:00:00. > :00:07.Here, on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.
:00:08. > :00:10.Theresa May's plans for a general election in June
:00:11. > :00:12.will mean that Scotland will have gone to the polls seven
:00:13. > :00:18.The Prime Minister says the snap election will give the country
:00:19. > :00:25.The First Minister described it as a huge political miscalculation.
:00:26. > :00:30.Our political editor Brian Taylor reports.
:00:31. > :00:33.Downing Street, she said she wouldn't, now she will.
:00:34. > :00:37.I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet where we agreed
:00:38. > :00:41.that the Government should call a general election to be
:00:42. > :00:49.Straight out of a meeting of Scotland's Cabinet,
:00:50. > :00:52.This is a big U-turn in recent political history.
:00:53. > :00:54.But it's very clear that the Prime Minister's
:00:55. > :00:58.announcement today is one all about the narrow interests
:00:59. > :01:02.of her own party, not the interests of the country overall.
:01:03. > :01:05.You know, clearly she sees the opportunity given the disarray
:01:06. > :01:09.in the ranks of the Labour Party to crush all opposition to her,
:01:10. > :01:13.to get rid of people that disagree with her and to give herself a free
:01:14. > :01:15.hand to take the country in the increasingly right-wing
:01:16. > :01:19.direction direction she wants to take it in.
:01:20. > :01:23.SNP Cabinet ministers insist they already
:01:24. > :01:29.have a mandate for a referendum from Holyrood votes.
:01:30. > :01:31.At the last UK general election two years ago,
:01:32. > :01:42.I don't take any voters force granted nor should any other party.
:01:43. > :01:45.We are fit for this fight we are ready to go.
:01:46. > :01:47.We think we can put on seats across the country.
:01:48. > :01:52.There will be fewer SNP MPs after 8th June.
:01:53. > :01:54.That is what I will be working towards.
:01:55. > :01:59.They insist they are ready for the fight.
:02:00. > :02:02.Whilst it's obviously a surprise, it's a great opportunity.
:02:03. > :02:05.It's a chance to get Theresa May and the Tories out of office.
:02:06. > :02:07.The Labour Party has been on a election footing
:02:08. > :02:12.I will prepare to select candidates from this afternoon.
:02:13. > :02:15.We a huge gamble with the future of our country.
:02:16. > :02:19.It's an tuplet for us to put Britain at the heart of Europe,
:02:20. > :02:23.but also Scotland at the heart of the United Kingdom.
:02:24. > :02:27.This snap election looks like an opportunistic attempt
:02:28. > :02:31.by the Tory party to seize on the weakness of the Labour Party
:02:32. > :02:35.at UK level and simply secure themselves a stronger mandate
:02:36. > :02:39.for the hard right deregulation hard Brexit agenda that they've now
:02:40. > :02:45.Politics in Scotland is seldom calm it has gathered added bite.
:02:46. > :02:54.Today's events will have taken all but one of Scotland's
:02:55. > :03:00.But they say they are ready for the fight.
:03:01. > :03:02.Our political correspondent Nick Eardley reports on a day
:03:03. > :03:10.A political period that has been a roller-coaster
:03:11. > :03:16.The Prime Minister had pledged this wouldn't happen.
:03:17. > :03:19.Theresa May said she had changed her mind on a snap
:03:20. > :03:25.The PM argues only her party will make Brexit a success that her
:03:26. > :03:30.In recent weeks, Labour have threatened to vote
:03:31. > :03:36.against the final agreement we reach with the European Union.
:03:37. > :03:38.The Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business
:03:39. > :03:44.The Scottish National Party say they will vote against
:03:45. > :03:47.the legislation that formally repeals Britain's membership
:03:48. > :03:52.On the face of it, this election will be all about Brexit.
:03:53. > :03:56.Theresa May will portray her vision as one of stability versuses chaos
:03:57. > :04:01.It will have massive implications for Scotland, not least
:04:02. > :04:06.While this announcement may have been a surprise, the political
:04:07. > :04:11.The SNP can win right across Scotland.
:04:12. > :04:14.We did in the last election people didn't want an extreme Tory party
:04:15. > :04:19.That will be a choice again with the SNP standing up
:04:20. > :04:24.for mainstream opinion in Scotland against a hard Brexit Tory party.
:04:25. > :04:26.Labour retained just one seat last time.
:04:27. > :04:29.Polls suggest this time could be even harder.
:04:30. > :04:31.We are always ready for an election when it comes to fighting
:04:32. > :04:34.the Conservative Party by trying to get a Labour government
:04:35. > :04:36.to put some of the issues in place that everybody
:04:37. > :04:40.We said in 2015 this could be a dreadful Conservative government
:04:41. > :04:43.that would have a a divisive and unnecessary EU referendum.
:04:44. > :04:50.His party suffered in 2015 too, paying the price for coalition
:04:51. > :04:54.The Liberal Democrats are going into this election
:04:55. > :04:59.We are the only party that will stand up for Scotland's place
:05:00. > :05:01.in the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom's
:05:02. > :05:06.A political surprise of box office proportion.
:05:07. > :05:07.Theresa May I thinks she has an opportunity
:05:08. > :05:09.to increase her support in the Commons.
:05:10. > :05:12.It's a decision that will involve risks too.
:05:13. > :05:19.Another huge political choice for the country.
:05:20. > :05:21.And Nick joins us live from Westminster now.
:05:22. > :05:23.Nick, the SNP group has been meeting tonight.
:05:24. > :05:32.Have they decided how they'll vote tomorrow?
:05:33. > :05:41.Melo yeah, that's right. They've been meeting of the last couple of
:05:42. > :05:45.hours. No official confirmation on the handover vote, sources say they
:05:46. > :05:50.won't try and frustrate the process. I think it is likely they will end
:05:51. > :05:55.up abstaining tomorrow. On the disillusioned voter. Will it make a
:05:56. > :06:00.key difference? Know, most MPs will vote for it, meaning the PM will
:06:01. > :06:05.certainly get that two thirds majority that she needs. In just
:06:06. > :06:09.over 50 days, we will be going to the polls. In the face of it, this
:06:10. > :06:12.is a shrewd move from the Prime Minister. The opinion polls suggest
:06:13. > :06:17.that she could come back with an increased majority. And a stronger
:06:18. > :06:22.mandate to negotiate Brexit. As today has shown and the last few
:06:23. > :06:27.weeks, nothing is certain in UK politics at the moment. There are
:06:28. > :06:28.always plenty of surprises am I wouldn't be surprised if we are back
:06:29. > :06:31.discussing more in the near future. Nick Eardley in Westminster
:06:32. > :06:32.thanks very much. Political debate here in recent
:06:33. > :06:35.weeks has focussed on a second So how will today's
:06:36. > :06:39.announcement affect that? Our political correspondent
:06:40. > :06:44.Glenn Campbell reports. It's five weeks since
:06:45. > :06:46.the First Minister called for another referendum
:06:47. > :06:49.on independence between autumn next A choice of whether to follow the UK
:06:50. > :06:56.to a hard Brexit or to become The Prime Minister was quick
:06:57. > :07:01.to reject that idea. I say to the SNP,
:07:02. > :07:05.now is not the time. Since then, Nicola Sturgeon has
:07:06. > :07:08.written to Theresa May formally requesting the power
:07:09. > :07:12.to hold indy ref2. While she has been waiting
:07:13. > :07:15.for her official knockback from Number Ten she has been
:07:16. > :07:19.thinking about what else to do to make the Prime
:07:20. > :07:23.Minister change her mind. She was due to set out
:07:24. > :07:27.her thinking here soon. All of that has been overtaken
:07:28. > :07:32.by the announcement of an early general election and in that
:07:33. > :07:35.campaign, the question of independence is likely
:07:36. > :07:40.to be a big feature. The Conservatives will try to make
:07:41. > :07:42.it about independence in part because it seems to help them
:07:43. > :07:47.to try to shore up the vote for those who are opposed
:07:48. > :07:50.to independence, who want The SNP will want to ensure
:07:51. > :07:55.that the election assuming they do very well again,
:07:56. > :07:59.will give them the strength, the mandate, to push for another
:08:00. > :08:02.independence referendum But I don't think they will want
:08:03. > :08:08.to put the independence issue front In 2015, the SNP had their best ever
:08:09. > :08:17.general election result, The SNP's political opponents can
:08:18. > :08:25.hardly do worse, can they? Well, they only have really one seat
:08:26. > :08:28.a piece from the 2015 result. They will be hoping that they can
:08:29. > :08:32.really gain momentum and knock a few The Tories particularly pushing
:08:33. > :08:36.Labour back into third place in the Holyrood elections last year
:08:37. > :08:40.will fancy their chances. When you look at the SNP,
:08:41. > :08:42.they are still polling They will be hoping for another
:08:43. > :08:48.resounding majority. There are 50 days of campaigning
:08:49. > :08:51.to go, and as spring turns to summer, a new con text
:08:52. > :08:54.for the debate over In other news,
:08:55. > :09:01.members of the Church of Scotland are to be asked to permit ministers
:09:02. > :09:05.to carry out gay marriages. Our Social Affairs Correspondent
:09:06. > :09:10.Reevel Alderson reports. Attitudes towards gay
:09:11. > :09:12.relationships have been changing in the Church
:09:13. > :09:13.of Last year it's general assembly
:09:14. > :09:18.voted to allow ministers in a same-sex marriage
:09:19. > :09:21.to continue serving. Gay marriages are still
:09:22. > :09:25.outlawed in Church. That could change
:09:26. > :09:27.following publication of the report by the church's
:09:28. > :09:49.theological forum it says: It has been a highly contentious
:09:50. > :09:54.issue and senior church leaders say that is why they are also proposing
:09:55. > :09:59.a an apology to gay men as the church. But they are being asked to
:10:00. > :10:03.do this year is acknowledged and apologise for some of the harsher
:10:04. > :10:08.things that have been said on both sides of this debate over the last
:10:09. > :10:14.20 - 30 years. The general Aston Villa want to do that. In Aberdeen,
:10:15. > :10:17.Scott Wren a what the Kirk's openly gay minister. He welcomes the
:10:18. > :10:24.apology to those who have been hurt by the Church public attitudes. I
:10:25. > :10:26.think it is important that the church appropriately recognises
:10:27. > :10:33.that, and recognises that the fair treatment of LGBT people as part of
:10:34. > :10:38.the church society, it is about the way that the church treats its own
:10:39. > :10:41.members. There remains opposition from traditionalists in the church,
:10:42. > :10:47.opposed to same-sex relationships, which they see as contrary to your
:10:48. > :10:51.vehicle teaching. We don't bless that which is wrong. That has got to
:10:52. > :10:55.be key in terms of the Gospel. If we are providing a hope for people of
:10:56. > :11:00.transformation in their lives, of forgiveness for past wrongs, of
:11:01. > :11:05.being different from what the world has done, then we have to be able to
:11:06. > :11:10.stand up for that right in Christ. The current world seek protection
:11:11. > :11:13.from prosecution 's for any Mr Brown to carry out the services.
:11:14. > :11:15.It's over to Christopher now with the weather forecast
:11:16. > :11:26.Largely dry but fairly cloudy conditions across the country
:11:27. > :11:31.tonight. Not as cold as last night. If you spot of light rain, you can
:11:32. > :11:35.see on a charter just edging south and east words, but many areas
:11:36. > :11:39.remaining dry. That is how we start things tomorrow morning.
:11:40. > :11:45.Temperatures around seven or eight Celsius, a few spots through the
:11:46. > :11:49.Borders and part of East Lothian, further west cloudy but dry, missed
:11:50. > :11:53.and hillfort the part of Argyll. Some sunshine on any fondues and
:11:54. > :11:58.harass, and Gupta was part of Orkney and Shetland. Sunny weather in the
:11:59. > :12:03.north-west will slowly edged its way south and east was the course of the
:12:04. > :12:08.day. If you start cloudy, it should improve as we head through do was
:12:09. > :12:14.lunchtime. Across Northern Ireland, outbreaks of rain and through parts
:12:15. > :12:17.of the north of England and Wales, cloudy zone of weather. South of the
:12:18. > :12:22.Midlands, generally dry and bright but cooler compared with today. It
:12:23. > :12:26.will have a milder day tomorrow, temperatures into the low teens for
:12:27. > :12:30.many. Given that sunshine in the afternoon, feeling pleasant, but you
:12:31. > :12:31.will notice there will be a few further showers around the West
:12:32. > :12:35.will notice there will be a few Coast. Stay on the coast until dusk
:12:36. > :12:42.and enable enter their weight used words. First there is another fairly
:12:43. > :12:46.cloudy day. High-pressure nearby but once again somehow breaks of rain,
:12:47. > :12:51.mainly in the west, and some heavy rain later in the far north. He is
:12:52. > :12:55.the detail. You can see fairly cloudy, dry, a few spots in the
:12:56. > :12:59.west, the best of a brighter weather likely in the east. Quite wet for
:13:00. > :13:04.the Northern Isles and far north, a bit breezy from the west, but
:13:05. > :13:08.temperatures on the up, around 17 Celsius. High temperatures come down
:13:09. > :13:13.again on Friday, because we change the wind direction. It is coming in
:13:14. > :13:17.from a north, and there will be accompanied by some showers, and
:13:18. > :13:22.those could be wintry on highest hills.
:13:23. > :13:26.Our next update is during Breakfast at 6:25 tomorrow morning.
:13:27. > :13:29.But, from everyone on the late team here in Glasgow
:13:30. > :13:33.'A 24-year-old man has been charged with murder.'
:13:34. > :13:36.You made sure an innocent man is charged!
:13:37. > :13:38.What gives you the right to say he's innocent?
:13:39. > :13:42.I've come to you because you're AC-12.