:00:00. > :00:00.general election to be held on June eight. And
:00:00. > :00:13.Theresa May calls a snap general election saying divisions
:00:14. > :00:16.at Westminster over Brexit gave her no option.
:00:17. > :00:21.Our opponents believe because the Government's majority is so small
:00:22. > :00:28.that our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change
:00:29. > :00:32.course. They are wrong. This is big U-turn in recent political history.
:00:33. > :00:36.It's very clear that the Prime Minister's announcement today is one
:00:37. > :00:37.all about the narrow interests of her own party not the interests of
:00:38. > :00:42.the country overall. We'll be assessing the political
:00:43. > :00:45.implications for Scotland and we'll be finding out what voters
:00:46. > :00:52.here think as they go to the polls I didn't think I can be bothered
:00:53. > :00:55.with another election. She hasn't the full support of the whole
:00:56. > :00:58.country. That is what she needs. She's done a bit of time. It's time
:00:59. > :01:00.we got to choose again. Members of the Church of Scotland
:01:01. > :01:04.are to be asked to allow ministers Theresa May's plans for a general
:01:05. > :01:22.election in June will mean the Scottish electorate will have
:01:23. > :01:24.gone to the polls seven The Prime Minister says the snap
:01:25. > :01:33.election will give the country certainty and stability,
:01:34. > :01:35.the First Minister described it as Our political editor, Brian Taylor,
:01:36. > :01:49.assesses the announcement Downing Street, she said she
:01:50. > :01:54.wouldn't, now she will. I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet
:01:55. > :01:56.where we agreed that the Government should call a general election to be
:01:57. > :02:03.where we agreed that the Government held on the 8th June. Straight out
:02:04. > :02:07.of a meeting of Scotland's Cabinet, she says - bring it on. This is a
:02:08. > :02:10.big U-turn in recent political history. But it's very clear that
:02:11. > :02:14.the Prime Minister's announcement today is one all about the narrow
:02:15. > :02:19.interests of her own party, not the interests of the country overall.
:02:20. > :02:22.You know, clearly she sees the opportunity given the disarray in
:02:23. > :02:25.the ranks of the Labour Party to crush all opposition to her, to get
:02:26. > :02:32.rid of people that disagree with her and to give herself a free hand to
:02:33. > :02:35.take the country in the increasingly right-wing direction direction she
:02:36. > :02:40.wants to take it in. What about independence? SNP Cabinet ministers
:02:41. > :02:45.insist they already have a mandate for a referendum from Holyrood
:02:46. > :02:51.votes. At the last UK general election two years ago, the SNP won
:02:52. > :02:56.56 out of 59 seats? Scotland. Can they repeat that or slip back? I
:02:57. > :03:00.don't take any voters force granted nor should any other party. We are
:03:01. > :03:05.fit for this fight we are ready to go. We think we can put on seats
:03:06. > :03:09.across the country. There will be fewer SNP MPs after 8th June. That
:03:10. > :03:12.is what I will be working towards. Polls suggest Labour is struggling.
:03:13. > :03:16.They insist they are ready for the fight. Whilst it's obviously a
:03:17. > :03:20.surprise, it's a great opportunity. It's a chance to get Theresa May and
:03:21. > :03:24.the Tories out of office. The Labour Party has been on a election footing
:03:25. > :03:30.since last autumn. I will prepare to select candidates from this
:03:31. > :03:33.afternoon. We a huge gamble with the future of our country. It's an
:03:34. > :03:40.tuplet for us to put Britain at the heart of Europe, but also Scotland
:03:41. > :03:43.at the heart of the United Kingdom. This snap election looks like an
:03:44. > :03:47.opportunistic attempt by the Tory party to seize on the weakness of
:03:48. > :03:52.the Labour Party at UK level and simply secure themselves a stronger
:03:53. > :03:59.mandate for the hard right deregulation hard Brexit agenda that
:04:00. > :04:05.they've now allied themselves to. Politics in Scotland is seldom calm
:04:06. > :04:14.it has gathered added bite. Brian Taylor, reporting Scotland.
:04:15. > :04:21.Today's events will have taken all but one of Scotland's 59 MPs by
:04:22. > :04:25.surprise. We report on a day of drama at Westminster. A political
:04:26. > :04:28.period that has been a roller-coaster takes its most
:04:29. > :04:31.dramatic turns yet. The Prime Minister had pledged this wouldn't
:04:32. > :04:37.happen. Theresa May said she had changed her mind on a snap election
:04:38. > :04:39.reluctantly. Her case is ready. The PM argues only her party will make
:04:40. > :04:44.reluctantly. Her case is ready. The Brexit a success that her opponents
:04:45. > :04:45.will undermine it. In recent weeks, Labour have threatened to vote
:04:46. > :04:51.against the final agreement we reach Labour have threatened to vote
:04:52. > :04:56.with the European Union. The Liberal Democrats have said they want to
:04:57. > :05:01.grind the business of government to a standstill. The Scottish National
:05:02. > :05:03.Party say they will vote against the legislation that formally repeals
:05:04. > :05:08.Britain's membership of the European Union. On the face of it, this
:05:09. > :05:11.election will be all about Brexit. Theresa May will portray her vision
:05:12. > :05:15.as one of stability versuses chaos with opposition parties. It will
:05:16. > :05:18.have massive implications for Scotland, not least on the
:05:19. > :05:22.independence question. While this announcement may have been a
:05:23. > :05:27.surprise, the political messages are well-prepared. The SNP can win right
:05:28. > :05:31.across Scotland. We did in the last election people didn't want an
:05:32. > :05:35.extreme Tory party governing our country. That will be a choice again
:05:36. > :05:38.with the SNP standing up for mainstream opinion in Scotland
:05:39. > :05:41.against a hard Brexit Tory party. Labour retained just one seat last
:05:42. > :05:45.time. Polls suggest this time could be even harder. We are always ready
:05:46. > :05:48.for an election when it comes to fighting the Conservative Party by
:05:49. > :05:50.trying to get a Labour government to put some of the issues in place that
:05:51. > :05:56.everybody in the country cares about. We said in 2015 this could be
:05:57. > :05:59.a dreadful Conservative government that would have a a divisive and
:06:00. > :06:03.unnecessary EU referendum. They brought that upon themselves. His
:06:04. > :06:07.party suffered in 2015 too, paying the price for coalition with the
:06:08. > :06:10.Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats are going into this election
:06:11. > :06:14.optimistic and confident. We are the only party that will stand up for
:06:15. > :06:19.Scotland's place in the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom's
:06:20. > :06:22.place in Europe. A political surprise of box office proportion.
:06:23. > :06:26.Theresa May I thinks she has an opportunity to increase her support
:06:27. > :06:28.in the Commons. It's a decision that will involve risks too. Another huge
:06:29. > :06:33.political choice for the country. David Porter is at
:06:34. > :06:37.Westminster for us tonight. David, the SNP group there meeting
:06:38. > :06:40.tonight to decide their stance on the vote in the Commons tomorrow,
:06:41. > :06:53.is there any suggestion Well, like all of us here at
:06:54. > :06:58.Westminster the SNP were caught on the hop this morning. Just after
:06:59. > :07:00.11.00am Theresa May came out of that famous black toor door at Ten
:07:01. > :07:04.Downing Street an announced she was going to have a snap election. Now
:07:05. > :07:09.the SNP are saying tonight that they are not going to stand in the way of
:07:10. > :07:13.an early election. That doesn't mean either that they will go out of
:07:14. > :07:16.their way to make it easy for Theresa May. The Westminster
:07:17. > :07:21.Assembly Group is meeting this evening and there is some
:07:22. > :07:26.speculation that they will decide to abstain in the Commons vote tomorrow
:07:27. > :07:29.to call that early general election. Now, that won't affect it, it won't
:07:30. > :07:32.mean that Theresa May will have a problem getting it through she has
:07:33. > :07:36.the support of the Labour Party as well as thes Conservatives on that
:07:37. > :07:39.one. There will be a general election on the 8th June. It means
:07:40. > :07:41.as well as all the other issues we are going to get in that general
:07:42. > :07:46.as well as all the other issues we election, the SNP will be very, very
:07:47. > :07:51.keen to concentrate on the constitutional question in Scotland
:07:52. > :07:54.and their wishes for a second Scottish independence referendum. At
:07:55. > :07:59.the end of the day, whoever is in charge in this it place behind me
:08:00. > :08:03.and the clout they have on a range of issues, very soon that choice
:08:04. > :08:05.will come down to the voters. Thank you very much, David.
:08:06. > :08:08.Political debate here in recent weeks has focussed on a second
:08:09. > :08:13.So how will today's announcement of a snap UK election affect that?
:08:14. > :08:20.Our political correspondent, Glenn Campbell, reports.
:08:21. > :08:25.It's five weeks since the First Minister called for another
:08:26. > :08:30.referendum on independence between autumn next year and spring 2019. A
:08:31. > :08:34.choice of whether to follow the UK to a hard Brexit or to become an
:08:35. > :08:39.independent country. The Prime Minister was quick to reject that
:08:40. > :08:45.idea. I say to the SNP, now is not the time. Since then, Nicola
:08:46. > :08:53.Sturgeon has written to Theresa May formally requesting the power to
:08:54. > :08:58.hold indy ref2. While she has been waiting for her official knockback
:08:59. > :09:01.from Number Ten she has been thinking about what else to do to
:09:02. > :09:06.make the Prime Minister change her mind. She was due to set out her
:09:07. > :09:10.thinking here soon. All of that has been overtaken by the announcement
:09:11. > :09:14.of an early general election and in that campaign, the question of
:09:15. > :09:19.independence is likely to be a big feature. The Conservatives will try
:09:20. > :09:23.to make it about independence in part because it seems to help them
:09:24. > :09:27.to try to shore up the vote for those who are opposed to
:09:28. > :09:31.independence, who want to save the United Kingdom. The SNP will want to
:09:32. > :09:37.ensure that the election assuming they do very well again, will give
:09:38. > :09:40.them the strength, the mandate, to push for another independence
:09:41. > :09:45.referendum on their time scale. But I don't think they will want to put
:09:46. > :09:53.the independence issue front and centre of their campaign. In 2015,
:09:54. > :09:57.the SNP had their best ever general election result, almost wiping out
:09:58. > :10:01.the opposition. The SNP's political opponents can hardly do worse, can
:10:02. > :10:05.they? Well, they only have really one seat a piece from the 2015
:10:06. > :10:09.result. They will be hoping that they can really gain momentum and
:10:10. > :10:13.knock a few seats off of the SNP. The Tories particularly pushing
:10:14. > :10:16.Labour back into third place in the Holyrood elections last year will
:10:17. > :10:19.fancy their chances. When you look at the SNP, they are still polling
:10:20. > :10:24.extremely well in Scotland. Still very popular. They will be hoping
:10:25. > :10:29.for another resounding majority. There are 50 days of campaigning to
:10:30. > :10:31.go, and as spring turns to summer, a new con text for the debate over
:10:32. > :10:35.Scotland's future. So opposition leaders have welcomed
:10:36. > :10:37.the Prime Minister's decision to go to the country,
:10:38. > :10:39.but what about the voters? Is there an appetite amongst
:10:40. > :10:42.the electorate for another election? Catriona Renton has
:10:43. > :10:52.been finding out. Since the spring of 2 it 014Scots
:10:53. > :10:54.have gone to the polls in the European elections, the Scottish
:10:55. > :10:58.independence referendum a UK general election and the Scottish Parliament
:10:59. > :11:02.elections as well as the referendum on the European Union. Next month
:11:03. > :11:05.there is the council elections and after that the next general
:11:06. > :11:09.election. So what do people around the country think about all this
:11:10. > :11:13.voting? I don't think I can be bothered with another election. I
:11:14. > :11:17.don't want an independence election. I don't want any more elections. I
:11:18. > :11:23.just want to live my life in peace. We didn't vote for her. I think it's
:11:24. > :11:31.maybe she's done a it about of time, and maybe it's time we got to choose
:11:32. > :11:36.again. I think it's awful. Because look at the cost to the country.
:11:37. > :11:40.She's in turmoil. I suppose she has no option. What's been going on with
:11:41. > :11:44.Brexit and what's been happening up here in Scotland, I think it was
:11:45. > :11:48.about high time she called for an election. I don't think she has the
:11:49. > :11:52.support she wanted. I think it's been a bit there, but she hasn't got
:11:53. > :11:59.the full support of the whole country. That's what she needs. Too
:12:00. > :12:03.many things on the go. There is all this independence, Brexit, we are so
:12:04. > :12:11.uncertain. I don't know why she is having one in June. I guess it's a
:12:12. > :12:14.bit weird that she would have a general election, but indy ref2. It
:12:15. > :12:17.seems odd. Let's take a more detailed
:12:18. > :12:19.look at the general It was a remarkable success
:12:20. > :12:22.for the Scottish National Party which took 56 of the 59 available
:12:23. > :12:26.seats in Scotland. Labour took only one seat,
:12:27. > :12:28.in the constituency So too the Conservatives,
:12:29. > :12:36.holding onto Dumfriesshire, for the Lib Dems, who held
:12:37. > :12:41.Orkney and Shetland. A quick look at the votes won
:12:42. > :12:44.by the major parties The SNP won almost 50% of the vote,
:12:45. > :12:48.Labour took almost 25%. Then came the Conservatives
:12:49. > :12:50.with nearly 15% and Joining me in the studio
:12:51. > :13:05.is political commentator, Theresa May wants this election to
:13:06. > :13:10.be about Brexit. In Scotland, can it be? The truth is, in Scotland as
:13:11. > :13:16.soon as you mention Brexit you mention the word indy ref2. It will
:13:17. > :13:20.be difficult to disentangle the two in the debate north of the border.
:13:21. > :13:23.The SNP argue that the kind of Brexit that Theresa May is seeking
:13:24. > :13:26.and for which is now in a sense seeking a mandate is not in
:13:27. > :13:31.Scotland's interests and they will want to say - therefore, Scotland
:13:32. > :13:36.should have a referendum. If you vote in this election for the SNP
:13:37. > :13:41.that will be a signal to the Prime Minister that Scotland doesn't want
:13:42. > :13:50.her Brexit. We will get arguments about Brexit and indy ref2 and they
:13:51. > :13:58.will become intertwined. How risky is this? The Prime Minister is way
:13:59. > :14:03.ahead in the opinion polls. Winning a majority is more difficult
:14:04. > :14:10.nowadays. Not least because neither the Conservatives or Labour can win
:14:11. > :14:14.a seat in Scotland. For the SNP there is only one way which is done.
:14:15. > :14:19.The polls suggest they should hold on to much of what they have. There
:14:20. > :14:23.could be a contest between the Tories and Lib Dems that caused them
:14:24. > :14:25.trouble. The Labour Party cannot look forward to this because of how
:14:26. > :14:34.they stand in the polls. The Liberal look forward to this because of how
:14:35. > :14:40.Democrats are defending so little. You canvas people's views? If this
:14:41. > :14:45.is an election about Brexit and indy ref2 and both the referendums on
:14:46. > :14:57.that subject drew voters to the polls in high numbers we will be
:14:58. > :14:59.surprised that voters think this is an election worth coming out for.
:15:00. > :15:02.Thank you. Members of the Church of Scotland
:15:03. > :15:06.are to be asked to permit ministers A report to be debated
:15:07. > :15:10.at the Kirk's General Assembly next month also says the Church should
:15:11. > :15:13.apologise to gay people for failing to recognise
:15:14. > :15:14.their Christian vocation. Our social affairs correspondent,
:15:15. > :15:18.Reevel Alderson, reports. Attitudes towards gay relationships
:15:19. > :15:22.have been changing in the Church of Scotland. Last year it's general
:15:23. > :15:27.assembly voted to allow ministers in a same-sex marriage to continue
:15:28. > :15:32.serving. Gay marriages are still outlawed in Church. That could
:15:33. > :15:37.change following publication of the report by the church's theological
:15:38. > :15:54.forum it says: And a senior leaders say they are
:15:55. > :15:59.proposing an apology to gay members of the church. What the General
:16:00. > :16:02.Assembly is being asked to do this here is acknowledge and apologise
:16:03. > :16:08.for some of the harsh things that have been on both sides of this
:16:09. > :16:12.debate over the last 20 or 30 years. I think the General Assembly are
:16:13. > :16:17.more ready to do that. In Aberdeen, Scott Rennie was the Kirk's first
:16:18. > :16:22.openly gay minister and he welcomes the apology to those hurt by the
:16:23. > :16:26.church's attitudes. I think it is really important that the church
:16:27. > :16:32.recognises that and recognises that the fair treatment of LGBT people is
:16:33. > :16:38.not just a society issue, it is actually about how the church treats
:16:39. > :16:42.its own members. But the remains opposition from traditionalists in
:16:43. > :16:46.the church opposed to same-sex relationships which they see as
:16:47. > :16:50.contrary to but the core teachings. We do not bless that which is wrong.
:16:51. > :16:53.And that has got to be key in terms of the gospel if we are providing
:16:54. > :16:59.hope for people, hope for transformation and forgiveness for
:17:00. > :17:03.their wrong is, of being different from what the world has done, then
:17:04. > :17:10.we have to be able to stand up for that right in Christ Jesus. The Kirk
:17:11. > :17:14.will seek protection from equality laws and prosecution for any
:17:15. > :17:16.minister refusing to carry out same-sex services.
:17:17. > :17:18.As news of the general election filtered through, Scottish Labour
:17:19. > :17:24.was launching its local election campaign in Edinburgh.
:17:25. > :17:27.Their leader, Kezia Dugdale, admitted the polls were very
:17:28. > :17:29."challenging" for her party, but said she hoped voters
:17:30. > :17:30.would elect Labour councillors as "local champions."
:17:31. > :17:35.Our political correspondent, Andrew Kerr, was there.
:17:36. > :17:42.The room was buzzing with anticipation. Unfortunately for
:17:43. > :17:45.Labour, it wasn't because of the local election launch. Everyone was
:17:46. > :17:50.waiting to hear the news from Westminster. The Labour leader
:17:51. > :17:57.referred to it as the event got underway. I think we have made a
:17:58. > :18:01.fine adjustment to today's order. Kezia Dugdale warns people away from
:18:02. > :18:04.voting SNP saying that Scots were sick to the back teeth at the
:18:05. > :18:09.prospect of a second independence referendum. She said that the
:18:10. > :18:14.Conservatives were itching to make cuts, a point her deputy picked up
:18:15. > :18:20.on. Public services across Scotland under pressure. It is Labour
:18:21. > :18:25.councils that will defend those public services, fighting for
:18:26. > :18:29.investment in public services and education in health and social. The
:18:30. > :18:32.party faces a challenge at this election with polls suggesting
:18:33. > :18:36.another electoral setback. But they have been spelling out the action
:18:37. > :18:40.that the councillors would take, promising social care packages would
:18:41. > :18:46.be in place within a week. There is a pledge to build 45,000 new homes
:18:47. > :18:51.for rent. And they want to abolish council tax and replace it with what
:18:52. > :18:54.they call a fairer property tax. But with the news from Westminster today
:18:55. > :19:00.and the possibility of labour are being squeezed as perhaps prounion
:19:01. > :19:03.supporters opt for the Conservatives, is the party worried?
:19:04. > :19:07.It is important we remember that these are local council elections so
:19:08. > :19:10.it is fundamentally about local public services, who is in charge of
:19:11. > :19:13.your schools and the local community's fabric, and I'm asking
:19:14. > :19:17.your schools and the local people to consider voting for a
:19:18. > :19:22.local champion, Labour councillor to stand up for the local community and
:19:23. > :19:26.against the SNP and Tory cuts. So at the launch of Labour's campaign,
:19:27. > :19:31.they admit that the polls are challenging but they do admit that
:19:32. > :19:32.they are fighting for every vote. Another very hectic time in Scottish
:19:33. > :19:37.politics. The death of a severely disabled
:19:38. > :19:40.woman in a bath at her home was a "preventable" accident,
:19:41. > :19:42.a sheriff has concluded. Fifty year old Margaret Gilchrist
:19:43. > :19:45.died at her home in Glasgow in 2013 after being scolded on up to 90%
:19:46. > :19:48.of her body. A fatal accident inquiry found
:19:49. > :19:51.that her death could have been avoided if a carer had not left
:19:52. > :19:55.the hot tap running and had checked Sheriff Lindsay Wood said carer
:19:56. > :20:08.Mary Cameron had made Let's get a look at the weather
:20:09. > :20:11.forecast. Christopher is here. Good evening. There was some sunshine
:20:12. > :20:16.around today, a lovely picture from one of our weather watchers taken
:20:17. > :20:19.late morning. A few hours later, down the road in Dundee, the cloud
:20:20. > :20:24.had rolled in and that cloud across the country tonight, bringing with
:20:25. > :20:28.it some light rain. This is a weak weather front edging south and east
:20:29. > :20:31.across the country. A few spots here and there but predominantly dry. And
:20:32. > :20:36.milder than last night. Temperatures in towns and cities between five and
:20:37. > :20:43.seven Celsius, with perhaps the odd spot of generally cloudy conditions.
:20:44. > :20:48.Starting cloudy for most of us with health fog towards Argyll and also
:20:49. > :20:53.some sunshine. In the sun, extending south and east across the country
:20:54. > :20:57.through the course of the day. Brightening up for all of us.
:20:58. > :21:01.Mid-afternoon, it will be dry and bright across the mainland with
:21:02. > :21:08.temperatures up a notch. Perhaps higher in the north-east. You will
:21:09. > :21:11.notice around the West Coast, from Argyll up to the north-west,
:21:12. > :21:13.outbreaks of rain at this point. But further east, it is dry and bright
:21:14. > :21:17.and the wind will be generally light further east, it is dry and bright
:21:18. > :21:21.from the south. A pleasant afternoon for most of us. Heading through the
:21:22. > :21:27.rest of the afternoon and into the evening and overnight, again largely
:21:28. > :21:31.cloudy and dry with spots of rain edging eastwards. And as we look
:21:32. > :21:35.ahead towards Wednesday night and into Thursday, you will see that
:21:36. > :21:39.while we have high pressure nearby, around the north of that high, some
:21:40. > :21:44.outbreaks of brain and heavier rain across the far north later on. But
:21:45. > :21:47.again, for most of us on Thursday, fairly cloudy and reasonably dry
:21:48. > :21:52.with a few spots of rain. There is the heavy rain in the far north. And
:21:53. > :21:56.warming up, with temperatures in the mid teens. It will not last because
:21:57. > :22:00.as we head into Friday and the weekend, high pressure nearby, and
:22:01. > :22:04.we are dragging in cold northerly winds. Temperatures will --
:22:05. > :22:07.temperatures will take a tumble as we head towards Friday. The
:22:08. > :22:14.conditions lasting into the weekend. Thank you, Christopher.
:22:15. > :22:16.Lets go back to tonight's top story and that looming general election.
:22:17. > :22:19.Our political editor Brian Taylor joins us for a final word.
:22:20. > :22:27.Brian, in UK terms Theresa May has been accused of opportunism. How
:22:28. > :22:31.opportunistic is it as far as Scotland is concerned? In UK terms
:22:32. > :22:34.it is the most convincing argument produced for this election, that's
:22:35. > :22:38.Theresa May is seeing an opportunity to exploit the weakness of the
:22:39. > :22:42.Labour Party, and build prospects for the Tories, also securing a
:22:43. > :22:46.larger majority, enabling her to get Brexit plans more easily through the
:22:47. > :22:49.Commons and inviting the Lords to follow suit. In terms of Scotland,
:22:50. > :22:53.it is intriguing that Nicola Sturgeon is stressing that she sees
:22:54. > :22:56.this as standing against the hard right position of the Tory Party,
:22:57. > :23:03.not directly on the independence question. That means that this is
:23:04. > :23:07.not a referendum on independence, or primarily a referendum upon a
:23:08. > :23:10.referendum, which in Scottish politics, is rarely pure and never
:23:11. > :23:12.simple. It is certainly going to be busy. Thank you for that update.
:23:13. > :23:20.There is more coverage on the news channel and online.
:23:21. > :23:23.Our next main bulletin will be just after the Ten O'Clock News.
:23:24. > :23:27.Until then, from everyone on the team, have a good evening.