in their exploiting one or other opportunity. There is also the

aspects of the rape clause in the benefits legislation that people

find apparent. There is a pattern that people are finding with a

winner takes all, greedy society that is inward looking down self and

people don't want that year. If you thought this was going to be talk of

the general election in Scotland, it has already leapfrogged the general

election. We feel already at the starting point of a second

referendum. It could be an incredibly long eight weeks up here.

Let's finish with a panel to talk through the choices on offer -

I'm joined by Paul Mason who is a Guardian columnist

and Corbyn supporter, Polly Mackenzie who was special

adviser to Nick Clegg, and Fraser Nelson who is

Fraser, do we need this election? This is not a necessary election

even though Theresa May tried to pretend otherwise. It is needed

because it helps her a lot. It will consolidate her power over the party

and it will help in EU negotiations but really she was facing a once in

a generation opportunity to have an election against an opposition which

is incredibly weak and figured it would be rude not to, really. Such

an incredible opportunity here. It would have taken a big politician to

resist this. She said she would but in the end it was irresistible. I

think it's a measure to the extent of her original strategy on Brexit

fail. I am glad we are having an election. It had to happen because

she tried to use the Brexit referendum for a mandate of a kind

of government which was vacuous because there is no consent to the

Brexit... The content is the threat to walk away, walk off a cliff,

destroy the NHS in the process. She knew she couldn't get away with

that. It has been spun in the papers... The Daily Mail tomorrow is

saying "Crush the saboteurs". When you say somebody with a 40% lead in

the polls needing to crush saboteurs. You worry about how

secure she thought she was. It had to happen. We had to have some

content to Brexit. Polly, do you think this is a necessary or cynical

election? It's pretty cynical but whether she is doing it from

weakness or strength, it will make a stronger, it will increase her

majority. It's a foregone conclusion. I think Labour will win.

That is definitely what where the bookies are. If you ask people what

you think about giving the Conservatives a blank check for

Brexit? All the issues for Labour, the NHS and everything must be

framed about preventing a socially unjust Brexit. Senior Labour people

think bring it on. We have a chance to stage a political revolution

against the Conservatives and I think we can do it. But the Labour

Party has backed Brexit and absolutely set go ahead. If you want

to stop the Conservatives having a blank cheque and a landslide,

outside of Scotland, I take the point on, the only party to go for

is the Lib Dems. Whether that is going to be a majority opinion or

not it doesn't make any sense to switch to the Labour Party. People

do want to do their best to sabotage Brexit, as the Daily Mail put it

should vote for the Lib Dems if there is a chance of them beating

the Conservatives. I'm in favour of organising from the grassroots some

sort of progressive socially just alliance to prevent what is about to

happen. Would you vote tactically? I would do in my own constituency. I

would probably get drummed out of the Labour Party but I would. Which

party is going to do better? Is the Lib Dem party going to rise? I think

this is a great early Christmas present for the Lib Dems. They are

unequivocally the Remain party. They define their own politics by Brexit

remain. There is only one pro-Remain party in the market right now and

that is the Lib Dems. Scotland has separate dynamics. The Lib Dems

can't get any lower and they might get back some of the seats they lost

to the Tories in the West Country. It is the only good news they have

had for some time will stop some people feel it is Theresa May

wanting to deliver a softer Brexit for which she needs a majority to

see down her own Brexit is. Amber Rudd didn't allow that to night. She

was saying it is true that one of the results of this will be a more

possible softer Brexit so you can negotiate it past the Tory

backbenchers. It is one of the many ways it will be helpful for Theresa

May. Polly? It depends who is elected. Those elected could be

pretty hardline Brexit supporters. If people don't want Brexit to

become an economic catastrophe and smashing the welfare state and

employment rights it's an opportunity for people to vote

heavily to prevent the Tories from having a majority. My constituency

is at Vauxhall. Kate Hoey. I will vote tactical. I'm a Labour Party

member. At the moment, I'm going to vote for the Labour Party candidate.

That is not the tactical vote. Kate Hoey is the exception that proves

the rule. John Woodcock said earlier... The NEC can vote any

Labour candidates who don't want to be part of labour. Ultimately, we in

Labour have two position ourselves very much towards the section of the

electric that is worried about Brexit and once social justice. We

should be together finding a way to block... Poly- RU recommending Lib

Dem supporters to vote tactically? Plenty of live Lib Dem voters are

voting tactically all of their lives and they are not going to stop now.

You would be forgiven from the pictures to think that the Prime

Minister addressed a empty Downing Street this morning. That was not

the case. Downing Street was groaning with people. Seven weeks to

polling day, let's hope it flies by. I have just chaired a meeting of the

Cabinet where we agreed that the government should call a general

election. Good evening. Let's get a check on

the weather for web and stay. It is looking pretty good but the cloud

will be increasing through