:00:30. > :00:33.So today a surprise announcement, tomorrow a vote in the Commons
:00:34. > :00:37.Almost two years ago, at the last general election,
:00:38. > :00:39.London voted largely for Labour with traditional support
:00:40. > :00:41.for the Conservatives in the outer boroughs.
:00:42. > :00:44.Crucially, the UK voted to leave the EU while London
:00:45. > :00:47.Our political editor, Tim Donovan reports,
:00:48. > :00:49.on how the capital's reaction to what's being called,
:00:50. > :00:56.Across London - north, south, east and west -
:00:57. > :00:58.surprise proved the order of the day.
:00:59. > :01:02.I think she needs to get her own mandate from the electorate because,
:01:03. > :01:04.at the moment, she's got a very slim majority.
:01:05. > :01:08.Whilst it's going to be a lot about Brexit, but she's still got
:01:09. > :01:10.domestic issues that she needs to sort out as well.
:01:11. > :01:12.So, it's going to be an interesting few weeks.
:01:13. > :01:14.We haven't even been able to know which direction
:01:15. > :01:19.I mean, there are still talks going on and I just feel
:01:20. > :01:21.that we should focus on that before we think about elections
:01:22. > :01:24.Croydon Central was the closest contest last time.
:01:25. > :01:27.The winner here, by just 165 votes, is now the Tory
:01:28. > :01:30.If you're honest, with a 165 majority, of two years ago,
:01:31. > :01:33.now we've had Brexit and so on, just the uncertainty,
:01:34. > :01:35.does that make it much more difficult for you now?
:01:36. > :01:40.a lot of people didn't trust that we were actually
:01:41. > :01:43.going to implement the decision that people took on the 23rd June.
:01:44. > :01:45.So we've invoked Article 50, the Prime Minister's done exactly
:01:46. > :01:50.People can see the plan that we have for Britain.
:01:51. > :01:53.So I think this is the right moment to get a clear mandate that takes us
:01:54. > :01:56.in those negotiations and allows us to get the best possible
:01:57. > :01:59.If Labour fancy his seat, they'll also be targeting places
:02:00. > :02:02.like Harrow East and Hendon, where the Tory lead
:02:03. > :02:04.is in the low thousands, but what about the Tories smelling
:02:05. > :02:08.We'll they'll be hopeful that places like Ealing Central, Acton,
:02:09. > :02:09.Brentford and Isleworth and Ilford North.
:02:10. > :02:12.Hammersmith is currently held by Labour's spokesman for London
:02:13. > :02:17.Talking to people in this kebab shop, that seems safe,
:02:18. > :02:22.despite how the polls are looking nationally.
:02:23. > :02:24.The Labour is more look after the people.
:02:25. > :02:26.I think the majority of the people than other parties.
:02:27. > :02:29.I always went for the Labour Party, to be honest.
:02:30. > :02:32.So there's no point to change the one at Hammersmith.
:02:33. > :02:37.I'm just hoping that Labour are going to take over.
:02:38. > :02:39.Theresa May does not represent the values
:02:40. > :02:45.She's a divisive politician, she's a backward looking politician
:02:46. > :02:47.and particularly over Brexit and the way she's handling Brexit,
:02:48. > :02:54.it means economic and social gloom and doom for this country.
:02:55. > :02:57.But she's prepared to risk it because she's taken a look
:02:58. > :02:59.at your leader and she's, presumably, thinking seats
:03:00. > :03:02.like yours - do you know what, we might just win those.
:03:03. > :03:04.I think that she's been very badly advised.
:03:05. > :03:06.I'm pleased that she's been badly advised.
:03:07. > :03:10.I think that they have become overconfident and they are not
:03:11. > :03:13.going to get a warm welcome on the doorstep.
:03:14. > :03:18.This is where we've had one electoral verdict on Brexit already,
:03:19. > :03:23.Richmond Park, where last December the Lib Dems swept
:03:24. > :03:25.the Tory, Zac Goldsmith's, 23,000 majority away.
:03:26. > :03:28.I'd be amazed if she's not worried that the consequences of a hard
:03:29. > :03:30.Brexit policy are going to become increasingly obvious
:03:31. > :03:33.to an electorate who are going to think -
:03:34. > :03:35.hey, we were duped here, and that's going to spell trouble.
:03:36. > :03:38.So do the Liberal Democrats see a route back via Twickenham,
:03:39. > :03:43.The Prime Minister has chosen to make the hard Brexit
:03:44. > :03:47.that she is pursuing the key feature of this general election campaign,
:03:48. > :03:51.so we will be talking about issues like how important it is for the UK
:03:52. > :03:54.to stay in the single market and the customs union
:03:55. > :03:57.because so many millions of jobs depend on them, but we'll also
:03:58. > :04:00.want to make the NHS a key feature of this campaign.
:04:01. > :04:02.A media encampment once again in Westminster and six weeks
:04:03. > :04:05.of combat to come in the capital's 73 constituencies asked to vote
:04:06. > :04:09.once more, much sooner than they'd expected.
:04:10. > :04:22.So how does the political map across the capital look
:04:23. > :04:27.and will Brexit make a difference to where Londoners cast their vote?
:04:28. > :04:32.Could it influence Londoners as they go to the polls again?
:04:33. > :04:37.Well, that's the question all the parliamentary candidates
:04:38. > :04:40.will be trying to answer if a general election does go
:04:41. > :04:44.Let's take a look at the way things lie at the moment.
:04:45. > :04:46.Out of London's 73 seats, 45 are Labour, 26 are Conservative
:04:47. > :04:48.and two are held by the Liberal Democrats.
:04:49. > :04:51.Obviously, a lot has happened since the last general election,
:04:52. > :04:54.a little under two years ago, but the biggest political event has
:04:55. > :04:59.Overall, London voted to remain by just shy of 60%,
:05:00. > :05:03.which makes the capital at odds with the country as a whole.
:05:04. > :05:05.The boroughs in yellow voted to stay in the EU,
:05:06. > :05:10.There's been time for the decision to sink in, so will Brexit
:05:11. > :05:19.I was a remain campaigner and I'll be looking to support
:05:20. > :05:20.the Liberal Democrats, I think, for that.
:05:21. > :05:32.I know that, obviously, there is a lot of debate about it.
:05:33. > :05:34.I don't really agree with anything the Tories really done lately.
:05:35. > :05:38.I suppose it's going to make a difference in the way you vote?
:05:39. > :05:41.I think to have a change of government now would
:05:42. > :05:45.It does matter, but I don't think you can affect it
:05:46. > :05:48.So is this the issue that will sway London?
:05:49. > :05:56.Guess it's hard to see how this can be about anything other than Brexit?
:05:57. > :06:06.Yes. And much will hinge on the correlation touched on there. What
:06:07. > :06:10.happens to those Tory MPs. Some on pretty small ha yorts on areas that
:06:11. > :06:15.subsequently have shown that they backed remain, wanted to stay in the
:06:16. > :06:19.EU. The Liberal Democrats like Vince Cable licking their lips trying to
:06:20. > :06:25.come back, eyeing his old seat at Twickenham. Another coalition
:06:26. > :06:32.member, Ed Davities looking at Kingston. They could be interesting
:06:33. > :06:35.contests. Funding, NHS, over schools, education over policing are
:06:36. > :06:39.going to come to the foreat some stage and Labour will want to make
:06:40. > :06:44.sure that they do. Then there will be this question of Labour and
:06:45. > :06:49.Labour's leadership. Jeremy Corbyn obviously a London MP and yet, some
:06:50. > :06:52.recent polling showed his personal approval rating was lower than the
:06:53. > :06:55.other party leaders. Yet this is where he has lots of members. This
:06:56. > :07:02.is where he has been able to swell his activist base. You can guarantee
:07:03. > :07:09.they will run a good campaign if recent history is to go by. Labour
:07:10. > :07:14.have a good record of holding campaigns not just in general
:07:15. > :07:17.election but in local Mayoral elections. We will leave it there.
:07:18. > :07:24.Thank you, Tim Donovan. The new Metropolitan Police
:07:25. > :07:26.Commissioner has been speaking candidly to BBC London
:07:27. > :07:28.about the challenges facing Scotland Yard,
:07:29. > :07:30.including fewer officers policing Cressida Dick also stressed the need
:07:31. > :07:33.to urgently tackle knife and gun Here's our political
:07:34. > :07:39.correspondent, Karl Mercer. Congratulations on being the first
:07:40. > :07:41.female Commissioner. She was here to outline her
:07:42. > :07:47.priorities in London's They might just have
:07:48. > :07:50.a few pointers for her. Yeah, don't stand on
:07:51. > :07:52.the outside looking in. Get involved with the community,
:07:53. > :07:54.meet some of the locals, talk to some of them,
:07:55. > :07:56.see what they're into. If the police officers interact more
:07:57. > :07:59.with the younger generation, then they could prevent more
:08:00. > :08:01.stabbings and knife Thoughts for Cressida Dick -
:08:02. > :08:08.or Cress as she likes The Met's Commissioner was out
:08:09. > :08:15.and about for the cameras today and knows she's taking over a force
:08:16. > :08:18.where gun and knife crime They are, she says,
:08:19. > :08:22.at the top of her agenda. We need to educate our young people,
:08:23. > :08:24.we need to support them, we need to protect them and we need
:08:25. > :08:28.to make them realise that actually carrying a knife is the worst
:08:29. > :08:31.and last thing you should be doing and could be the last
:08:32. > :08:33.thing you do do. The new Commissioner talked today
:08:34. > :08:38.about building better relations with some communities in London
:08:39. > :08:40.and back at the gym, A lot of young people
:08:41. > :08:44.feel like are the police are out to get them,
:08:45. > :08:48.basically, and they've got a pretty mixed up view
:08:49. > :08:50.on what the police are there for. They feel that they're chased and,
:08:51. > :08:53.you know, basically, picked on by this other gang
:08:54. > :08:55.of people in a uniform. Cressida Dick knows though
:08:56. > :08:57.she'll have to tackle the problems with less money,
:08:58. > :08:59.the Met is facing I think we need to become
:09:00. > :09:09.even more efficient. We need to become
:09:10. > :09:12.even more productive. I think some of the things we're
:09:13. > :09:15.doing with technology will allow that, but I think it's possible
:09:16. > :09:18.that we will have to reduce But I think we could be a smaller
:09:19. > :09:23.Met just as effective, if not more effective,
:09:24. > :09:24.in the future. Do you have an idea of the sort
:09:25. > :09:28.of numbers you're talking about? I know people have talked
:09:29. > :09:30.about going down to 30,000? I don't have a specific
:09:31. > :09:33.number in my head. She's honest about the challenges
:09:34. > :09:35.ahead, now she just I'll say goodnight now
:09:36. > :09:51.and leave you with Wendy Across London and the Home Counties
:09:52. > :09:54.the blue bells are out. If you are trying to grow anything else at this
:09:55. > :10:01.time of year you need warmth and you need a bit of water. Well, places
:10:02. > :10:05.like this in Coulsdon will be one of the coldest spots tonight. There
:10:06. > :10:09.won't be much warmth there will be a frost in places. The temperatures
:10:10. > :10:15.really plummeting out there. Four degrees at Luton already. The wind
:10:16. > :10:19.are falling lighter coming in from the north-east and clear skies, too.
:10:20. > :10:22.Some places will be below freezing. It will take a prone spot. It will
:10:23. > :10:26.be a little bit of a frosty start to the day tomorrow. Gardeners beware.
:10:27. > :10:30.Chilly on the way to work. There is plenty of sunshine to enjoy. Through
:10:31. > :10:34.the afternoon it will stay with us with lighter wind and that than
:10:35. > :10:38.today. Temperatures up to 14 degrees. Thursday though, little
:10:39. > :10:41.less blue sky. There will be more cloud around, another dry day
:10:42. > :10:45.though. Temperatures up to 14 degrees once again. The winds
:10:46. > :10:49.switching round to a more west or south-westerly direction. Friday, I
:10:50. > :10:52.think we will have sunshine and temperatures up to 17 degrees
:10:53. > :10:56.looking at the outlook but that means it will then turn colder into
:10:57. > :11:10.the weekend. A cold front comes through. Fairly cloudy as well.
:11:11. > :11:16.The weather hasn't been too dramatic of late. That is not say it's not
:11:17. > :11:20.without problems. One of those could occur as early as tonight. There
:11:21. > :11:27.could be a sharp rural frost around especially so in the southern half
:11:28. > :11:31.of the British isles. I make the distinction between south and north,
:11:32. > :11:35.further north we have a weather front, a weak affair from the
:11:36. > :11:39.Atlantic. It has enough breeze and cloud to help to keep the
:11:40. > :11:43.temperatures up relative to the south. Now there is just the chance
:11:44. > :11:47.of the odd pocket of frost further north, but my real concerns are away
:11:48. > :11:51.from the major towns and cities across the greater part of England
:11:52. > :11:54.and Wales, away from the coast. Minus three or four is possible.
:11:55. > :11:55.That does convert