19/04/2017 Breakfast

Hello - this is Breakfast, with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

MPs have their say - Parliament will vote today

on Theresa May's decision to hold a snap election.

The Prime Minister says her plans for a vote in just seven weeks

would secure the backing of the British people

The only way to guarantee certainty and stability that the years to head

-- years ahead is to hold the selection and seek your support for

the decisions I must take. We'll be live in Westminster

throughout the morning to get the latest political reaction,

and we'll be hearing your views I'm in Leicester where I'll be

finding out what voters make of a second election just two years

after the last one and what issues I'm at a bakery in Bolton to find

out what businesses think. The pound rose to its highest level

in 10 weeks, but what do businesses The Duke of Cambridge reveals

that the shock of his mother's death You never get over it. It's such an

unbelievably big moment in your life that it never leaves you.

The dream is over for Leicester City.

As they're knocked out of the Champions League

quarter-finals by the Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

Good morning. A bit more cloud around today across the UK, the old

spot of drizzle in the north-west of the dry story continues as it does

tomorrow, which could be a touch warmer as well. More in 15 minutes.

MPs are today expected to approve Theresa May's plan for a snap

general election on 8th June in a Commons vote this afternoon.

The Prime Minister says she's going to the polls,

three years early, to unite Westminster ahead of Brexit,

saying Britain needed stability and strong leadership.

Opposition parties have accused Mrs May of a U-turn,

but say they won't vote against the election.

Our political correspondent Eleanor Garnier reports.

It's not even 24 hours since the Prime Minister called for a general

election but already, the party leaders are gearing up, positioning

the parties and getting ready for the campaign ahead. It was a shock

announcement and a Theresa May said she had only made in the last few

days. I have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion.

Since I became Prime Minister, 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. Later

today, there will be a vote in Parliament to bring the general

election forward from its original date of May 20 20. With Labour and

the Lib Dems expected to back the plans, it's almost certain to go

ahead on June the eighth. We are quite clear there is an election

coming and we are going to be fighting that election in order to

win so that we do have a fairer, more decent society, we do have an

investment - led economy. The Lib Dems see a chance for the party to

come back from rock bottom. Well, it's an opportunity for the people

of this country to change the direction of this country, to decide

they do not want a hard Brexit, they want to keep Britain in the single

market and indeed, an opportunity for us to have a decent, strong

opposition in this country that we desperately need. This election

won't just be about what goes on here in Westminster at the whole

country's Constitution. Theresa May won't promise another boat on

Scottish independence but Nicola Sturgeon will. It's very clear that

the Prime Minister's announcement today is all about the narrow

interests of her own party, not the interests of the country overall.

Remember, despite favourable polls for the Tories and a weakened

opposition, the last few months and years have shown the politics of

this era have become rather hard to predict. There is so much to talk

about. We will keep you across everything.

Our political correspondent Iain Watson joins us now

from Downing Street, and the big question has to be Iain,

Indeed, we weren't. It caught us on the hop. We know the Chancellor,

Philip Hammond, the Brexit Secretary, David Davis, were pushing

for this. The Prime Minister met them on Easter Monday. She said she

was reluctant to make this decision and she wants to strengthen our hand

in Brexit negotiations but it has not escaped the notice of advisers,

the Conservatives 20 points ahead of Labour in the opinion polls but

there is one of the consideration and we have now seen the EU's

negotiating position, they've set that up. Negotiations will be

difficult. If Theresa May must make compromises, some of their own MPs

are not going to be too chuffed. She can take this risk, come back to

Westminster and also increases her authority over not only the

opposition parties but also her own MPs. We will talk you were bit

later. The decision to call a general

election on June 8th will be viewed differently

across the UK. We'll be talking to our

correspondents in Scotland and Wales later, but joining us

now from Belfast is our Chris, how is it

being viewed there? Well, one local satirist has

suggested there should be a sign put up at airports here welcoming

tourists to the election capital of Europe and that doesn't feel too far

wide of the mark. The sixth time people in Northern Ireland will have

gone to the polls in just under three years, the last election just

last month which was a snap election to the Northern Ireland Assembly

after the devolved government collapse, and that is a crisis which

is yet to be sorted out. One question is what impact this new

election campaign will have on the negotiations to try to restore the

devolved government? People tend to adopt more hardline positions during

elections. The Irish Foreign Minister has expressed concern the

campaign could disrupt the peace of the current negotiations but the

Northern Ireland Secretary has said the approach to the talks will

change, there is a deadline of early May and if there is no deal for the

Stormont parties before then, there could be yet another election to the

Stormont assembly. And later on we'll be asking

political analyst John Curtice about the timing of the snap

election, and what happens now. Also the Shadow Chancellor, John

McDonald. And the Brexit Secretary, David Davis will be here as well.

And we will be talking to the SNP and hearing your views. Please feel

free to get in touch with us. Prince Willian has revealed

the shock of his mother's death is still with him, twenty years

after Princess Diana was killed. The Duke of Cambridge made

the comments in a BBC documentary which follows a group of runners

with mental health problems who are training to run

the London marathon: The shop is the biggest thing and I

feel 20 years later, over my mother, I have shock. People think shock

cannot last that long. You never get over it. It's such an unbelievably

moment in your life that it never leaves you, you just learn to deal

with it. We will be speaking a little bit later to one of those

runners, Rhian, who will would be with us later.

Police have named a man they want to speak to about a suspected acid

Arthur Collins is wanted for questioning after a corrosive

liquid was sprayed during an argument in the early hours

Violence in prisons in England and Wales is spiralling out

of control according to the European Committee

Members of the committee visited Doncaster Prison

and Pentonville Prison last Spring as part of their inquiry.

They said that official figures were under-reporting the actual

The Ministry of Justice is yet to respond to the report.

More than 250 potential suspects have now been

identified by police investigating child sex abuse in football.

which is co-ordinating the investigation -

said 560 possible victims had come forward.

A hotline was set up to report abuse late last year when a number of high

profile ex-footballers said they were victims of sexual

The former American President, George Bush Senior, is in hospital

His spokesman said he had a mild case of pneumonia

but was in "good spirits" and was going to be fine.

The 92-year-old was treated in hospital in January for more

The American philanthropist, Bill Gates, has praised what's been

described as a record-breaking achievement in fighting

There's been a big worldwide push to distribute tablets,

to treat ten of these diseases, since a key meeting in London

Here's our health correspondent, Jane Dreaper.

These illnesses which sometimes kill. Sleeping sickness proves fatal

or not treated quickly and there are still some cases of leprosy, but the

biggest damages in the disability and disfigurement these diseases

cause, predominantly affecting those in some of the world's poorest

countries. An international meeting will hear today that significant

progress is being made in fighting neglected tropical diseases. Drug

companies have donated 7 billion treatments since new targets were

agreed five years ago. The number of people needing medicine to prevent

lymphatic filariasis, which makes limbs swell, is down from 1.4

billion to a billion. The Gates Foundation says these neglected

illnesses are now getting the attention they need. Not all of the

goals are on track and the unrest in South Sudan is making it hard to

finally finish the job of eradicating guinea worm, which is

caused by drinking contaminated water. But this week's meeting is a

chance to focus on progress so far while pushing for further work to

beat these painful illnesses. An asteroid as big as the Rock

of Gibraltar will hurtle NASA say it will get 'uncomfortably

close' to the earth, It's the largest asteroid to come

this near the planet since 2004 but it'll still be about

a million miles away. We shall be talking about that with

an expert a little bit later. Someone who might know that is

actually called JO 025. There are on line telescopes you can go on and

have a look. A small town in Canada has become

a surprise tourist spot thanks It's nearly 50 meters tall and has

become stranded in shallow water just off the

Newfoundland coast. The area is known as "Iceberg Alley"

thanks to the large number drift down from the

Arctic each spring. This is one of the first

of the season and it doesn't look That is just the most incredible

sight. It towers above the houses. Presumably then that one gets stuck

at lots of other ones get stuck as well. Do you have to wait for it to

melt? Probably. I've seen icebergs in real life, they are the most

stunning beautiful blue colour. Where were you? It was in Chile. You

have been everywhere, she has done the lot. I was studying. Plenty to

get through this morning. Plus a big night of sport. We talk about

Brexit, last night was Lexit. The dream is over but they went down

with a fight. Of the three previous Champions League finals, they made

two of them, Leicester. They know what they are doing. They had a real

go, 22 shots. Despite scoring, they finished 1- all. They do go out of

the high aggregate. It's a shame. It's been an enjoying ride.

Atletico opened the scoring and whilst Leicester,

the last British team left in the competition,

did manage to pull a goal back in the second half,

they were knocked out 2-1 on aggregate.

The new Birmingham City manager Harry Redknapp says the side need

just four points from their remaining games to stay

70 year old Redknapp replaces Gianfranco Zola,

Dylan Hartley is set to miss out on a place on the British

He'll be the third successive England captain to be overlooked

by the Lions, after Steve Borthwick and Chris Robshaw missed out in 2009

And Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty secures his place

at the World Swimming Championships with victory at the British

The guys on stop a bullet after Woods, gave his medal to a young guy

in the crowd, hoping to inspire the next generation. He has got enough

medals anyway. He's got a huge collection. We will see throughout

the morning. The most beautiful picture. A lovely

shot from Suffolk. A bit of clout around. Good morning, by the way.

This is where the coldest conditions are. Much of the UK once again

having cloud. It is billing in northern areas in particular. Clear

skies to the south-east. -- spilling. It is cold. -4 in parts of

East Anglia. Temperatures rising quickly now the sun is up. A lovely

and bright start for much of England and Wales. Grady

-- we have a weak weather front here affecting eastern Scotland. The odd

spot of light drizzle in the short-term. It will clear through.

Plenty of cloud for Northern Ireland and western Scotland. The odd spot

of drizzle in the air. Predominantly dry. Some rain and drizzle in

north-west England and the far north-west of Wales. Most will have

a dry day. Brightening up this afternoon in Scotland. Continuing

with sunny spells in central, southern and eastern England.

Temperatures could get up to 15 degrees. Cooler further north. More

cloud tonight in northern areas. A weak weather front going south

across northern England and Wales. Drizzle here and there. Very few and

little in the way of significant rainfall. Frost limited to parts of

Kent. Mostly without frost. Thursday, a cloudy day for England

and Wales. The odd spot of rain. Mostly dry. Rights in eastern

Scotland and into the afternoon in the north of England in the east of

Northern Ireland. Some sunny spells on an overall cloudy day. Tomorrow.

The Pennines in the north-east of Scotland could hit 15 degrees.

Working down from the north. This will bring rain to the north-west of

Scotland and later to Northern Ireland and the far west of England.

Some sunshine. Temperatures only 10 degrees. The sunniest conditions on

Friday will be in the south. 18, 19 degrees. The cold air will be back

as high pressure builds to the west of us into the weekend. Temperatures

dropping quite widely. Most will continue with the overall dry story

into the weekend. The best of sunshine will be in the west, but

feeling chilly, especially by night. That is how it is looking. Back to

you both. Banks. Let's have a look at

this morning's papers. Theresa May is on the front of all

the newspapers. The Times. They are talking about a poll. There is some

scepticism about polls. The Telegraph. They have called it the

bolt from the blue for May. All of the papers, massive inside pages on

what it means for so many different people and part of the country as

well. The Sun. This will kill off Labour. The election bombshell from

Theresa May. The Express. She is saying that. Front page of the Daily

Mirror. Lots of people are reminded again in the papers of how many

times she said there would be no early election. This is how The

Daily Mirror have written it. They said the lady is for U-turning. This

is where you get a sense of the papers having different political

leanings. Really? One more. The front page of the Guardian. May,

give me my mandate. We will ask the Brexit Secretary about that later

run. Theresa May has said on numerous occasions that she will not

give a sort of step-by-step plan of what they want to do with exit. But

if their readers an election they had they may have to put that in the

manifesto. And the Financial Times. They are looking at the markets and

what happened over the timeline yesterday. Yesterday they were

talking about Brighton's promotion to the Premier League. Some great

stories. Dot Ervis painted her house blue a couple of years back. There

she is celebrating. Apparently, the way the club is run, every single

person who works for the club will get a bonus of 10% on their salary.

So, everyone, from order to make the tea to the stewards, they have a

bonus in their packet. -- whoever makes the. And a family holiday to

the United States. Eyeing a new kitchen. Do you want to hear about

Komodo dragons and their blood? I can choose. A museum of failures. I

don't know. Komodo dragons. Apparently the blood of Komodo

dragons, they are incredible dangerous, it sounds like Harry

Potter, a potion from the blood of dragons can repel superbugs

resistant to all other treatments. They discovered this because Komodo

dragons fight a lot and they have a very dangerous bite right they can

survive it. You have been watching lots of programmes. They can survive

in disgusting conditions. That is why they are investigating it. Not

as much serious, but how do you judge a playhouse purchased from one

website to another. You do it on a bicycle. It is a little bit

dangerous. They were stopped and asked exactly what they were doing.

It is novel. I once sold a shed on a popular auction site and the person

turned up to pick it up on a bike. What did you do? It did not turn out

well. The Scottish election, the general election two years ago, the

EU Referendum! How do you feel about going to the polls again? Sally will

tell us what people are thinking. What is the reaction in Leicester?

They said come to Leicester market, it will be open from the crack of

dawn. And, do you know, they are not quite ready. But they are starting

to warm up the stores. Fruit and vegetables are over there. Fantastic

clothes at the other end of the market, which I will have a look at

later. This is one of the oldest markets in the country. It has been

on this site for 700 years. The largest outdoor market in Europe.

Theresa May's announcement and decision yesterday shocked the

political world, of course. I can tell you it caused some surprise

here as well. Lesson, I don't think it will make

any difference, to be honest with you, because I don't think Jeremy

Corbyn can get in. -- Listen. Why spend all that money? I am happy

with the idea. The Tories have been in too long. I was not surprised, to

be honest. I think she is running away. It has given the public a

chance to decide what they think, what they think about what has been

happening, being a democracy. It is normal. It will be very important

for the people of the UK. The NHS, definitely. I think this is the

chance for people who have a different view about Brexit because

after the referendum, lots of people open their rise and they realised

that maybe it was not a good idea. -- their eyes. The NHS, definitely.

And just generally looking after English people. The NHS, income,

things like that. Just the general things.

Well, I can tell you it is getting a little bit more lively here now. I

am joined by the director of the Leicester Comedy Festival. And Dale

who owns a gallery nearby and has lived hear many years. What was your

reaction? I was quite surprised like most eagle. My worry is it could

have the opposite effect by alienating people from the political

process. We have had many elections and referendums recently and people

are not ready for another one. How do you feel about it? Very, very

surprised. 60 days of intense, umm, well... Conversation. Turmoil.

Turmoil? All of the parties need to work more together and not against

each other, which is what elections seemed to do. Didn't you recently...

You are planning to run a comedy election, is that right? We did that

earlier this year as a tongue-in-cheek thing. It was an

antidote to the political systems. We urge people to vote for, the.

Some say there is enough already in Parliament but I will not comment on

that. -- vote for comedy. Certainly no laughing matter and Jane Green is

a commentator on this. This is shocking. A significant turnaround

for Theresa May. It is a significant turnaround from a few weeks ago when

she said there would be no early general election. Why she has done

it is the reason a better time. She looks ahead and sees the

negotiations and sees it is going to be difficult and she won't be able

to deliver on everything. The Lib Dems, early signs they could get

more support. People are seeing prices rising. Will people be asking

questions about the impact of Brexit on the economy? There has not been a

better time for Theresa May and I don't think there will be. That is

why she called it now. Briefly, it also gives her a chance to bring

backbenchers in the line. It is good to be really interesting to see if

that is the case. The people we are talking about have never been known

for particularly going back and being quiet. What is going to be

fascinating is what kind of mandate though she claimed to have? What is

she going to promise to the electorate and what is she going to

do? Can see deliver? Maybe they will be quiet if she delivers. Thank you.

We will be at Leicester Market all morning. If you have any questions

that you want to ask our expert, let us know and I will pass them on to

Jane. We are interested to know, will this be the Brexit election, or

are you concerned about other issues? NHS, social care. Et cetera.

Let us know. We will be in touch. Thank you. We are looking for your

views today to see how you feel about this. Are you excited,

exasperated? Are you like Brenda from Bristol? Turmoil and politics,

I think she said. Another seven weeks of this coming your way.

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

The latest news and sport in a moment.

Coming up on Breakfast this morning.

As Theresa May seeks approval to hold a snap general election,

we'll be telling you what happens next, and what it means

Also this morning, Rhian lost her son and her husband

Now she's running the London marathon to raise awareness

She'll be here to tell us how she's been helped by Prince William.

And an asteroid the size of Gibraltar will get uncomfortably

Don't worry, it's still a million miles away, but astrophysicist

Tim O'Brien will be here to tell us why,

the snappily titled 2014-JO25 is so important to astronomers.

But now a summary of this morning's main news.

The Prime Minister's plan for a snap general election on 8th June is set

to be approved by MPs this afternoon.

Theresa May says she's going to the polls 3 years early

to help her make a success of Brexit.

Opposition parties say they won't vote against the plan.

Our political correspondent Iain Watson joins us

and the big question has to be Iain, why now?

It's interesting Theresa May has abandoned her commitment not to call

a snap election. There are two reasons. She was on a walking

holiday in Wales but she was being pressed. She says of course, this is

to strengthen her hand in negotiations but the two reasons we

are talking about, is firstly, her advisers would have noticed the

Conservatives are as much as 20 points ahead of the Labour Party and

secondly, the other development that has happened in recent weeks is that

the EU has said that its negotiating position. It will be tough and she

has to make compromises. Some of own MPs might not like that. If the

gamble pays off and she returns with an increased authority, then her

authority will be strengthened. Thank you very much.

And over the course of the programme we'll be

getting reaction from across the political parties,

including the Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron,

the Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and the Brexit secretary

Prince William has revealed the shock of his mother's death

is still with him, twenty years after Princess Diana was killed.

The Duke of Cambridge made the comments in a BBC documentary

which follows a group of runners with mental health problems

who are training to run the London marathon.

The shock is the biggest thing. I still feel 20 years later, about my

mother, I still have shock within me. 20 years later, people think

shock cannot last that long but it does. You never get over it. It's

such an unbelievably big moment in your life that it never leaves you,

you just learn to deal with it. A little bit later, we will be

speaking to one people running the marathon, Rhian, she will be

speaking to us later. Police have named a man they want

to speak to about a suspected acid Arthur Collins is wanted

for questioning after a corrosive liquid was sprayed during

an argument in the early hours More than 250 potential suspects

have now been identified by police investigating child sex

abuse in football. The National Police Chiefs Council -

which is co-ordinating the investigation -

said 560 possible victims A hotline was set up to report abuse

late last year when a number of high profile ex-footballers said

they were victims of sexual abuse An asteroid as big as the Rock

of Gibraltar will hurtle NASA say it will get

uncomfortably close to the earth, It's the largest asteroid to come

this near the planet since 2004 but it'll still be about

a a million miles away. Thank you to those of you humouring

me this morning and sending the new names in the Astro. It should have a

better name than JO 025. Astrid? Astrid the asteroid? That's a good

name. Very inventive. It wasn't me! A big night in the Champions League.

We will start with Leicester but Cristiano Ronaldo? We will see him

in a minute. 46 hat tricks. Leicester but they have gone farther

than other clubs. The Atletico Madrid manager was congratulating

the other players. It was a real spirited performance from Leicester.

Already leading one nil from the first leg, the Spanish side

went ahead through Saul Niguez's header in the first half.

But Leicester fought back, Jamie Vardy scored in the second

half to level the scores on the night.

And that prompted a flurry of attacks, but they couldn't get

the two additional goals needed to eliminate their opponents.

They are very disappointed in there but ultimately, they can be proud of

what they have achieved. As a football club, we can be proud of

how we have conducted ourselves and how we have gone about it but they

should want more of this because ultimately, all players want to play

at the highest level in the Champions League is the highest

level but we have to get back to winning in the Premier league now.

It's now 100 Champions League gaols for Cristiano Ronaldo -

his hat-trick against Bayern Munich sending the holders Real Madrid

The tie had to be settled in extra time though,

as It finished 6-3 on aggregate in the Bernabeu.

Harry Redknapp is back in football management.

Birmingham City hoping to utilise his extensive footballing

experience to avoid relegation from the Championship.

The 70 year old replaces Gianfranco Zola, with the Blues just

three points clear of the relegation zone.

The former Tottenham and West Ham manager has been appointed

The British and Irish Lions squad will be announced at noon,

with Dylan Hartley set to miss out on a place on the tour

He'll be the third successive England captain to be overlooked

by the Lions, after Steve Borthwick and Chris Robshaw missed out in 2009

The Wales forward Sam Warburton is favourite to be named captain

World number two Judd Trump has work to do to reach the second

round of the World Snooker Championship.

He was beating fellow Englishman Rory McLeod

4-0 but the world number 54 - who's the oldest player left

in the competition - staged quite a comeback and won

The match resumes later this morning at the Crucible.

And after winning his race at the British swimming

Championships, Olympic chanmpion Adam Peaty has given his British

Peaty secured his place at the 2017 World Swimming

Championships after the British 100 metre breaststroke title

He finished in under 58 seconds ahead of Ross Murdoch

And he says he gave the medal away to inspire the next generation.

If it was any medal, I think I'd offered to give it away because you

get so many of them but for me, I don't want to sound arrogant or

anything but for me, the race is what matters, the process and going

to board a pest, this is qualifying. Hopefully getting a medal along the

way will inspire him to train harder for his career and even if it's a

week already, you have inspired someone.

He has got quite a collection of medals. Olympic medals, world

titles. Let us get more in our main story.

Theresa May says it was a walk in Wales with her husband that

finally made up her mind to ask permission for a general election

Just after lunchtime today, the Prime Minister will lead a vote

in the House of Commons for permission to send voters

She needs two-thirds of MPs - that's 434 of them -

That means she's relying on the support of at least

If she gets that, at one minute past midnight on 3rd

May, parliament will be dissolved and the official campaign

But just to complicate things further, a day later on the 4th May,

millions of people in England, Wales and Scotland will vote

in entirely different elections to appoint councillors

It is very rare to have two major elections so close together,

and the result of the local elections will be like a mega-poll

To discuss all of this from Glasgow is political analysts Professor John

Curtice. Let us talk about timing. Is this a canny decision by the

Prime Minister? The straightforward reason is that the Labour Party's

position in the opinion polls has been gradually weakening in recent

weeks and months, the conservative leader has been widening and she

certainly sees an opportunity as it appears to emerge from an election

with a much larger majority than the majority of 12 that she has at the

moment. Why might you want a bigger majority? In truth because A, during

the course of the Brexit negotiations, she cannot necessarily

assume that all of her Tory MPs are going to be happy with the progress

of those negotiations and therefore, she might be vulnerable. It says

there is an implicit acknowledgement by the Prime Minister that actually,

there might be some divisions within her own party over the next couple

of years. The second advantage to her is that the House of Lords

perhaps might have caused some difficulty but if she's got a

mandate for her kind of Brexit, they will feel more restrained, and it

makes much greater distance between the next election which will now be

in 2022 rather than 2020 on the conclusion of the Brexit

negotiations. On the current timing, it was pretty clear that the 2020

election could well be an election on whether or not Theresa May had or

had not done a good job in the Brexit negotiations, putting more

pressure on the Prime Minister, by having a greater space and perhaps

it will be less of a pressure on the Prime Minister. In so far as voters

might be disappointed, they have a bit more time to forget about it.

Just talk about that question. Could she get a bigger majority and she is

looking for and what does it mean for the Labour Party? The opinion

polls at the moment, on average, they point to a 16- point lead for

the Conservatives. Some polls put it higher than that. A 16- point lead,

you the standard assumption that the 4.5% swing from Labour to

conservative is implied since May 2015, that gets you to a majority of

100. You might begin to say that is not as big as I might expect with a

16- point lead and you would be right. It would be smaller than the

majority that Margaret Thatcher got when she got a 16 point lead in the

ballot boxes. It has become more difficult to get a big majority,

partly because Scotland is out of frame because the SNP dominates

representation there. Also, there are fewer marginal seats these days

and with that 4.5% swing, there are only about 40 seats that the Labour

Party would be likely to lose. I'm sure Theresa May would be delighted

with the majority of 100 but it that poll lead starts to narrow, maybe

this will not be quite such a good bet. The Labour Party enters this

election in a worse state than any previous opposition party. Labour

goes into the selection in a worse position than in 1983 when they

entered up with just 28% of the vote and many Labour MP will be looking

forward to the next seven weeks with considerable trepidation, not just

with their own careers but also whether or not Jeremy Corbyn is the

least able to do well enough to least perhaps close the gap a bit on

the Tories and ensure there isn't any meltdown in Labour's boat. There

will be an awful lot of pressure on the Labour leader, particularly in

the early weeks of this election campaign. Are we going to hear from

Brenda from Bristol? He is the point of view. Not another one? Oh, the

God's sake, I can't honestly stand this. There is too much politics

going on at the moment. Why does she need to do it? Just really briefly,

on that point, on voter apathy, can affect things, you think?

Not much. If there is apathy, it might be more on the Labour side

because of voters who are unhappy with Jeremy Corbyn and who cannot

bring themselves to vote for anyone else. That said, if it does focus on

Brexit, Brexit did take voters to the polls ten months ago and it

might do it again. Thank you. Fascinating stuff from a man who

knows his business inside and out. More reactions through the morning.

We want to know whether you agree with Brenda or not. The weather.

Another picture from Bristol. An ongoing theme. Lovely. A cracking

start from Bristol. High cloud. Sunshine around. More cloud in the

north. The odd spot of drizzle. For most, dry. Conditions at the moment

mean widespread temperatures down to one is fought in temperature. High

cloud. -- -4. A lovely and bright start. Temporary frost in the west

and east of Wales. More cloud. Avoiding frost. More cloud in

Northumbria and Scotland and Northern Ireland. This will threaten

the odd spot of light rain and drizzle. Most start the get dry with

cloudy conditions and brighter weather developing through the day.

-- day. Northern Ireland, cheering up a touch. Clouding over in parts

of northern England, Wales, and the north-west Midlands into the

afternoon. The sunniest conditions will be to the south and east of

England. 15-16. Temperatures, generally, in the low to mid-teens

quite widely. Tonight, more cloud around. Not quite as cold. Frost

limited to the far south-east. Somewhere like Kent may see a touch

of frost in the tomorrow morning. Mostly cloudy conditions. Damp.

Northern England and Wales as well. The odd spot of drizzle. Not

soaking. Most dry. Windy in the north of Scotland with a few

showers. Dryness in the north of Scotland mostly. Cloudy conditions

in the north. Temperatures down on today. The north-east of England and

Scotland could get to 15-16 during the afternoon. A quick look at

Friday. Another weather front working into Scotland and Northern

Ireland. Outbreaks of rain to the end of the day. Brightening up in

the afternoon. Turning colder. Further south, more sunshine once

again. A touch warmer. 18-19. A short-lived warm spell. A cold front

going south as we go through into the start of the weekend. The blue

colours on the chart in the eastern flank of the high pressure system

will keep things largely dry, but pushing cold air down to Europe as

well where things have taken a turn. That is how it is looking. Back to

you. Thank you. See you in the next hour for another update.

You're watching Breakfast from BBC News.

The Prime Minister's decision to call a snap election took

But what could it mean for businesses?

Steph is live at a bakery in Bolton this morning to get their reaction.

Of course, bakeries mean hairnets. Good morning. Oh yes. Like always.

Good morning. You can see these are the cakes that are being made. They

make something like 70,000 of these every day. A sweet variety of

different products. 16,000 sausage rolls every hour. 70,000 of these

are made every day. You might remember I was here when there was a

referendum. Look at these two. You can see the piping going on. You

might recognise that face. Scooby Doo. We were talking to them about

the referendum. Their boss was clear he wanted to leave the EU. We have

him back. Good morning, Dave. Here we are again. Welcome back! An

election! How do you feel? All I wanted to do was have a bit of

stability for industry and commerce. If it does, happy days, really. Are

you happy that we are going through this process again of having to vote

for something? When you talk about uncertainty what does that actually

mean for you? If it gives a mandate, whoever gets in, if it gives a

mandate for a solid, financial government that, going through

Brexit, which I voted for, it will give stability and it will give

confidence and it will give a good feeling for industry to move

forward, yeah. How are you feeling simply voted to leave? Because,

obviously, as you just said, you voted to leave. How have things

being for you with the business? It has actually been tougher. Some of

the costs of gone up, especially materials. But the overall principle

of, umm, having the right to choose, is the right thing for business.

Even though you have to taken a bit of a hit in the longer term, you

think it will be better? Everything goes up and everything goes down no

matter what. I took a bit of a hit but it will come back in the near

future. Good to talk to you as ever. We will be here throughout the

morning and potentially eating some of these. By all means. We have

Vicky Price, an economist. This was quite surprised. Are your thoughts

on this? It is interesting. No one expected it at all, certainly no

economic commentators. But the market has interpreted it in an

interesting way. They seem to think that the bigger mandate, that

Theresa May may be getting, they think it might mean that we are

moving towards a softer Brexit rather than a harder Brexit. Because

she will have more control over Eurosceptics in her own party. And

of course, we will have a transition period, which is what the Europeans

are suggesting. She will have a lot more is in being able to push that

through without people turning it down to the -- ease. There will be a

longer period of people living in without restrictions. The European

Court of Justice will still be there for a while. It actually pushes us,

in the transition period itself from 2019, it actually means that we get

to the next election, if indeed the five-year rule remains, 2022, where

we complete that period, and then the real Brexit begins, if you like.

It gives the room to manoeuvre. In some ways, if the market is right,

it may well be better off for businesses if that is indeed

achieved. And off the back of that news, the value of the pound went

up. Tell us about that. It means faster growth for the economy and

more trade with Europe continuing for a longer period. Because, of

course, for us, it is such an important part of the overall

package, if you like. The EU is important, we at 45% of our goods to

it. The smooth the transition is, rather than a cliff edge, the easier

it is to fill in vacancies and job shortages. -- smoother. Thank you.

You will be with us for the rest of the morning. I will take you around

the bakery. It is so fascinating to see where they make things. This is

the sweet section. It is my favourite. And you can see the bread

coming out of the oven is. It smells gorgeous. I am fascinated! I could

learn a lot from their piping skills! See you a little bit later.

I am fascinated. Scooby Doo! Plenty of other news around as well,

besides the snap election! The Duke of Cambridge has revealed

the shock of his mother's death is still with him 20 years

after she was killed in a car Prince William was speaking in a BBC

documentary which follows a group of people affected by mental health

problems, who're training to run Our royal correspondent,

Peter Hunt, reports. Exercise can help with mental health

issues. Ten runners pursuing a shared goal, a marathon for their

minds as much as there bodies. All of them have suffered and continue

to suffer from turmoil in the inside. It can help mental health,

most definitely, from a personal experience. This is one of the

marathon novices. Her when he rolled fund, George, died. -- her

one-year-old son. And then her husband, who blame himself, took his

own life. It changed me forever. PTSD has been a huge thing I have

had to carry. The runners are being supported by William, Kate, and

Harry. Their Heads Together Campaign encourages people to work together

to discuss men to help. Can I ask you a question, you are older than

my children, but I am worried about them growing up. Will they be OK?

With a mother like you, they will be fined. Don't say that. Try and

understand, you have more complex emotions right now. It is critical.

You are explaining to them what those emotions men and what they

have to do. You have to rationalise this. If you are angry or down, you

can kind of rationalise it and deal with it. The shock is the biggest

thing. I still feel 20 years later with my mother that I still have

shock within me 20 years later. I can't last that long, you think. But

it does. It is an unbelievably big moment in your life. It never leaves

you. You just learn to deal with it. How was it? It was amazing! Yeah.

Did you get to ask a question? I did. He was so honest. He just said

straight up they will be OK. Because they have a great mother? Yeah.

First, Prince Harry, and now Prince William. Two royal brothers who

provided an insight into the detrimental impact of their morning.

-- mourning. I hate seeing people in emotional or mental torment. It is

really sad. It takes you down a very, very different path in life.

The point of the campaign, with the marathon, is we want to reduce the

Fichman. People talk about mental health as if it is perfectly normal.

-- reduce the stigma. The runners will face physical and mental

challenges when they compete in the marathon.

And in the next hour, we'll be speaking to Rhian

and the presenter of the programme, Nick Knowles.

Now it is back to the Breakfast team.

Hello, this is Breakfast with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

MPs have their say - Parliament will vote today

on Theresa May's decision to hold a snap election.

The Prime Minister says her plans for a vote in just seven weeks

would mean she could negotiate on Brexit with the backing

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

is to hold this selection and seek your support

We'll be live in Westminster throughout the morning to get

the latest political reaction, and we'll be hearing your views

I'm in Leicester where I'll be finding out what voters make

of a second election just two years after the last one and what issues

The pound rose to its highest level in 10 weeks, but what do businesses

I'm at a bakery in Bolton to find out.

The Duke of Cambridge reveals that the shock of his mother's death

It's such an unbelievably big moment in your life that it

The dream is over for Leicester City.

As they're knocked out of the Champions League

quarter-finals by the Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

England and Wales waking up to a frosty start. The dry weather story

continues. There are a few exceptions and I will tell you where

they are. The full forecast in the next 15 minutes.

The Prime Minister's plan for a snap general election in just 7 weeks

is expected to be approved by MPs today.

Theresa May says she's going to the polls 3 years early

to help her make a success of Brexit.

Opposition parties have accused Mrs May of a U-turn,

but say they won't vote against the election.

Our political correspondent Eleanor Garnier reports.

It's not even 24 hours since the Prime Minister called

for a general election but already, the party leaders are gearing up,

positioning the parties and getting ready for the campaign ahead.

It was a shock announcement and a decision Theresa May said

she had only made in the last few days.

I have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion.

Since I became Prime Minister, 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 this

election and seek your support for the decisions I must take.

Later today, there will be a vote in Parliament to bring the general

election forward from its original date of May 2020.

With Labour and the Lib Dems expected to back the plans,

it's almost certain to go ahead on June the 8th.

We are quite clear there is an election coming

and we are going to be fighting that election in order to win

so that we do have a fairer, more decent society,

we do have an investment-led economy.

The Lib Dems see a chance for the party to come back

Well, it's an opportunity for the people of this country

to change the direction of this country, to decide they do not want

a hard Brexit, they want to keep Britain in the single market

and indeed, an opportunity for us to have a decent,

strong opposition in this country that we desperately need.

This election won't just be about what goes on here

in Westminster but the whole country's Constitution.

Theresa May won't promise another vote on Scottish independence

It's very clear that the Prime Minister's announcement today

one, all about the narrow interests of her own party,

not the interests of the country overall.

Remember, despite favourable polls for the Tories and a weakened

opposition, the last few months and years have shown the politics

of this era have become rather hard to predict.

Our political correspondent Iain Watson joins us now

from Downing Street, and the big question has to be Iain,

She said she made her mind up on a Welsh walking holiday. She wants to

strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations but it would not have

escaped the notice of her advisers. Opinion polls putting the

Conservatives as much as 20 points a hand of the Labour Party. Other

things that have changed is that the EU has set out its negotiating

position. They are suggesting they might have to be an exact bill. If

the Prime Minister as to make some compromises during that process,

that might upset some of her own MPs and of the gamble pays off, she

could return to Westminster with an increased majority. They thank you

very much indeed. We will be with you grab the morning. We will also

speak to the leader of the Liberal Democrats. We will also speak to

David Davis as well. We will be talking to all the political

parties. John McDonald as well. The decision to call a general

election on June 8th will be viewed differently

across the UK. We'll be talking

to our correspondents in Northern Ireland and Wales

in a moment, but joining us now from Holyrood is our Scotland

correspondent Lorna Gordon. Good morning. I think the question

here in Scotland will be one of whether its independence or the

union. That issue is likely to dominate the general election

campaign in Scotland and Theresa May tips hat to that issue with an

article in this morning 's Scotsman newspaper where she argues that a

vote for the Scottish Conservatives will send a strong message of

opposition to what she calls the SNP's divisive plans for a second

independence vote. Her party 's challenge is to up the number of MPs

in Scotland, currently at one. The SNP have 56 and they say a strong

showing of them will reinforce their cause for a second independence

referendum. What about Northern Ireland? Chris pages in Belfast. One

local satirist has suggested there should be assigned in airports

welcoming tourists to the election capital of Europe. This will be the

sixth time voters have gone to the polls in just over three years in

the last election was just last month. It was a snap election to the

Stormont assembly. That crisis has not been fixed yet. Negotiations

will resume today after the Easter break between the parties to try to

restore the power-sharing government. What will another

potentially very divisive election campaign give all parties appetite

to compromise? Most think not very much. The Irish government has

expressed concern agreement might be less likely because of the general

election campaign which is now upcoming but the Northern Ireland

Secretary and the Westminster Cabinet minister says the

government's approach to the talks will not change. If there isn't a

deal, the government will have to take over running Northern Ireland

itself from Westminster, suspend devolution or call yet another

election to the assembly. That is the view from Northern Ireland. That

is now hit from Daniel Davies in Cardiff. They are calling this the

made in Wales election because it is while on holiday in Snowdonia that

Theresa May made up her mind. What effect will Wales have on the

result? There are 40 seats in Wales. The Tories did not have any of those

seats but now they are into double figures and hope to go further

again. The most marginal seat in the UK is in Wales, Dowler, and the

local Tory MP said he was not nervous. He was looking forward to

another election on June eight and that is because his party knows that

there are more and more labour- held seats which could be vulnerable if

they continue to slide in the polls. If the SNP do well in Scotland and

the situation remains uncertain, the seats available in Wales, they

become even more important as she tries to build a majority.

Prince William has revealed the shock of his mother's death

is still with him, twenty years after Princess Diana was killed.

The Duke of Cambridge made the comments in a BBC documentary

which follows a group of runners with mental health problems -

they are training to run the London marathon.

I still feel 20 years later, about my

mother, I still have shock within me.

20 years later, people think shock cannot last that long but it does.

It's such an unbelievably big moment in your life that it never leaves

Police have named a man they want to speak to about a suspected acid

Will be speaking to one of those taking part in the programme. Nick

Knowles will be here and one of those who is running the marathon,

Rhian, will be here in about ten minutes' time.

Police have named a man they want to speak to about a suspected acid

Arthur Collins is wanted for questioning after a corrosive

liquid was sprayed during an argument in the early hours

The American philanthropist, Bill Gates, has praised

what he called record-breaking achievements in fighting

The worldwide campaign to control or eliminate 10 diseases

by 2020 was launched 5 years ago, with drug companies donating seven

He says these conditions are now getting

A small town in Canada has become a surprise tourist spot thanks

It's nearly 50 meters tall and has become stranded in shallow

water just off the Newfoundland coast.

The area is known as "iceberg alley" thanks to the large number that

drift down from the arctic each spring.

This is one of the first of the season - and it doesn't look

And when you remember how much of that is below the surface. Of

course. 90%? I can't remember. Never use the fact unless you know the

fact. It is 12 minutes past seven. With the Scottish independence

referendum in 2014 and a general election two years ago, and the EU

Referendum last year, how do you feel about going to the polls again?

Sally is out and about testing the waters investor market to find out

what people are thinking. A rather large statue as well. Good morning.

Look at that everybody. That is John Henry, the fifth Duke of Rutland,

who has been up there for a couple of hundreds of years. I wonder what

he would think? If the political world was shocked by the

announcement, the people of Leicester were quite surprised as

well. I don't think it's going to make any difference. Jeremy Corbyn

is never going to get in, simple as that. Why spend all of them millions

of pounds? We have had the Tories too long. In a way, I wasn't

surprised, to be honest. I think she is running away. It's giving the

public a chance to decide what they think of what's been happening and

being a democracy, it is fair enough. This election is going to be

very important for the people of the UK. The NHS, definitely. I think

this is the chance for people who have a different view about the

Brexit because after the referendum, lots of people open their eyes and

they realised, maybe it wasn't a good idea. The NHS definitely, and

looking after English people for a change. The NHS, income, things like

that. Just the general things that crop up every time. I am joined in

Leicester market by Dale and Jeff. We heard from the people we were

listening to, everybody was surprised by Theresa May's

announcement. Leicester voted to remain in Europe just by the skin of

their teeth, 51%. Will this be the Brexit election? Brexit election? It

could be. What are the issues that concern you? The issues that concern

me are that we just seemed to be in such turmoil in the country and we

really need all the politicians pulling together and working

together. Playing to their strengths and guiding us through. It just

seems confusing. You run a comedy Festival here. I don't know whether

this is going to be a rich source of jokes for you or not because some of

the issues that Sarah is facing a really serious. Yell Obama there is

a lot of humour to be had. I think you are right. NHS, help, those

things. I hope they can out of the next few weeks. Hold that thought.

You are our expert. We were talking about the issues that matter to

people like education and the NHS. Theresa May is calling this a Brexit

election, but how much of a risk is she taking by going to the country

now? One of the risks is we expect her to do well. What happens if she

doesn't and the Conservatives cannot eat into those big Labour majorities

in the strongholds? Anything that is not a landslide victory may be

framed as not a success. That is a risk, she doesn't do well with

seats. The other risk is she will be making a lot of promises over the

next 6-7 weeks. She says she needs a mandate to get in the EU

negotiations. If she gets it she will be stronger, and so on. But

what happens if she doesn't get what she is promising and the EU member

states turn around and make it very difficult for her supper she has

gone to the country and made promises and once this mandate and

if she cannot deliver, the long-term risks are bigger. Bigger than the

ones she will have on 6-7 weeks' time. The newspapers are talking

about a landslide. It may not be a safe decision. At this point I would

be surprised if the Conservatives don't increase their majority quite

handsomely. But we have a volatile electorate. We have been surveying

them since 1964. Over that time people have switched support much

more now from election to election. There is a lot of volatility. We

will have to see what happens. Thank you. I started this broadcast with a

favours name. Later on in the programme I have another one. --

famous name. A sporting connection. I wonder if people can guess who

that will be at Leicester Market this morning. Shall we not give it

away? Alleviate! Let's not real and it is a buy to let people guess. --

Leave it! I could not help myself. I will keep my mouth shut. Thank you

for watching us this morning. How are you feeling

about the prospect of another vote less than a year after

the EU Referendum? Yesterday Jon Kay spoke

to Brenda in Bristol, who is in no doubt

about her opinion... Not... Another one! I can't stand

this. There is too much politics going on at the moment. Why does she

need to do it? We'd like to hear your thoughts too,

and the issues you'll be voting on. Je Suise Brenda was trending

yesterday. An exciting time to make a decision. Tell us what you think.

We would love to hear your opinion today and in the next seven weeks

over Breakfast. And now for the weather. IATA the exact same words

every time my alarm goes off in the morning. Good morning. --I utter.

This is a Weather Watchers shot from Staffordshire. Sunshine. More cloud

around than yesterday. Most will be dry. Where you have had clearer

skies in the night it is quite chilly. I mentioned more cloud. It

is a distant part of Scotland and Northern Ireland in the far of

England. The odd part of drizzle. -- it is biggest. A pleasant day with a

gentle breeze. The best of the sunshine cloud in the sky is further

west. Sunshine coming through nicely. Also, in the far west of

Lancashire and Cumbria and Northumberland. The cloud is

conditions here. Especially in the east of Scotland and the west of

Northern Ireland. Most are dry. Mist and hill fog around as well.

Northern Ireland is predominantly cloudy. It might brighten up with

sunny spells later on. Cloudier much of Wales as well. Sliding sliding

into the Midlands. The odd break. After the chilly start, the highest

temperatures around 15-16. Mostly around 11- 13. Tonight. A good deal

more cloud than we saw last night, especially in the south of the

country. Frost in East Anglia and Essex and parts of Sussex. The cloud

could thicken up Ford drizzle in the Midlands and Wales. A great start

for tomorrow. Most will be dry. A cloudy day for England and Wales.

Bright weather in England later. Sunny spell to the east of Scotland.

A breezy day with rain in the far third less. Breaks to the eastern

Some rain. Mainly in the hills and west. Eventually into northern

England. Brightening up in eastern Scotland. Sunniest in central and

southern England and Wales. Feeling quite warm in the sunshine. A

short-lived warm spell. Working three into the weekend. High

pressure nearby. Not much rain. This chart suggests some cold air on the

weight to be that also affects part of Europe. Winter has returned.

These are the scenes from Munich yesterday. Good snowfall. Some snow

in the Alps as well. That is how it is looking. Back to you. Look at

that! In case you just turned on your television, it is not it is in

Munich. Thank you very much. Running a marathon is a huge

physical and mental challenge, and for a group of runners it's

being used as a way of helping them cope with their own

emotional difficulties. Mind Over Marathon is a new BBC

documentary which follows ten people affected by mental health issues, as

they train for the big race in London this weekend. Mum of three,

Rhian, lost her baby son George in 2012. Just five days later her

husband took his own life. In the programme she got some advice from

Prince William. Can ask a question? I am worried

about my children. Will they be OK? You have to understand the emotions

a lot more. You understand it more than those who have not had issues

in their lives. You have to explain what these emotions mean to your

children. You have to rationalise a little bit and you understand, I am

really angry, I am kind of down. You have the

Well, Rhian, who was in that clip, joins us now, as does

the programme's presenter, Nick Knowles.

Congratulations on your massive undertaking. It is such a shocking

story to hear. You have come a long way since the events which turned

your life around. In 2012 when my son George died, and you know, it

was just completely devastating on my family and friends. Obviously,

five days later, my husband walked out of the house and never came

home. The life I knew in the world I was living in was completely

shattered. -- answer. It has been a rollercoaster. Life is for living.

That is what we are looking for. This programme is going to show a

lot of people that. Where are you now compared to where you were then

and what has helped you over the years? It has been a long journey. I

have had good days and bad days. When I started it, you know, the

community I lived in, Cardiff, friends and family, they supported

me so much. I went to a charity which I put a lot effort into. And

my two children, who needed me more than ever, got me through it. I am

feeling a lot better. I have tried every type of market isn't to get

back on that road to recovery. It really has helped me. The idea

behind the programme, Nick, is he take ten people, including Rian, on

this incredible journey, and it will end when they do the marathon on

this weekend. It never ends. Yes. But we talk about how exercise can

help. Why have you decided to do this? Exercise, nutrition, getting

outside, it can help. It is a good thing. Running, it turns out, is a

great thing to get into the countryside. Nutrition as well. You

will see that in the programme. We need to worry about that as well.

Some of the people involved, we have a singer, she was bullied when she

was younger and ostracised as a result. We have George, a police

detective. He lived a completely normal life until one day she

decided she wanted to walk into the sea. A hairdresser, the lovely Mel,

she suffers depression. Claudia, intrusive thoughts. She constantly

hears voices. It is something she actually said to me recently that in

her teenage years she just wanted to end things to stop this noise in her

head. When she got to speak to someone about it, she realised there

were medical reasons for it and she controlled at. I am keen for people

to watch this. If you are coming home and wondering whether you

should watch mental health or a comedy programme, watch this,

because you might recognise yourself or somebody you know. You might

recognise how to be around someone who has this. We saw you talked to

The Duke of Cambridge. What was that like? It was surreal. We did not

know we were going to meet them. They gave us an understanding.

Having them lead this helps make a difference. He was so easy to talk

to. I forgot who I was talking to. We just got chatting. I asked this

question. When I look back, I wonder if I should have. But it was lovely.

His response was fantastic. He knows what it is like to lose somebody

suddenly that you love. It was just amazing. An amazing experience.

People forget that in the maelstrom of what was happening there were two

young boys. For them, that was their whole world, that was their whole

story. It is extraordinary that they have kind of kept themselves Okabe

right until now and then it became a dipping point. -- OK right until

now. So you are going to run this Sunday? Yeah. Are you excited? I am

excited. I don't know if I will sleep much. Have you done it before?

I was inspired by some charities that have done some running. But

nothing like this. It is a challenge. We met when we were in

London. It is a nice place. I will give it my best. Just enjoy it.

Yeah. I know you were quite keen not to run because you want the focus on

them. Did The Duke of Cambridge tell you to run? He gave me orders. I

have seen him in his running suit. Yeah. It was important for me that I

didn't run because I do want the story to be about me. It is too much

when presenters get involved in the story. This is a story about ten

extraordinary people that other people might recognise as

themselves. Talking about it is the first step. Thank you, both, very

much indeed. Enjoyed it, and have a very good day. -- enjoy.

Mind Over Marathon starts tomorrow on BBC One at 9pm and concludes

It is well worth your time as well. Let us get

So, perhaps a touch warmer as we head to Friday as more mild

Cooler again and cloudy as we head into the weekend.

I'm back with the latest from the BBC London Newsroom

Hello - this is Breakfast, with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

general election on 8th June is set to be approved

Theresa May says she's going to the polls 3 years early

to help her make a success of Brexit.

Opposition parties say they won't vote against the plan.

Our political correspondent Iain Watson joins us now

and the big question has to be Iain, why now?

It took a lot of people by surprise, didn't it? Yes, us included. There

was a broad --a jawdropping moment yesterday. Theresa May said she made

at the mind only recently. It was on a walking holiday in Wales last

week. When the Chancellor and also the Brexit Secretary have been

pushing for that early election. She told them she was going ahead. This

is to strengthen her hand for Brexit negotiations but other factors were

at play. Her advisers behind the black door will have noticed that

the Conservatives are something like 20 points ahead of the Labour Party.

In recent weeks, the EU set out its negotiating position to clear the

Brexit negotiations. They want an exit bill to be paid before they

talk about trade. If the Prime Minister has to make compromises,

some of the MPs are likely to be miffed. She can return here to

Downing Street with an increased majority with more authority over

those MPs. Thank you very much. And over the course

of the programme we'll be getting reaction from across

the political parties, including the Liberal Democrat

leader Tim Farron, the Shadow Chancellor John

McDonnell, Brexit secretary the shock of his mother's

death is still with him, twenty years after

Princess Diana was killed. The Duke of Cambridge made

the comments in a BBC documentary which follows a group of runners

with mental health problems who are training to run

the London marathon. I still feel 20 years

later, about my mother, I still have

shock within me. 20 years later, people think shock

cannot last that long but it does. It's such an unbelievably big moment

in your life that it never leaves Police have named a man

they want to speak to about a suspected acid attack

at an East London nightclub. Arthur Collins is wanted

for questioning after a corrosive liquid was sprayed during

an argument in the early hours More than 250 potential

suspects have now been identified which is co-ordinating

the investigation - said 560 possible victims

had come forward. A hotline was set up to report abuse

late last year when a number of high profile ex-footballers said

they were victims of sexual An asteroid as big as

the Rock of Gibraltar George Bush Senior is in hospital

with pneumonia. He was treated in hospital back in January to more

than two weeks with the same illness. Bill Gates has praised what

he called record-breaking achievements in fighting neglected

tropical diseases. The worldwide campaign to control or eliminate ten

diseases by 2020 was launched five years ago with drug companies

donating 7 billion treatments. He says these treatments are now

getting the attention they need. An extraordinary collection of rare

colour photographs taken during the Second World War

have been released, many of which are being published

for the very first time. The images taken by

official photographers, news agencies and even air crews

reveal a unique insight into life The rarity of colour film and high

cost of reproducing the pictures mean there are few colour images

of the time in existence. When you see someone like that in

colour, it is rather strange. Matt will be here with a weather shortly.

But first, John is here with the sport. Disappointment for Leicester

City, they are out of the Champions League. They are up against Atletico

Madrid. They were trailing in the first leg but there were hopes they

could have upset the odds and compost. Madrid have reached the

final in two out of the three seasons. They are a strong side. A

very spirited performance but not enough. Lexit means Lexit. It does

indeed. The Spanish side,

already leading 1-nil from the first leg, went ahead

through Saul Niguez's header. That left Leicester needing

three goals to progress. back in the second half

through Jamie Vardy, But despite a flurry of attacks,

they just couldn't find the two extra goals needed to

eliminate their opponents. As their European journey

came to a spirted end. They are very disappointed

in there but ultimately, they can be proud of

what they have achieved. As a football club, we can be proud

of how we have conducted ourselves and how we have gone about it

but they should want more of this because ultimately, all players

want to play at the highest level in the Champions League,

it is the highest level but we have to get back to winning

in the Premier League now. It's now 100 champions league goals

for Cristiano Ronaldo - his hat trick against Bayern Munich

sending the holders This was a real thriller -

the tie had to be settled in extra time - 6-3 on aggregate

it finished in Spain. management as Birmingham City look

to utilise his extensive footballing experience to avoid relegation

from the Championship. The 70 year old replaces

Gianfranco Zola, with the Blues just three points clear of

the relegation zone. The former Tottenham and West Ham

manager has been appointed will be announced at noon,

with the England Captain Dylan Hartley set to miss out on a place

on the tour to New Zealand. He'll be the third successive

England skipper to be overlooked by the Lions, after Steve Borthwick

and Chris Robshaw missed out in 2009 The Wales forward Sam Warburton

is favourite to be named captain World number two Judd Trump has work

to do to reach the second round of the World

Snooker Championship. He was beating fellow

Englishman Rory McLeod 4-0 but the world number 54 -

who's the oldest player left in the competition -

staged quite a comeback and won The match resumes later this

morning at the Crucible at the British swimming

Championships, Olympic champion Adam Peaty gave his medal away

to a boy in the crowd. Peaty secured his place

at the 2017 World Swimming Championships after the British 100

metre breaststroke title in Sheffield.He finished in under 58

seconds ahead of Ross Murdoch And he says he gave the medal away

to inspire the next generation. If it was any medal,

I think I'd offer to give it away because you get so many of them

but for me, I don't want to sound arrogant or anything but for me,

the race is what matters, the process and going to Budapest,

this is qualifying. Hopefully getting a medal along

the way will inspire him to train harder for his career

and even if it's a week already, here is obviously keeping hold of

his Olympic medal. What you do to sort go again? He clearly wants to

establish himself with legendary status. That is as motivation.

Fascinating to see. Let's go back to our

main story now - MPs are expected to back

Theresa May's call for a snap general election on 8th June -

in a commons vote this afternoon. Opposition parties have accused

Mrs May of a U-turn, but say they won't vote

against the election. The Liberal Democrats have set

out a simple message - The party's leader Tim Farron joins

us now from Westminster. Good morning. Seven weeks away from

another general election. What would you consider to be a good result of

your party seven weeks down the line? It's an opportunity for the

British people to change the direction of the country. This

contest begins nil - nil. We have everything to play for. In a moment,

the British government are taking us towards a hard Brexit. They are

doing so because they do not have a decent effective opposition. To

resist a hard Brexit, to stay in the single market and to have put every

democrat surely believes Britain needs which is a strong and decent

opposition. Theresa May only called the selection because she looked

across the Despatch Box, saw Jeremy Corbyn and thought it was the

political equivalent of stealing candy off a baby. There should be

properly fought general election. To continue or your sporting analogy,

you say nil- nil. You are starting on -224 but the main opposition,

Labour, who have a vast amount of seats compared to yours. I can do

nothing to affect the results of the last election but I can affect the

next one. You can't call the Labour Party the main opposition as they

left off together the hard Brexit cliff edge with Theresa May and put

our country at risk without any guarantees and whether you voted to

leave or amain, in two years' time, Theresa May is asking in the

selection now to give her a mandate to deliver any old Brexit stitched

up by Mandarin is in Whitehall and bureaucrats in Brussels that we have

to live with for several generations. That's not democracy.

If you think there is something that can be done at changing that

direction, the Liberal Democrats offer you that opportunity. But he

voted leave or amain last June, would be voted for, this is the

moment where democracy came back to life. A 1-party state, a coronation,

it will be a disaster for democracy and only the Liberal Democrats offer

you the chance that not to happen. This is not another EU Referendum.

This is a general election. This is about the NHS and education and

social care. It's not just about Brexit. To write. But all is said

and done, people are lucky to be told it's not about this, it is

about these things. You will recall that Sam Goldsmith caused the

by-election that he lost the Liberal Democrats claiming the electorate

was about one thing in the electorate said no, it's about other

matters. A whole range of issues need to be discussed. NHS and social

care crisis, a new deal for the British people so we will have care

from cradle to grave going forward. But given the government have

admitted there were ?100 billion a year, we won't be able to afford

good schools or healthcare or social care or strong army if we don't

remain in the single market. We simply won't have the money. This

will come back to Brexit. You keep talking about this hard Brexit and

soft Brexit. If Theresa May wins the election, that gives her more

wriggle room to negotiate a softer Brexit which you were in favour of.

What it does it gives her a mandate to do anything she likes in the next

two years and impose on the British people, however they will vote, any

kind of deal that we might have at the end of it all. Membership of the

single market is critical. Nigel Farage spent several years touring

the United Kingdom, saying Britain should be more like Norway and

Switzerland which are outside the EU and inside the single market and

Theresa May is asking for a blank cheque to deliver upon Britain

something more extreme than they have been asking for. Security,

power in the world and prosperity here at home, it's important we stay

in the single market. Giving the Prime Minister a blank cheque for

any old Brexit is the opposite of democracy and that's why a stronger

position is vital and Labour sitting on the end its biggest -- on this

big issue means they are not a serious opposition and the fact they

are not is the real reason Theresa May gate into the temptation calling

this. Tony Blair said people should vote

to turn down Brexit if it is in the national interest. Do you share his

idea? I have shared ideas with many people. The only option is a Liberal

Democrat option. The SNP can only gain one seat from the Tories. The

Labour Party will not make gains. They will go backwards. That leaves

you with a series of Lib Dem gains around the country from the north to

the south of the UK that gives us the opportunity to make sure that

Theresa May has the answer to the British people. That means MPs of

all political colours getting together to fight that kind of hard

Brexit that is currently on the table. Is that a yes, you agree with

Tony Blair? I have no plans to share a platform with Tony Blair. A

definite denial? It is my job to make sure the Lib Dems are the only

part way, I think we are the only part way, through which the

Conservatives could possibly lose this election. Labour cannot go any

further. That means a Conservative coronation, the opposite of

democracy. Unless the Lib Dems can be the stronger position we can be

giving the British people a chance to avoid the hard Brexit and leaving

the single market and have enough money to have the NHS and police

force and the army. That is vital. There needs to be a contrast of

propositions in the economy. In a position to Brexit at any cost. The

Lib Dems are equally clear. But Labour is not clear and what they

stand for. I am sure you sort rounder

-- saw Brenda's opinion. Are you concerned about voter apathy and

people who are tired of voting? Yes, people will be engaged, but what

about the Brendas of Bristol? I have a lot of sympathy. My father would

utterly agree with her. The reality is people are fed up of elections

and referendums. It is people like me on the television all the time

they get fed up with, not election. I understand. But people are not fed

up with democracy. People do not want to be told for the next couple

of generations you will have to deal with and live with the consequences

of a hard Brexit that the government thought it had a mandate to deliver

without a final say at the end of it from the public. Election campaigns

can be wearisome for people. I understand that. I look forward to

it, but I am strange. People can get worn out by elections. But they are

an odd one out by democracy. We are proud of democracy. -- they are not

worn out by democracy. We should not give Theresa May a coronation. I

would not put I am strange on my manifesto, if I were you. IQ for the

advice. Not often do they admit that. -- Thank you for. Time for the

weather. Contrast over the country. This is the scene in western

Scotland. You can see the waters. The hills are disappearing into the

low cloud to be a grey and misty start. The opposite end, Essex. You

can see the contrast on the satellite image. The bloodiest

conditions in the north and west and sunniest in the south-east. --

Cloudiest. The sun is warming things up. Winds away from Kent. High cloud

across England and Wales. Sunshine breaking through. A great day on the

way. Cumbria, cloud. The odd spot of rain and drizzle in eastern Scotland

in the short-term. That will quickly depart. Thick cloudy Northern

Ireland will continue to break. Just the chance of rain and drizzle at

times. Dry weather as well. Drizzle, it's possible. Scotland will

brighten up in the afternoon before drizzle arrives later on in the

west. Clouding over much of England and northern Wales. The Midlands

later on. The sunniest in the south and east. 16 is the high this

afternoon. 11- 13 degrees. Tonight, thick cloud in northern England and

the Irish Sea. Patches of rain and drizzle. Most staying dry. Frost

tonight limited to the far south-east corner, especially in

Kent, Essex, and parts of Sussex as well. Cloudy to start with in

England and Wales tomorrow. The odd spot of drizzle cannot be ruled out.

Most dry. Brightening in the north and east of England through the day.

A bit of a breeze in the north tomorrow. Not as cold as recently.

15-16 in Scotland and the north-east of England in the afternoon. Friday,

though, the brightest conditions to the south. Cloud thickening in

Scotland and Northern Ireland. Rain in the hills in the west. By the end

of the day, that could be the same in northern England. In the south

with warm and, highs of 18-19. -- air, that is how it is looking.

Thank you. That was comprehensive weather. 7:51. Good morning to you.

The Prime Minister's decision to call a snap election took

the country by surprise yesterday, but what could it

Steph is live at a bakery in Bolton this morning

She will get some bread as well. Good morning. Good morning. Good

morning, everybody. I am at a bakery where the team is working hard. They

are making some kind of cheesy toast. If you are getting on a

flight soon, you might eat this. This is preparing for 900 people. I

keep setting off alarms. ALARMS GO OFF. There are 900 people they are

making potato cakes this morning. They are making something like

16,000 sausage rolls every hour of the it is a business we come to talk

to during referendums and became last year. -- hour. Their boss was

vocal about wanting to leave the European Union. Here we are. We have

a general election. How are you feeling? Positive, really. All I

want to do is have a level of confidence and stability within the

economy. If you have a stable economy, a stable government, with a

mandate taken forward through Brexit and into the future, then it is

going to be good for industry. So, do you feel at the moment that

short-term uncertainty is upsetting you, but the long-term is

optimistic? What goes up comes down and vice-versa. The economy will

override it all at the end of the day anyway. It will go forward

literally from one day to the next. When I last spoke to you we did vote

to leave the EU. How has this has been for you since then?

Exceptionally good. We picked up an awful lot of clients. Costs have

gone up a little bit. Raw materials, for example. But what goes up is

Point to go down. Prices will drop soon. Look at petrol. You are

feeling optimistic? Lovely to see you. And we have Joshua from the CBI

which represents businesses. You are looking fabulous in your beard net.

Tell us what you think. It was a surprise. Most of our members will

be feeling there will be a bit of short-term pain. Seven weeks of

campaigning is worth it, though. A stable government will be clear and

consistent. There is optimism about the outcome. But surprise about

that, that it is happening now. We heard David talking, the boss of

this business, talking about uncertainty. How do you think is the

feeling of role? We are determined to go on with the job. -- overall.

It does not help business but businesses have shown since the

referendum there are good at dealing with it and rolling up their sleeves

and cracking on with it. The more the government can help, the of the

partnership, the better the better businesses can do at providing jobs.

-- the closer the partnership. What does this mean for Brexit? Theresa

May has put down her principles and whoever wins the election has to

stick to those. I think those that have been broadly agreed, now the

challenge is to get on with it. We need the best possible deal. We saw

the value of the pound rise after the election announcement. What do

you think this mean for business? I think there will be some fluctuation

in the market. And, again, what businesses want will be stability in

the exchange rate. For some businesses, it has boosted

performancethe others have had costs increase. Stability is the name of

the game. Thank you. Your bike one and now look at these potato cakes.

They smell gorgeous. I keep getting in the way, to be honest. And now I

will leave you with that lovely view. You have to learn how to turn

off the alarms as well. Look at that. A screen full of Peter cakes.

-- potato cakes. Still to come. The boss of Richard Branson's

financial firm tells us about the mental cost of making it

to the top of a male-dominated Hello this is Breakfast,

with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin. MPs have their say -

Parliament will vote today on Theresa May's decision to hold

a snap election. The Prime Minister says her plans

for a vote in just seven weeks would mean she could negotiate

on Brexit with the "backing And the only way to guarantee

certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election

and secure support for the decisions I must take.

We'll be live in Westminster throughout

the morning to get the latest political reaction, and we'll be

Good morning, I'm in Leicester where I'll be finding out

what voters make of a second election just two years

after the last one and what issues they'll be voting on.

I'm at a bakery in Bolton to find out.

What businesses think of this news. The pound rose off the back of it, I

will be looking at wire. Good morning, it's

Wednesday 19th April. Also this morning, the Duke

of Cambridge reveals that the shock of his mother's death

is still with him, 20 years on. You never get over it, it is such an

unbelievably big moment in your life that it never leaves you.

In sport, Leicester City's European adventure is over as they're knocked

out of the quarter-finals of the Champions League

by the Spanish side, Atletico Madrid.

Good morning, the early frost is on its way out, sunniest to the south

and the East, a bit more cloud to the north and west but the emphasis

is on the dry weather, as it will be in the coming days. All of the

details coming up. The Prime Minister's plan for a snap

general election in just seven weeks is expected to be approved

by MPs today. Theresa May says she's

going to the polls three years early to help her make

a success of Brexit. Opposition parties have accused

Mrs May of a U-turn, but say they won't vote

against the election. Our political correspondent

Eleanor Garnier reports. It's not even 24 hours

since the Prime Minister called for a general election but already,

the party leaders are gearing up, positioning their parties

and getting ready for It was a shock announcement

and a decision Theresa May said she had only made

in the last few days. I have only recently and reluctantly

come to this conclusion. Since I became Prime Minister,

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 this election and seek your support

for the decisions I must take. Later today, there will be a vote

in Parliament to bring the general election forward from its

original date of May 2020. With Labour and the Lib Dems

expected to back the plans, it's almost certain

to go ahead on June 8th. We are quite clear there

is an election coming and we are going to be fighting that

election in order to win so that we do have a fairer,

more decent society, we do have an

investment-led economy. The Lib Dems see a chance

for the party to come back Well, it's an opportunity

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