:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to BBC Points West with David Garmston and Alex Lovell.
:00:00. > :00:08.Our main story tonight: It's off the ballot box
:00:09. > :00:12.we go as May says June - we assess the state
:00:13. > :00:17.Will Labour put their differences aside and can the Lib Dems
:00:18. > :00:26.regain their traditional west country heartland?
:00:27. > :00:31.All of our parties are scrambling to prepare for the June the 8th but,
:00:32. > :00:33.which could change the look of politics across the West.
:00:34. > :00:35.We'll hear from candidates fighting for their seats and those hoping
:00:36. > :00:45.In our other headlines tonight: Relations between the black
:00:46. > :00:48.community and the police are at their worst for 20 years.
:00:49. > :01:01.The technicality that could save Bristol Rugby from the drop.
:01:02. > :01:04.MPs across the west have been stunned today
:01:05. > :01:07.by the Prime Minister's surprise call for a snap general
:01:08. > :01:13.Few of our politicians are prepared - many candidates have not
:01:14. > :01:16.even been selected - and yet in seven weeks' time
:01:17. > :01:19.the Queen will summon a party leader to form a new government.
:01:20. > :01:26.Mrs May will look fondly on the west - the Conservatives control as far
:01:27. > :01:29.as the eye can see - that's a lot of blue.
:01:30. > :01:35.Mr Miliband lost seats in 2015 - with the exception of Bristol -
:01:36. > :01:37.the question now is can Mr Corbyn do better.
:01:38. > :01:43.Well, they lost the lot in the west country in 2015 -
:01:44. > :01:47.they will be hoping for a big comeback.
:01:48. > :01:51.The news of a General Election came as millions of us went back to work
:01:52. > :02:05.Teresa May addressed the nation from Downing Street, London.
:02:06. > :02:10.I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet where we agreed that the
:02:11. > :02:11.Government should call a general election.
:02:12. > :02:17.And Brenda from Redland, Bristol answered right back.
:02:18. > :02:27.You're joking. Not another one! All, for god sake. I can't stand this.
:02:28. > :02:33.Today's surprise announcement caught everyone on the hop -
:02:34. > :02:40.Not another one. I am not sure I can take it. I am relieved because I am
:02:41. > :02:42.exhausted by what is happening politically at the moment, so for me
:02:43. > :02:47.that is a good thing. The Labour Mayor of Bristol
:02:48. > :02:49.watched on the telly with the rest of us -
:02:50. > :02:52.the city has three Labour MPs, at the moment but the polls
:02:53. > :02:57.aren't encouraging. It is a Westminster composition and
:02:58. > :03:02.agenda taking part without any regard for the very real-life impact
:03:03. > :03:06.we have it in local level. I find it irritating, to put it mildly.
:03:07. > :03:09.It seems like only yesterday - in fact it was 2015 -
:03:10. > :03:20.We have one big argument about the economy and leadership...
:03:21. > :03:27.He said he was all pumped up and held rallies including
:03:28. > :03:30.He scored a solid victory across the west -
:03:31. > :03:32.at the expense of his coalition partners.
:03:33. > :03:34.He wiped them out - every one of them here.
:03:35. > :03:36.Ben Howlett took Bath from the Lib Dems.
:03:37. > :03:44.What I do not want to see is people thinking this is a way to overturn
:03:45. > :03:47.Brexit. It should not happen. People should not be under any
:03:48. > :03:50.misinterpretation that that could be the case and unfortunately I think
:03:51. > :03:54.the Liberal Democrats have been spreading one or two myths to many.
:03:55. > :03:56.Labour had a new woman on the block -
:03:57. > :03:58.Thangham Debonnaire - she won Bristol West,
:03:59. > :04:00.once more at the expense of a Liberal Democrat.
:04:01. > :04:07.And we are going to be in every part of Britain over the next weeks.
:04:08. > :04:09.Soon, she fell out with Jeremy Corbyn,
:04:10. > :04:13.clashing with his Momentum followers who backed him to the hilt.
:04:14. > :04:16.All three of the city's Labour Mps refused to serve with him,
:04:17. > :04:23.Now they'll have to campaign for him to enter the door of Number 10.
:04:24. > :04:30.That is if they are chosen by the party to be candidates again. I
:04:31. > :04:36.don't know which bits of the rule book it is, and I gather they are
:04:37. > :04:39.meeting tomorrow, sitting MPs should be reselected. I do hope that is
:04:40. > :04:43.what happens because certainly my constituents have been telling me
:04:44. > :04:45.they feel they have been getting a good service from me as an MP and
:04:46. > :04:49.the like seeing me in parliament standing up for what they believe.
:04:50. > :04:52.The Lib Dems see this is as a huge opportunity
:04:53. > :04:56.to make a come-back, based on their opposition to Brexit.
:04:57. > :05:01.It will be a chance to undo some of the damage done at the last general
:05:02. > :05:05.election, which left people feeling that there was not that liberal,
:05:06. > :05:09.open, tolerant voice in Parliament that we need in this country is all
:05:10. > :05:12.it is an opportunity to undo the damage.
:05:13. > :05:14.After the bruises of Brexit - the toil of the local
:05:15. > :05:16.and Mayoral elections - the politicians will soon be
:05:17. > :05:19.knocking on your door again, some of them will be as weary
:05:20. > :05:28.I can't stand this. Can stand Brenda. She has been quite a start
:05:29. > :05:30.today. Waiting to help us make some sense
:05:31. > :05:33.of this is our political editor Paul Barltrop,
:05:34. > :05:35.who is in Bristol, Clinton Rogers in Wells
:05:36. > :05:37.and Will Glennon in Swindon. Let's begin with you, Paul -
:05:38. > :05:47.what can we expect Of course, the Conservatives success
:05:48. > :05:50.in the West Country helped deliver them an overall majority at the last
:05:51. > :05:55.general election, so they will be looking to continue that domination.
:05:56. > :05:59.In Bristol, they did not make a clean sweep. They came second in
:06:00. > :06:02.Bristol South and in the east of the city they would not mind having a go
:06:03. > :06:05.at pinching those seats flavour, but overall they have to be defending
:06:06. > :06:10.not just from liver but also from the Liberal Democrats who are
:06:11. > :06:13.resurgent, especially in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum,
:06:14. > :06:18.which has been a shot in the arm for the party, particularly in places
:06:19. > :06:22.such as Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham, where there was a strong vote for
:06:23. > :06:26.Remain. As for Labour, is at something of a low ebb in the West
:06:27. > :06:30.Country. The only consolation they had back in 2015 was picking one
:06:31. > :06:35.seat in Bristol back-up of the Lib Dems. Since then, they have won the
:06:36. > :06:39.Mayor of Bristol. They have had big divisions in the party. Also going
:06:40. > :06:45.through some pretty tough times in the recent past have been the UK
:06:46. > :06:48.Independence party. They have struggled to get candidates to take
:06:49. > :06:52.part in the local elections in two weeks' time and putting on a general
:06:53. > :06:55.election at a time when they have few members unless in the way of
:06:56. > :06:58.money will be quite often the fact that their German in Gloucestershire
:06:59. > :07:09.today said to me that he got putting an election out was a cynical --
:07:10. > :07:12.chairman -- a cynical miniver. It should just be a two horse race
:07:13. > :07:16.between the Conservatives and Labour, but the contest we will be
:07:17. > :07:21.looking out for is that race between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems
:07:22. > :07:27.and especially in places like Wells and Somerset. We can join Clinton
:07:28. > :07:30.Rogers. Thank you very much indeed. Somerset was a county were the
:07:31. > :07:34.Liberal Democrats were pretty much erased from the political landscape
:07:35. > :07:38.at the last general election. Tessa Mont joins me now, one of those who
:07:39. > :07:44.lost their seats. I know the party sees this as an opportunity, but can
:07:45. > :07:49.I asked you, an electorate that fell out of love with you last time, will
:07:50. > :07:53.they be back in love with you? Well, general elections are not about who
:07:54. > :07:55.lost through. It is about having a good local MP who will represent
:07:56. > :07:58.their views to Government and you have to say it is not a good thing
:07:59. > :08:01.for the country apart democracy to have a 1-party Government. You need
:08:02. > :08:04.an opposition as well and that is the part that we can play in making
:08:05. > :08:08.sure that we can hold people to account when they are in Government
:08:09. > :08:13.making decisions for our future. It is fairly obvious that you will play
:08:14. > :08:17.the pro-Europe -- European card, but surely any candidate or to buy a
:08:18. > :08:22.reasonable majority to come out, that is a dangerous card to play?
:08:23. > :08:25.Government and general elections are not about just Europe. There is a
:08:26. > :08:29.whole plethora of things that go into a manifesto, lots of decisions
:08:30. > :08:32.that we were going to make. Not just about Brexit but there is absolutely
:08:33. > :08:38.no question we don't the Government to account to make sure we have not
:08:39. > :08:40.as brittle Brexit will stop there are lots of people who feel that
:08:41. > :08:44.actually this is not entirely what they voted for and they want to make
:08:45. > :08:48.sure they have got MPs who do not just roll over when the Government
:08:49. > :08:51.says this is the way we will go. There should be questions asked. We
:08:52. > :08:55.are good for food and farming, there is very little manufacturing and we
:08:56. > :08:58.need to make sure the balance is right. Thank you very much indeed.
:08:59. > :09:05.Well, the Liberal Democrats other party or pretty well organised and
:09:06. > :09:07.set up by this general election. They have selected all other
:09:08. > :09:11.candidates. Can the same be said for the Labour Party? Let's go to
:09:12. > :09:15.Swindon now and join Will Glennon. Thank you, Clinton. From high up on
:09:16. > :09:19.all down you can see Swindon stretch off into the distance there. There
:09:20. > :09:23.are two parliamentary seats here and they are normally fought over by
:09:24. > :09:28.Labour and the Conservatives. The other parties have not traditionally
:09:29. > :09:33.made significant inroads here. We're watching Swindon North and Swindon
:09:34. > :09:36.South because they are known as bellwether constituencies. That is
:09:37. > :09:42.to say whoever wins here normally goes on to take Downing Street. In
:09:43. > :09:45.the Tony Blair years, Labour won both here. For the last two
:09:46. > :09:51.elections, it has been the Conservatives. Labour have been a
:09:52. > :09:54.little bit surprised by this announcement. I have spoken to them
:09:55. > :09:56.today and they have told me they haven't even selected their
:09:57. > :10:01.candidates, but they say they will swing into action. They are very
:10:02. > :10:06.well organised. They say there are lots of local issues to fight on,
:10:07. > :10:11.the state of the town's schools, the library closures that been proposed
:10:12. > :10:14.and will be enacted, and the rise in council tax. They say there are a
:10:15. > :10:18.lot of issues to fight on, but they will have to fight. The
:10:19. > :10:22.Conservatives are very strong in Swindon. They have the town's MPs
:10:23. > :10:27.and run the local council and they are ahead in the opinion polls.
:10:28. > :10:30.Thank you, Will. That was Will Glennon for us.
:10:31. > :10:37.Well, joining us from Westminster is the Wells MP, James Heappey.
:10:38. > :10:43.He is a conservative. Are you in shock? I was surprised, certainly.
:10:44. > :10:45.But I think the prime Minster has made absolutely the right decision.
:10:46. > :10:49.This country has an important tries to make. To be back by minister
:10:50. > :10:52.Theresa May, who will be a strong leader for our country, doing the
:10:53. > :10:57.right thing to get the best possible from the EU as we go to Brexit, or
:10:58. > :11:00.do be brisk voting for Labour or the Lib Dems or anyone else who will
:11:01. > :11:04.just give the keys to Downing Street to Jeremy Corbyn and I think we can
:11:05. > :11:08.all agree that that would be a disaster. Can we have some advice
:11:09. > :11:13.from you, please. The people who do not want a heart Brexit, you should
:11:14. > :11:17.they vote for? I think it is clear that whatever people's view on
:11:18. > :11:22.whether we should be in or out of the EU, last year the nation made a
:11:23. > :11:26.decision. We voted to leave. The only person who can get a good deal
:11:27. > :11:29.for the United Kingdom that is nearly there are hard or soft but
:11:30. > :11:34.does the right deal for us right now is Theresa May and that is the
:11:35. > :11:38.decision people have to make. That is not necessarily the case because
:11:39. > :11:43.both the Prime Minister, if she is re-elected, say you have backed me
:11:44. > :11:46.and the right of my party wants a hard Brexit, we want out of the
:11:47. > :11:51.single market and all the rest of it, this is my mandate. I think that
:11:52. > :11:54.returning Theresa May as our Prime Minister with a clear mandate in
:11:55. > :12:01.Parliament will not just give her a limited to meet you at home but will
:12:02. > :12:03.give her a in Brussels -- give a legitimacy in Brussels. That will
:12:04. > :12:07.mean sticking to the position that they have started out from. They
:12:08. > :12:11.will need to compromise. They will realise that the UK is behind our
:12:12. > :12:15.Prime Minister and they will need to come to terms that are beneficial
:12:16. > :12:19.both to the UK and the EU. But this election is not just about Europe.
:12:20. > :12:25.It is about who is running the country here in Westminster and to
:12:26. > :12:29.the party MPs and constituencies are across the country. I am clear that
:12:30. > :12:32.we are better connected and have a better deal for our public services
:12:33. > :12:35.and have a great plan for our local area and I'm ready to stand on the
:12:36. > :12:40.record and offer more for the five years that come in future. OK. We
:12:41. > :12:41.have a long six or seven weeks ahead of us. Thank you for joining us this
:12:42. > :13:00.evening. Well, we can all agree that the
:13:01. > :13:04.Liberal Democrats had a disaster in the last election. It is appropriate
:13:05. > :13:08.that the leader of the Lib Dems has joined us tonight. It is not often
:13:09. > :13:14.that the launch of a regional Metro mayoral candidate of the Liberal
:13:15. > :13:16.Democrat attracts the attention of the national media, but tonight
:13:17. > :13:23.everyone is here in force. They all want to speak to Tim Farren, who has
:13:24. > :13:26.come down and been ambushed today by the rather bigger news in town of
:13:27. > :13:32.the general election. Did you see this coming when he woke up this
:13:33. > :13:37.morning? No. We have prepared for the election. We had candidates
:13:38. > :13:43.selected. You have candidates elected in target seats. The talk
:13:44. > :13:47.was who would run in the non-target seats. I think we have candidates
:13:48. > :13:50.chosen pretty much everywhere and at the moment we are in a situation
:13:51. > :13:54.where the people have a great chance to change the direction of the
:13:55. > :13:57.country. The Labour Party have put themselves in a position with Jeremy
:13:58. > :14:03.Corbyn as their leader, they are split undivided and are not an
:14:04. > :14:07.effective opposition. I suspect that is why Theresa May called the
:14:08. > :14:10.election today and not for any other reason, but the election for the
:14:11. > :14:13.Liberal Democrats to be that strong and credible opposition that Britain
:14:14. > :14:16.desperately need, giving you the chance to vote against a hard Brexit
:14:17. > :14:20.is a really clear choice for as here. We are up the election. We may
:14:21. > :14:25.not have predicted it but we are up for it and ready for it. The West
:14:26. > :14:36.Country voted for Brexit. The majority of constituencies back to
:14:37. > :14:38.Brexit. What makes you think you have a times in the next general
:14:39. > :14:41.election? Element do not forget that the Liberal Democrats have had 44
:14:42. > :14:44.against a by-election since the summer, many of them in the West
:14:45. > :14:48.Country. This is about a party that is clear what it is standing for on
:14:49. > :14:53.the biggest issue of the day. Many voted for Brexit but wanted to be in
:14:54. > :14:58.the single market. But above all else, people want there to be a
:14:59. > :15:02.strong and decent opposition. As things stand, Jeremy Corbyn as the
:15:03. > :15:05.leader of the Labour Party, a situation where the Tories are going
:15:06. > :15:09.to be a 1-party state unless we step into that breach and we are prepared
:15:10. > :15:12.to do so. I remember talking to you two years ago when you were wiped
:15:13. > :15:15.out in the West Country and lost all your receipts. What on earth makes
:15:16. > :15:19.you think you can come back from that catastrophic law? One of my
:15:20. > :15:23.catchphrases as I can do nothing about the last election but I can do
:15:24. > :15:27.something about the next one. Remember that the party has doubled
:15:28. > :15:29.in size since the general election. It has added another 5000 since
:15:30. > :15:34.Theresa May called the election earlier this morning. During the
:15:35. > :15:37.last quarter, the Liberal Democrats had more donations than the Labour
:15:38. > :15:40.Party. We are the only credible and decent alternative to the Tories not
:15:41. > :15:44.just in the West Country but around the country and we are not buy this
:15:45. > :15:48.election. Britain needs to do well. Otherwise, if you are a Tory, surely
:15:49. > :15:53.it is awful for us to have a 1-party state with a kind of coronation.
:15:54. > :15:56.Lastly, briefly, how important is this part of the world to your party
:15:57. > :16:01.and this election? Massively important. Let's not forget that
:16:02. > :16:03.there is no bad weighted is a this election except through the Liberal
:16:04. > :16:07.Democrats in the West Country. That is the only way it can happen. The
:16:08. > :16:19.Liberal party are clearly going to go down. So Theresa May is he will
:16:20. > :16:23.go to a car in May -- Coronation now unless we brought in. You are
:16:24. > :16:27.repeating yourself now. That is my job. Thank you very much. I am sure
:16:28. > :16:31.this is not the last time he will be here between now and the general
:16:32. > :16:35.election. He took that well. Good humour. Brace yourselves, I think is
:16:36. > :16:44.the message from tonight, as we have seven weeks to go. What a day it has
:16:45. > :16:45.been. Quite a lively one after a long unpleasant bank holiday. We
:16:46. > :16:49.need another one now. Do stay with us we've got
:16:50. > :16:51.plenty more to come, including a possible life
:16:52. > :16:53.line for Bristol Rugby. But before that, our other main news
:16:54. > :16:57.this evening is that Avon and Somerset police has been
:16:58. > :16:59.warned its relationship with Bristol's black community
:17:00. > :17:03.is the worst it's been for 20 years. It follows the high profile
:17:04. > :17:05.tasering of a race relations The Chief Constable
:17:06. > :17:08.admits more must be done. Here's our Home Affairs
:17:09. > :17:27.Correspondent Charlotte Callen. He just grabbed him. Kayser, taster,
:17:28. > :17:35.Glazer! Filmed on a phone by a neighbour. This video made headlines
:17:36. > :17:43.around the world. The man is 63 and a grandfather, he's uttered by an
:17:44. > :17:48.officer on his own back doorstep. -- tasered by an officer. He was a race
:17:49. > :17:56.relations adviser to the police. I think what happened as taking any
:17:57. > :18:03.sort of relationship with the police and the community and has taken it
:18:04. > :18:08.back 20 years. Michael Jacksons worked with the police three years
:18:09. > :18:11.ago to make this video about stopping -- stopped and searched to
:18:12. > :18:15.help train new officers. The idea was to break down the fear and
:18:16. > :18:19.reduce the number of stop and searches with a racial bias. In
:18:20. > :18:24.2013, black people were nearly four times more likely to be stopped and
:18:25. > :18:30.searched. Now in 2016, they are over six times more likely to be stopped.
:18:31. > :18:34.And this has also caused anger. Desmond Brown runs a community
:18:35. > :18:41.project in Bristol. He also runs a campaign group fighting for justice
:18:42. > :18:44.for the tasered man. I call it racism. I think we have hired
:18:45. > :18:49.institutional racism as a hook to hang or problems on and we have done
:18:50. > :18:53.nothing about it. It is racism, whether it is an institution or not.
:18:54. > :18:58.The police say they are listening. Their Chief Constable is unable to
:18:59. > :19:03.comment on the incident of the man being tasered. It is being formally
:19:04. > :19:06.investigated by the IPC seat, but he says he is pleased with the
:19:07. > :19:11.performance of his force. There are too many black men being stopped and
:19:12. > :19:16.searched but it is something we are taken great steps to ensure fairness
:19:17. > :19:19.and transparency on. Her Majesty's Constabulary has reviewed stop and
:19:20. > :19:23.searches across the whole country and found that 96% had reasonable
:19:24. > :19:28.grounds to conduct the search. That was what was regarded. Social media
:19:29. > :19:33.makes this kind of incident very public and very high profile and
:19:34. > :19:43.shines a new light on how officers police communities on our streets. I
:19:44. > :19:48.am very sorry to have to tell you there's that the Bristol paramedic
:19:49. > :19:51.whose colleagues took part in a running man danced to raise money
:19:52. > :19:57.for pioneering new cancer treatment has died on her 41st birthday. She
:19:58. > :20:01.was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma five years ago. She briefly
:20:02. > :20:03.shared her experiences of the disease in an online blog to raise
:20:04. > :20:06.awareness and to help others. Bristol City scored one of the most
:20:07. > :20:10.impressive and patient goals They completed 31 consecutive
:20:11. > :20:14.passes in the build-up to Tammy Abraham's goal,
:20:15. > :20:16.with nine members Elsewhere, Ellis Harrison
:20:17. > :20:26.kept Bristol Rovers slim playoff hopes alive,
:20:27. > :20:27.scoring against Oldham. Swindon are still in trouble after
:20:28. > :20:31.losing to a late goal at Walsall. In League Two, Yeovil moved seven
:20:32. > :20:33.points clear of relegation Cheltenham have a five-point cushion
:20:34. > :20:40.after defeating Grimsby 2-1. Bristol Rugby club are waiting
:20:41. > :20:58.to find out if they'll be handed Defeat to Wasps on Sunday
:20:59. > :21:01.confirmed that they'll finish Their fate now depends on who wins
:21:02. > :21:04.the Championship playoffs. One of the clubs involved, Ealing,
:21:05. > :21:07.doesn't meet the criteria So if they win the playoffs,
:21:08. > :21:14.Bristol could yet be saved. A proposed takeover of
:21:15. > :21:21.Gloucester Rugby Club has collapsed. The France-based businessman
:21:22. > :21:24.Mohed Altrad was aiming to buy a 45 But Premiership Rugby members have
:21:25. > :21:28.voted that he can only As a result, the Syrian-born
:21:29. > :21:46.billionaire has decided Time for us to walk upstairs to Ian,
:21:47. > :21:52.who has the weather on this lovely day. I thought it was going to be
:21:53. > :21:55.quiet. Yes, indeed. Hello, everybody. Well, at least it has
:21:56. > :21:59.been a quiet day weather-wise. The story this week will be an
:22:00. > :22:03.overwhelmingly dry one once again. Indeed, this part of the month there
:22:04. > :22:10.have been a number of net offers regarding scissors -- Met Office
:22:11. > :22:14.recording stations recording hardly any rain. We have a fair amount of
:22:15. > :22:17.sunshine around. High-pressure establishing itself across as under
:22:18. > :22:22.the course of tonight it will be a cold night with the risk of frost
:22:23. > :22:26.across many parts of southern England, particularly central
:22:27. > :22:29.southern England. Tomorrow, a good deal of sunshine with more cloud
:22:30. > :22:34.around for the afternoon. Fast forward through a fine evening into
:22:35. > :22:39.tonight. A lot of clear sky around. The odd patch of mist or fog around,
:22:40. > :22:43.particularly through parts of Somerset and into Devon.
:22:44. > :22:48.Temperatures there too 2-4 C, but we could get lower than that. Not
:22:49. > :23:01.surprised to get down to freezing or below, so gardeners be aware of that
:23:02. > :23:04.risk of frost. Tomorrow, after the risk of frost, the file will be out
:23:05. > :23:06.of the way. Sunshine through the morning. Variable amounts of cloud.
:23:07. > :23:10.Buying conditions with light winds and no rain insight. 13-14 C
:23:11. > :23:15.tomorrow. Over the next few days, do not take the cloud amounts to
:23:16. > :23:18.literally but the balance towards dry weather with maybe some spots of
:23:19. > :23:23.rain on Thursday morning but not much of it. Ian, thank you so much.
:23:24. > :23:27.Do not forget, there will be more analysis on our late bulletin as
:23:28. > :23:30.well, although not from Brenda from Bristol. I think she has spoken for
:23:31. > :23:32.millions today.