18/04/2017 BBC Wales Today

Prime Minister Theresa May made up her mind to call the election

on her recent walking trip to Snowdonia.

She is right. She is now going to the country to get that endorsement

and I am behind her all of the way. We are behind Jeremy Corbyn and we

will be out there fighting for a Labour victory on the 8th of June.

Swing constituencies like this - will be where the election

I have not made up my mind yet. I would want to be voted in and not

just given the job. My gut feeling is it will not change anything.

The cavity wall insulation causing rot, damp and heartache.

Why aren't people who cause cruelty kept on an animal

And Michael Bogdanov - one of the Wales's most

controversial theatre directors has died.

Theresa May said she made the "reluctant" decision

while walking in Snowdonia over Easter - tonight politicians

representing Wales have been reacting to the Prime Minister's

Speaking from Downing Street, Theresa May said -

a general election is the only way to guarantee certainty and stability

From Westminster, our parliamentary correspondent David Cornock.

To reason may's holiday snaps. It was on this break in Snowdonia that

the Prime Minister changed her mind and decided to call these that

collection. It was with reluctance that I decided that the country

needs this collection but it is with strong conviction that we need

strong and leadership to see us through Brexit and beyond. Our

announcement caught everybody here at Westminster by surprise. The

pundits, even the bookmakers and the politicians, too. The First Minister

said the timing was odd. Clyde Comrie said it was cynical.

Tomorrow, most Labour, Plaid can rate and Labour MPs will vote to

hold a early general election. The Tories are using the means of

no-confidence vote to get their own way. This is what is going to happen

whether we are in favour of it or not. We are going to take every

opportunity and as for my fellow members, we are looking forward to

the chants. There is an energy and politics in Wales. Labour see it as

a chance to regain power in Westminster. We are not concerned.

We have released policies we are proud of, such as raising the

minimum wage to ?20 by 2020. We have put them into a manifesto and we are

ready to go. We are behind Jeremy and we will be out there fighting

for a Labour victory on the 8th of June. Byron Davies, you have the

smallest majority in the whole of the UK. I deny this? Not at all. I

am very confident. I am pleased the Prime Minister has gone to the

country. The Labour Party is in disarray. The Prime Minister is

right. She's going to the country to get that endorsement and I am behind

her all the way. Voters in Wales will send 40 MPs to Westminster. The

boundary changes which would have cut it to 20 will not happen for

now. Ukip will hope to build on their breakthrough. Neil Hamilton

was an MP once. It is opportunism on her part. Bring it on. It is a time

to clear out a bit of dross. If the election occurs, I have got to stand

in it. It remains to be seen whether Mike Branch wants me but I am up for

the fight. -- whether my branch wants me. They are hoping their

opposition to Brexit will build a comeback. There is no strong

opposition and so with this coming election, we liberal Democrats will

have to be that opposition. It is a long way to go but we have already

done it in local elections and by-elections. The Prime Minister

says that after last year's vote to leave the European Union, there will

be no turning back. It is quite a move from the Prime Minister, isn't

it? It is a big surprise. She surprised everyone here, including

her own ministers who only found out before that statement at 11 o'clock.

Among them was the Secretary of State for Wales. How surprised where

you? The Prime Minister said at the outset of the meeting she had a

statement to make and she intended to call a general election. She

explained that is the difficult decision. It is about providing the

certainty and security country needs is being renegotiated to leave the

European Union but also delivering that plan that the Prime Minister

launched in Cardiff. We had certainty because we knew the

election was going to be in 2020. She said there was not going to be

an early general election. If we cannot trust her on that, why trust

her on anything else? We are in this position reluctantly but we have

seen the opposition parties are using the parliamentary process to

disrupt the negotiations and leaving the Prime Minister any weaker

position to negotiate with the European Union. This will strengthen

the Government's hand to get the best deal for Wales and the United

Kingdom and deliver on that plan for Britain which is so important. It is

not just about Brexit, it is about improving the standards of education

and health care and delivering for everyone. We are

having an election because the Prime Minister is afraid of parliamentary

scrutiny? Not at all. This is about strengthening her hand and providing

the stability and certainty the country needs we can negotiate that

plan, as there are elections in France and Germany and so we note

the UK will be there on an equal footing looking to five years but

beyond the term. You have been talking about Brexit and she is

talking about Brexit. Looks like are having another referendum. The plan

for Britain is just as important as the decision to leave the European

Union. The Prime Minister was in Cardiff launching it and underlining

the importance of the union of the K and we want to be a Government who

works for every part. -- UK. This is about launching a manifesto that

shows we are a Government that works for everyone in matter what hard of

the UK you come from. This is about delivering the right thing for the

country because it is the right thing to do. Thank you very much.

The Prime Minister cannot just call a general election these days. Under

the law, the MPs have two bought for one. Tomorrow, the MPs will start a

90 minute debate about the fact of the general election on June the

eight. The Prime Minister needs a two thirds majority. She will get

that and there will be a general election on the 8th of June.

After Wales voted in favour of leaving the EU, how

could the General Election in June change the political landscape here?

Let's look at how the vertical map currently looks. 40 seats is Labour,

with 25. Followed by the Conservatives with 11 seats. The

Liberal Democrats have just one seat. One of the closest run

constituencies on the 20 15th general election was Bridge end,

where Labour beat the Conservatives by just 1900 votes. Voters they are

also voted for Brexit. British politics is proving to be quite the

ride. The latest twist, the unexpected announcement of the

election has thrown Westminster into another spin. The announcement was

quite a turnaround. She denied there would be a snap general election.

These things are normally held on the same issues, the economy and

taxes. She has made it clear there will only be one issue and that is

Brexit. This is going to be very tricky for a Labour at this general

election because they are going to be talking about a Brexit that they

did not want their traditional voters backed. For the other

parties, this may be an opportunity to pick up seats but that will be

down to local factors. Westminster might be back from its break, but

the holidays continued here. Theatre-goers were seeking thrills

of another kind and many unaware of the news. That is going to be a

general election on June the 8th. What do you make of that? I am

surprised. It was a massive surprise but I can see her reason for it. She

is a strong women. If it was me, I would want people to at in and not

just given the job. There is a lot of confusion with Brexit and what is

going on with the country and its direction. Hopefully it will unify

things. If I thought Brexit route chains, I would change who I would

vote for. But I do not think that will be the case. Brexit is done now

and we need to move on and focus on issues that are important people.

This will be one of the constituencies to keep an eye on. It

has been a safe Labour seat for decades but at the last general

election, Labour only had around a 2000 vote majority over the

Conservatives and we voted for Brexit. What way will it have in

this unprecedented general election? There not any obvious seats that

conservatives are in contention for, but as the last years have shown us,

anything can happen. The Conservatives will hope they can

wrestle other pro-Brexit seats off of labour if their current lead in

the pool halls up. They are likely to have tough... Ukip will hope they

can to, after success at the last election. The Prime Minister has

taken a gamble of words that Cook career. She is odds-on favourite but

with seven weeks until the election and the unpredictability of

politics, even she must know anything can happen. Let's go to

Cardiff Bay and speak to our vertical editor. Labour may be the

biggest party in Wales but they are not thrilled of the prospect of an

election, are at the? That is right. It is a contrasting response today.

A animated LeAnn weird seeing she thinks it is game on. She has not

ruled out standing in this election. -- LeAnn route. The leader of the

Welsh Labour, the First Minister, questioning the timing and

questioning whether it was in the national interest and even

questioning the effect of peace or Northern Ireland. It seems like he

was talking about anything other than the vulnerability of

parliamentary seats in Wales held by Labour. It is worth remembering that

two years ago the Conservatives were effective in the general election

and the calculation from the Conservatives will be that we'll is

footed to leave and as a result, there will be huge number of people

across Wales who will want to give the Prime Minister a mandate to take

the UK out of the European union. The secretary of state in the

interview now said it will not be a rerun of the referendum but what do

you think? Yes, it is fascinating. It is interesting that within

certain parties, particularly those pro-remain parties, they think the

referendum last year was a mess at a hotshot porch of ideas. Now that

people in Wales have had the time to absorb the economic implications

they will think again about how they voted. On the flip the Conservatives

feel there are many people on the blood cult bubble in Wales who are

still in denial and in the middle who are trying to strike a ground

saying they respect the leave vote in Wales but having to be acutely

aware of the economic consequences of what legal means across Wales. It

will not be all about Brexit but it is hard to see past Brexit at the

moment. -- in a bubble in Wales. Dyfed-Powys Police are continuing

to appeal for information about a 90-year-old Lancashire man -

missing off the coast near Cardigan. also known as Archie,

took his small sailing dinghy out to sea from

Teifi Boat Club on Saturday. The search for him has been scaled

back, but police are continuing to appeal for information

from anybody who may have If they have seen anyone in

distress, get in contact with us and I would appeal for anyone who was in

and around the area up as far as Newquay to remain vigilant and if we

do see anything suspicious, contact us immediately on one 01.

A 30-year-old man has been charged with causing death

by dangerous driving after a woman was killed in a car

was driving a white BMW when a collision involving

a Volkswagen Transporter van took place in the Pentir area last

The jury in the trial of a psychiatrist accused

of sexually abusing some of his patients in South Wales

will continue deliberating its verdicts tomorrow.

77-year-old Dr Brian Harris is standing trial at

He denies 13 counts of sexual abuse - including rape -

against five men between 1991 and 20-11.

It's supposed to make homes more energy efficient,

but thousands of properties across Wales could be

at risk of developing rot, damp and structural problems

because of cavity wall installation that's been incorrectly injected.

The MP for Arfon, Hywel Williams is calling on the UK Government

to take responsibility of a situation.

On the outside you can see where all the bricks

have blown, they are the

Mother of three Anna Phillips from Barry

brought her three-bedroom home in 2004.

She started having problems seven years

cavity wall installation installed by the previous owners.

We have got this wall here that leads up to the

All the tiling is black and the ceiling is black

Due to it being a box bedroom, you cannot move his bed

My bedroom and the back girls' bedroom, all the mould is starting

Everything material wise, toys, clothes,

shoes, as soon as it touches it, we are binning it.

They have asthma and they are continuously coughing.

You can have the heating on all day and you don't

Around 900,000 homes in Wales have been built with cavity

walls, according to a report by the construction

The Welsh Government recognises a need to improve

insulation in older housing stock, but according to industry experts,

Approximately two thirds of Wales would fall within a locality which

is described as very exposed to driving wind and rain.

Some locations will be even more exposed, some as the heads

of the valley and coastal locations and properties facing the west or

For over a decade, companies backed by

Government grants have been fitting the installation into houses which

Campaigners want the problem to be addressed urgently and

the issue will be debated in Westminster tomorrow.

I want the Government to take some responsibility for this dreadful

Something which is quickly developing into a scandal, I think.

There seems to be no information about the number of cases

of cavity wall insulation that

People who are suffering are not being helped to come forward.

The UK Government says they are committed

to ensuring consumers are protected when choosing cavity wall

For now, Anna's plight continues as she lives with the

There are calls tonight for an animal offenders' register,

after criticism there's no clear way to enforce a ban on people

The RSPCA says 11 people have been prosecuted

but fear the true number could be much higher.

What we rely on is member of the public or call us when they spot

cruelty in the first police that the call us again when they know

somebody has been banned but have a dog or a rabbit again. We do not

have resources to do is spot checks on everybody so we rely on members

of the public to felt as then. One way to stop people having animals is

to have this register in place. The prison's watchdog says there's

been a deterioration in safety at a young offenders

institution in Bridgend. Inspectors at Parc prison found

the number of assaults on staff had increased and many

cases of bad behaviour went unchallenged, some

offenders were even rewarded The director at the unit says

training is being reviewed. The renowned Welsh theatre director

Michael Bogdanov has died. He was 78 and had a heart

attack on Easter Sunday. He was best known for

directing Shakespeare, but his pioneering style meant

he courted controversy, too. Our arts and media correspondent

Huw Thomas looks back at his life. Michael Bogdanov was the director

who took his passion for theatre to He formed his own Shakespeare

Company, 12 Olivier awards and made his mark

as a radical director In the 1980s, he directed

at the National Theatre in London, where he ended up in the dock

for pushing the boundaries. The Romans in Britain

featured a scene of male rape, which angered the morality

campaigner Mary Whitehouse, whose private prosecution

was unsuccessful. Theatre for young people

was a particular passion but so was promoting his homeland, where

he called for a National Theatre of Wales for years before

it was eventually established. He was a very passionate

man, very passionate about Wales and the arts and very

knowledgeable about the arts and a He could be cantankerous and funny

and witty and challenging. Slow clocks, quick

clocks, pendulum... He brought some of his oldest

friends to Swansea grand Theatre in 2014, directing 36 hours

of readings of Dylan Thomas's works There is a huge buzz

around the theatre and also around the town

because these kind of events He had recently been

in talks about more I was with him two weeks

ago. We were talking about

with Whoopi Goldberg. She came to one of his master

classes and he brought her I saw a letter from Colin Farrell

saying, thank you for giving You do not forget it when people

give you that chance. He died on holiday in

Greece over the Easter weekend and leaves five children

and a legacy as one of our most Let's return to our top story -

MPs will vote tomorrow on whether to In a surprise announcement

Prime Minister Theresa May said she wants to go to

the polls on June 8th. She needs the support of two thirds

of MPs for that to happen. Let's get a final word

from our Welsh Affairs This has caught everyone by

surprise, hasn't it? Yes, this is the Government has an overall

majority which would be regarded normally as a reasonable working

majority. When we have had collections close together in the

past, is because the Government lacks that majority. The Prime

Minister has decided the majority she has is not sufficient. Maybe she

feels she is too easily pressurised by groups in the Conservative Party

and she needs a bigger majority if she wants cohesion in Parliament. It

is a big gamble. When ever you choose to go to the polls early,

there is always a danger the electorate may turn around and say,

no, thank you. Elections come along as quickly as buses these days. This

is going to be different kind of the election, isn't it? This will be the

fifth time the people in Wales will be asked to go to the polls in two

years. It could lead to the low turnout. A lot of the campaign will

revolve around the parties trying to get out the vote. We are going to

see a campaign that has not been planned in many ways. There are not

the grids there. There will not be television debates probably. The

Conservatives say that will not be many press conferences. This is an

odd election and because of that, it is an unpredictable election. The

range of possible results is very wide on this occasion. No television

debates, definitely? That appears to be the case. The Prime Minister says

she is not willing to take part and it would be unlikely the

broadcasters would hold the debate that did not hold the Prime

Minister. In 1964 there were none until 76. We might not see a debate

again until the couple more general elections. Thank you very much.

In the more immediate future - let's see what the weather has in store -

After a mixed weekend, looking dry and settled over the week to come.

Patchy rain at times and warm earth by day and chilly nights. Some cloud

and clear skies. Temperatures will drop away and a frost will form in

brutal sports. Lows of two Celsius and Calder in the countryside. High

pressure is in charge tomorrow and this cold front will edge closer to

the coast of Wales. Some frost and a chilly and bright start. As that

front edges closer together, cloud will thicken from the north and west

in the afternoon. Thick enough for the odd spot of drizzle but staying

dry for most. Wins remain light on top temperatures of 13 Celsius. That

front moved southwards tomorrow and drizzle. Mist and fog but not as

cold as the past two nights. Those of six Celsius. Thursday, the odd

spot of drizzle but most places will state drive. More

cloud around and sunny spells. He westerly wind and fuelling pleasant

than any sunshine. 14 Celsius. A cold front will move southwards and

later on Friday, a dry start but patchy rain later on. It will turn

Calder and a chilly start to next weekend. Largely dry and settled

over the next days but patchy rain at times. Northerly winds bringing

equal quarter starting next weekend but some sunny spells, too. Thank

you. The headlines again, the Prime Minister has cold for a snap general

election on the 8th of June. She said Britain needs certainty, and

strong leadership following the EU referendum. She will need

parliamentary approval. A debate will be held tomorrow. It is with

reluctance that I decided the country need this election. It is

with strong conviction that I see it is necessary to have the strong

leadership the country needs to see us through Brexit and beyond. More

on the website. I will have an update at 8pm and the news at 10pm.

Thank you for watching. Good evening.

We've got an armed man on the run with a child.