18/04/2017 BBC News at Six

I have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet where we agreed that the

government should call a general election to be held on the 8th of

June. Theresa May takes the country -

and her fellow politicians - by surprise and calls

for a snap election. She says it's necessary

because of continuing At this moment of enormous

national significance, there should be unity

here in Westminster. The country is coming together

but Westminster is not. Jeremy Corbyn welcomes the election

- saying it's a chance for Labour We're going out there to put

the case for how this country could be run,

how it could be different, how we could have a much fairer

society that works for all. For some, the election

is a political opportunity. For others, it's

political opportunism. It's very clear the Prime Minister's

announcement today is one all about the narrow interests

of her own party, not the interests We have the opportunity to give

the British people the chance to change the direction

of the country, to be opposed to a hard Brexit,

keep us in the single market and give Britain the decent,

strong opposition it deserves. And how do voters feel

about a second general Oh, for God's sake,

I can't stand this. There's too much politics

going on at the moment. We will be looking at why

the Prime Minister has decided to call for an election now and how

the vote in seven weeks' time And we will have more reaction to

the Prime Minister's plans throughout the day here on BBC News.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six

from Downing Street, where this morning the Prime Minister

called for a snap general election on June the 8th.

Theresa May said Britain needs certainty, stability

and strong leadership following the EU referendum.

Explaining the decision, Mrs May said she has reluctantly

come to the conclusion that a vote is necessary, adding

"the country is coming together but Westminster is not."

She will need parliamentary approval to formally

call the election - a vote on that will

In the first of tonight's reports, our Political Editor Laura

Kuenssberg on this year's General Election.

Did she surprise them? Did she surprise you? Did Theresa May even

surprised herself? Her biggest decision as Prime Minister, taking

only days ago. I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet where we

agreed that the government should call a general election to be held

on the 8th of June. That was not her plan. But she says to get Brexit

done, she needs more support around here. In recent weeks, Labour have

threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the European

Union. The Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business

of government to a standstill. The Scottish National Party say they

will vote against the legislation that formally repeals Britain's

membership of the European Union. And unelected members of the House

of Lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way. Our opponents

believe because the government's majority is so small, that our

resolve will weaken and they can force us to change course. They are

wrong. So tomorrow there will be a vote in parliament that will all but

certainly get the process going. If you are in any doubt about how the

Tories will frame your choice... I have only recently and reluctantly

come to this conclusion. Since I became premised, I have said that

there should be no election until 2020. But now I have concluded that

the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is

to hold the selection and seek your support for the decisions I must

take. Every vote for the Conservatives will make me stronger

when I negotiate with Britain -- for Britain with the prime ministers,

chancellors and president of the European Union. Every vote for the

Conservatives will mean we can stick to our plan for a stronger Britain

and take the right long-term decisions for more secure future.

Most of her ministers have been in the dark. Only in the last few days

did she decide. Theresa May only moved in year 279 days ago. But she

has said consistently that there should be no early general election.

Quite simply, she has changed her mind. What happens next for Theresa

May will be up to you. When did you know there was going to be an

election? Great opportunities ahead. When did you know? Reluctant to tell

us when you knew? When did she change her mind? When did the Prime

Minister change her mind? Good morning. Lovely day. When did you

know there was going to be an election? When I heard this morning.

Labour will support tomorrow's thought to push the button even

though the weakness of Jeremy Corbyn is one of the reasons why an early

election is on. His supporters hope that his ideas will cut through. I

welcome the opportunity for us 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 with problems, our schools are

underfunded and so many people uncertain. We want to put our case

out there for the people of Britain, for a society that cares for all, an

economy that works for all and a Brexit that works for all. More than

ever, perhaps, this election will not be what about patterns -- about

what happened here but the whole country. The Tories will not promise

another vote on independence in Scotland but Nicola Sturgeon will.

This is the biggest U-turn in recent political history. It is very clear

that the Prime Minister's announcement today is one of about

the narrow interests of her own party and not the interests of the

country overall. On the road already, as planned. The Lib Dems

see opportunity to come back from rock bottom. It is 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 in the single market and indeed it is an opportunity for

us to have a decent, strong opposition in this country that we

desperately need. And though the Tories start the selection having

gone back on their promise not to hold one... Many people in this

country will think, Theresa May told me she would not do this and now she

is. Can I trust? Why should I? When the facts change, you change your

mind. She was reluctant to make this decision but she was brought to the

decision by the fact that presenting herself with a mandate that allows

us to get the best outcome for Brexit and for Britain is a policy,

that is the thing that is in the national interest. That looks like

this election is entirely about Brexit, that Theresa May is so

worried about how hard it will be, she feels she needs a thumping

majority of Tory backbenchers to get it through. Of course we want a

strong mandate, but the aim is to do two things, one is to provide a

strong mandate for Brexit and the other is a strong mandate for the

future. The country will be asked for its view again, let's than a

year since the referendum, when everything around you changed. I

think she has been changing her mind over a little while. I think

instinct was not to do it for strong reasons, and she did not want the

public to think it was political. I think this sense of the nature of

Parliament has changed quite a lot in the last month or two. This is

the ultimate test for us because that is what we are in politics for.

We are in politics to win elections, to win power, to put our values into

practice, and we've got to seize any opportunity that we get to do that.

How many more times are you going to change

your mind, Prime Minister? Win well and Theresa May escapes some

political problems properly early of any campaign claims casualties, too.

Just ask anyone who has ever lived at this address. Laura Kuenssberg,

BBC News, Westminster. Well as you heard there, both Labour

and the Liberal Democrats have welcomed the decision to call

an early election. They now have just seven weeks

to make their pitch to the nation that they can be the ruling party -

or at the very least prevent Our Deputy Political Editor John

Pienaar now on the challenge for some of the opposition parties

ahead of the General Election. Westminster's shutting up shop soon,

again. And they're off, again. The sound bites, the slogans, all

desperate for your attention. Why now? The Tories start strongly.

Labour and its leader trailed badly. While Jeremy Corbyn supporters are

working hard to beat the odds. To point up the issues on policies,

they hope may somehow prove the polls wrong. The British public vote

on leadership when it comes to general elections and as of now,

Jeremy Corbyn is a mile behind. I think the more people focus on our

programme and our leadership, the more tawdry watch Theresa May is

offering will seem. The British public do not want a Prime Minister

handing him at hand in glove with Donald Trump. They did not vote to

be poorer in the referendum on the EU. The more people focus on the

issues and the people, the better it will be for us. What about Jeremy

Corbyn? Is there going to be any element of him on your material? I

will be the candidate in Chester and it will be my name on the ballot. I

will be talking about my record and the things I have achieved. Is

Jeremy Corbyn an asset or a liability, in a word? Well, he

attracts some people's favourable attention. Good times for the Lib

Dems seem a long time ago. In the last election, big hitters, Cabinet

ministers tumbled one after another. Now they are the most pro Europe

party in politics and survivors of that famous wrote believe they can

turn scepticism about Brexit into support for them. They have a lot of

recovering to do. If you look at the British glitter spectrum, there is

quite a large centre ground, which certainly Jeremy Corbyn as a

backbencher has never occupied. And which Theresa May, by pressuring

hard Brexit, also does not seem to want to occupy. It is there for the

taking for the Lib Dems. You are hoping this might be the beginning

of the beginning of a comeback? Let's put it no more highly than

that but I would be very happy with the beginning of the beginning of a

comeback. The Tories sound confident but some in former Lib Dem

strongholds in London and the south west expect a tough fight and hope

that the Lib Dems are not ready for the road back to Westminster. I

don't think the Lib Dems have restored their infrastructure after

the dramatic losses in 2015. But you know you will have a fight on your

hands? We know we will and we will always fight to win. Nigel Farage.

Since Nigel Farage left to seek his own political fortunes, backing

Donald Trump, the party has lost ground. They have lost the odd

election they might have won. The referendum has gone and so is Nigel

Farage. You are a party without a purpose. I do not buy that at all.

Theresa May may well have triggered Article 50 but the negotiations have

not started yet. If people want Brexit, as they voted for in June

23, they will only get that if they have Ukip MPs elected to the House

of Commons and that is why we go into this election feeling

confident. You look optimistic but you will need to be? We are

optimistic because we are the party opposing Brexit and the deposition

doubling back demolishing of our public services. The Prime Minister

has chosen a time of maximum advantage to call this election, as

prime ministers always have and possibly always will. Now all

parties will have to scramble to choose candidates to raise millions

in donations and in a rush to put together a policy manifesto that

will decide Britain's future for the next five years. 51 days, then, to

change or rehouse the tenants of this place. Excitement and drama for

some. For others, may be fed up with another election so soon, time may

pass more slowly. It will be a Brexit election but Britain's future

remains to be decided. This took all of us, not least the

Cabinet, by surprise. So after repeatedly insisting

she wouldn't call an election, I think are stated reasons are not

quite the whole story. She says that she had no choice, there would be

opposition antics over Brexit. It has been tricky over the last couple

of months for the government in Parliament, getting Brexit plans

through, but it has not been impossible. Like any big human

decision, there is a mixture of motivations here. If she ends up

with a bigger majority, as the Conservatives hope, and expect, of

course it will be easier for her to get Brexit plans through Parliament.

Of course it will give her a stronger arm, stronger political

muscle when dealing with tricky negotiations with her EU

counterparts. But it will also give ministers that bit more time, a bit

more breathing space to deliver the logistics of Brexit. Because the

negotiations will not be racing up towards a hard deadline of a general

election in 2020, just when things are getting rougher. And crucially

for Theresa May, it will give her more time and more political freedom

to focus on the things she cares about apart from the European Union.

Whether that is schools or social care. So in a broad sense, I think

she wants her own individual mandate and she has come to believe that

that is how she will get some political freedom, how she might be

able to buy a ticket out of what has been in very constricted political

situation, not of her own choosing. But of course, although the polls

suggest she will end up with a hefty majority, the Poland tonight proves

absolutely nothing, and the hurly-burly of any political

campaign can have all sorts of unintended consequences and all

sorts of unexpected political victims, too. We will come back to

you later in the programme but for now, thank you.

More than 44 million people are likely to be eligible to vote

Some constituencies, where the vote was close

in the 2015 election, will attract particular attention.

One of those is Dewsbury, in West Yorkshire, a seat

which Labour gained from the Conservatives

Our correspondent, Danny Savage, is there.

Fiona, just 1,451 votes separated Labour from the Conservatives

This has to be one of the seats Theresa May aims to win

I've spent the day in this constituency talking

to 'the voters' and asking them what their priorities will be

on June 8th and if they've changed their minds since

Lunchtime today at the West Riding Refreshment Rooms in Dewsbury.

Currently a Labour seat, it's the customers here

that Theresa May hopes will swing her way.

But this man, for one, isn't for turning.

I'm still going to be supportive of what the Labour leadership

is seeking to achieve, and certainly extremely

negative about what Theresa May has been doing.

Nothing's changed since the last general election for you?

This snap election was the talk of the tap room.

The Upton family are surprised, but can see where the lines

The key issue has to be Brexit and I think if there was a party

that was campaigning to either stop the process or to come out

of Brexit, I think that certainly would be the party that

I think it's a very brave and bold decision that she's made to go

Do you think it'll work for her or it could backfire?

I think here, possibly not such a big gamble,

but across the country, I think it is more of a gamble.

It's the first general election since I've turned 18,

and a lot of my friends are really excited to vote, but I've got no

but I've got no idea which way I'm going to vote so I'm going to have

So the campaigning that the parties are going to do over the next six

Dewsbury is home to a large Asian community, but the voters we spoke

to haven't changed their preference since the last election.

Because Labour do better for the working class.

The Conservatives didn't do anything for the working class,

Labour, I would vote for Labour again.

So your mind hasn't been changed over the last two years?

No, I've been voting for a long time now and I've always stuck to Labour.

But in a nearby cafe, one businessman agreed

with the reasoning behind today's surprise announcement.

I think it's a good thing for Theresa May, generally,

and I do think hopefully it's needed to have a clearer mandate in order

Back at the bar at the railway station, George fits the profile

He voted Labour last time, but is supporting

I think they'll negotiate the best deal from the EU

The final decision for many of them, though, is still pending.

So what's been the reaction around the UK to today's announcement?

Sarah Smith, our Scotland editor, is in Edinburgh, Chris Buckler

is in Belfast for us and our Wales political editor, Nick

Nicola Sturgeon has described this as a "huge political

Yes. She thinks it's a miscalculation bass Nicola Sturgeon

believes she can use this election to reinforce her mandate for another

referendum on Scottish independence. Theresa May said there can't be

another referendum until well after the UK has left the EU. It will not

be Brexit that dominates this campaign in Scotland, here the

arguments are all going to be about independence and whether there

should be another vote on that. As voters across Scotland are asked

to decide who they want to represent question of whether Westminster

should continue to govern Scotland. The issue of independence

and whether Scotland should have another vote on that will be central

to this Nicola Sturgeon says she's

ready for the fight. I think the Prime Minister

has called this election for selfish, narrow,

party political interests, but she has called it and therefore

I relish the prospect of getting out there,

standing up for Scotland's interests and values, standing up

for Scotland's voice being heard and standing against the ability of

a right-wing Conservative Party to impose whatever policies

it wants in Scotland. The SNP believes this could be

a great opportunity. If they turn in a strong

performance in this election, it could bolster their argument

for another referendum on Scottish The only problem is,

they did so well in the 2015 election, winning 56 out

of Scotland's 59 seats, it's hard to see how

they can do any better. And if they lose

some seats, well, of course, their opponents will claim

that shows Scottish voters don't Many voters who do not want

an independent Scotland or another referendum now see the Tories as

the staunch defenders of the Union, which they hope could attract more

votes in this election. I don't take any voters

for granted, and nor should any other party,

but we are fit for the fight, ready to go

and we think we can put on seats

across the country and I think you will find that "peak nat" has

passed and there will be fewer SNP

MPs after 8th June. It is certainly what I will

be working towards. There has been a slight

adjustment to today's Scottish Labour often struggle

to make their arguments heard when the debate is dominated

by the question of independence. This is a chance for everyone across

the United Kingdom to have their say about the type of

government they want. What you are going to see a Labour

campaign focused on Labour values, an alternative to Tory austerity,

and I think that is something worth The Scottish Lib Dems will also be

arguing against another We want to keep Scotland

in the United Kingdom and we want to keep

the United Kingdom at the heart of Europe,

in the single market. That's the opportunity

in this campaign. There is a certain irony here,

which will not be lost They were told by Theresa May now

is not the time for a referendum on independence because politicians

should be concentrating on Brexit. Now she's called an election that

will be, in Scotland, Sarah Smith there with

the view from Scotland. We'll go to Cardiff

in a moment, but to Belfast Both main parties there seeing this

election as an opportunity. That is true. I suspect many others

who feel the last thing Northern Ireland needs is another vote. Bear

in mind there have been two Assembly elections in the last 12 months. The

last one caused by the complete collapse of power-sharing at

Stormont. That is crisis that has to be fixed. Stormont parties had

missed two deadlines to form a Government and those talks were

meant to continue in the days ahead. Calling this vote probably leaves

them with virtually no chance of success and probably already adds to

that sense of political instability here. Election campaigns here tend

to be divisive. They tend to push the parties apart. Commentators

called the last one sectarian. This one is unlikely to be very

different. Unionistes had are calling it an opportunity to vote

for the Union while the Republicans are emphasising the negative

situation of Brexit and calling for a United Ireland. With the UK

parliament looking to be dissolved very soon there is the real problem

that there is no Government at Stormont. Westminster has two

choices, to take over the running of Northern Ireland, the other is yet

another Assembly election which will go alongside this general election.

Chris Buckler in Belfast, thank you. The decision has not

gone down so well there? That's right. It's worth saying a

number of political leaders in Wales have given their impression that

they want to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into this general

election campaign. Leanne Wood said it was "game on" when she heard the

obvious exception is Welsh Labour. The Leader of the Labour Party in

Wales, Carwyn Jones, who said it's a question of whether it's in the

national interest, questioned the timing and what impact it would have

on the peace process in Northern Ireland. The obvious omission is the

potential vulnerability in Wales for the Labour Party on a number of

parliamentary seats. Labour is the dominant force, but two years ago

the Conservatives were effective. Wales voted to leave, the

calculation from the Tories will be there will be many people in Wales

who will want to give Theresa May a mandate to take the UK out of the

EU. Elsewhere, for wildly differing reasons, the Lib Dems and Ukip will

also both feel there are opportunities. No shortage of

enthusiasm from many political leaders. I guess the question is

whether that's shared among the wider Welsh public. There have been

fewer votes in referendums in Wales than Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Wales had more of its fair shares of votes in recent years. We shall see.

Nick, thank you. Well, the country will go

to the polls in just seven weeks. Theresa May will be hoping

to build on her working Our political correspondent,

Vicki Young, looks at the numbers and where the key battlegrounds

for seats are likely to be. Theresa May says she wants certainty

and stability for the UK and for her that means a clear,

Conservative election victory. She's made a calculation

that she can improve on her party's This is the electoral

map showing the results of the 2015 general election,

most striking are the swathes of blue across England and SNP

dominance in Scotland. The Conservatives picked up 331,

Labour won 232, the SNP 56, the Lib Dems and DUP

eight seats each. With other parties factored in,

it left the Tories with a very slim So, where will the Tories

try to boost their numbers? The North West and the Midlands

are crucial battlegrounds, here there are numerous marginal

constituencies where very few votes At the last election,

Labour made little headway Certainly, Theresa May is calling

this election against a backdrop where she is very, very much

the favourite to win and, in truth, against the backdrop where no

opposition party has ever gone into an election in such a weak

position in the opinion polls. Now, Labour desperately need

a revival in Scotland if they're to form the next Government,

but the Tories and Lib Dems will also be hoping to prise some

seats away from the SNP. Fascinating too will be

the south-west of England, They were wiped out here

at the last election and are hoping for a comeback,

but how will their pro-EU message go down in a region

that voted for Brexit? The Prime Minister seems

to be trying to make If you look at last year's

referendum result, you can see why - How Britain voted then

could have a big impact Will areas that voted remain deliver

a bruising message to Theresa May? General election campaigns can

be unpredictable and, just two years after the last one,

voters must decide again whether there will be dramatic

changes to the electoral So what appetite is there

for another general election - just two years after the last one -

and a year after the EU referendum? Jon Kay has been talking

to voters in Bristol. This is Brenda, in her lifetime

there have been 19 general elections, so when we told

there was going to be number 20... Oh, for God's sake,

I can't honestly... There's too much politics

going on at the moment, It gets things out in

the open, sorts things out? I thought she said that

initially when she took over. Brenda spoke for many of the voters

we met here in Bristol today. Regardless of party politics,

we found little enthusiasm. Are you excited about

another election? It's too much.

It's too much, ain't it? They're just taking advantage

of a bad situation at the moment. So, all in all, it's not

good for the country. But others welcome the chance

to have another say. Do you feel ready for

a general election? It'll be nice if there was some sort

of clarity over what's going on. There's a lot of muddled

information out there. As for Brenda, the politicians have

seven weeks to get her out to vote. I think the whole country has

had enough of politics, politicians telling us this,

that and the other and to have us, I wouldn't want to, my dear,

because I don't play the game. Let's get some final thoughts

on today's announcement. In a moment, I'll be talking

to Laura Kuenssberg, but first our Europe editor,

Katya Adler, joins us from Paris. Behind closed doors this evening

there is a strong sense of optimism. One be very high-level EU source

saided to me this evening that he thought the chances of a good Brexit

deal for both sides had gone up enormously hi said if Theresa May

win as resounding victory at the poll that triumph would be heard and

not those of who he called his hardline Brexiteers. The EU would

get a strong reliable negotiating partner. He said. He believed that

would be good for both partners in the negotiation. There are thoughts

this could speed up the process so there could be talks about a future

UK-EU trade relationship far earlier than imagined if talks go well. As

soon, I've been told, as the end of September after the German

elections. Again, if all goes smoothly.

Let's get some final thoughts on today's announcement,

Where do you think this election is likely to be won or lost? In any

campaign it is hard to predict what will bubble up. It will be about

policy, personalities for the party leaders, and also about the parties

themselves. More than anything else, it will feel different in different

parts of the country but it will feel like an election all about

Brexit. Because Theresa May herself has made it so. She has directly, in

a way that leaders have not done for some time, directly ask the British

people for a mandate to get that job done. Very specifically, very

clearly. And even though there will be other things that she and the

other political parties want to talk about, I think it is hard to see yet

not being a main theme of what actually happens in the next seven

weeks or so. There is a real irony here because one of the reasons

Theresa May did not want to have an early election is because she wanted

to get Brexit done and dusted before actually having the next vote for

the whole country. But it appears talking to ministers as the

complicity of that has become real, it has been hurt adulation that the

canniest move has been to do this and do it now and get it out of the

way, with the hope that she ends up with a bigger majority and life

becomes much easier. We know today, from today, that Theresa May has

been very, very good at keeping secrets, but we do not know whether

or not her talents extend to winning elections. Laura, thank you very

much. Theresa May made her surprise announcement today in glorious

sunshine. Let's see what the weather is like today for the rest of the

country. Beautiful weather for most of the

country today but it is going to turn chilly across some parts of the

UK with frost on the way. The skies clear across England and Wales at

least early in the day. The cloud has been increasing over the course

of this evening as a result of moisture coming from the Atlantic.

We have had spots of rain across the western isles. Not so frosty here,

unlike last night, when it was really cold. The coldest weather

will now be across the south, -3 or minus four degrees outside the city

centre, which could be damaging for tender plants. We will wake up to a

crisp, sunny start across many southern areas. The cloud will tends

to increase a little bit but it should be a dry day for many of us.

A decent day across eastern parts of Scotland as well. High pressure with

us during the course of Thursday, particularly across the southern

half of the UK. In the morning, a little on the cloudy side. Misty and

rocky but in the afternoon, it will be better. Temperatures up on

Thursday. 15 in London, and it might even get up to 15 or more across

eastern parts of Scotland given a little bit of sunshine. We do have a

weather front expected to cross the country during the course of Friday

and that will introduce colder air from the north. That is a hint of

fresh weather coming our way towards the weekend. By the time we get to

Saturday, I think it will be a little cooler. Overall, a lot of dry

weather around. Back to ten Downing St.

A reminder of our story, dominating our bulletin today. Theresa May has

taken politicians are important to us by surprise, calling for a

general election to be held on June eight. And that