:00:08. > :00:09.Theresa May calls a snap general election -
:00:10. > :00:12.what will it mean for some of the most fiercely contested
:00:13. > :00:16.With Brexit at the top of the agenda, will Labour,
:00:17. > :00:23.the Lib Dems or Ukip be able to win back seats from the Conservatives?
:00:24. > :00:29.It will make the country decide what they really want so I think it's a
:00:30. > :00:33.good move. It will potentially bring more instability.
:00:34. > :00:35.And after a chilly start, it brightened up in
:00:36. > :00:49.It's the announcement that caught everyone unawares -
:00:50. > :00:53.and it's already being dubbed the "Brexit election".
:00:54. > :00:56.Just two years after the last general election, we're
:00:57. > :00:59.going to the polls again on June 8th, after Theresa May
:01:00. > :01:01.called a snap election - claiming divisions in Westminster
:01:02. > :01:04.are jeopardising Britain's ability to make a success of Brexit.
:01:05. > :01:09.It means 29 seats will be up for grabs across the South East.
:01:10. > :01:12.Our Political Editor Helen Catt has been finding out if voters
:01:13. > :01:15.and politicians in Kent and Sussex think the Prime Minister has
:01:16. > :01:25.From a Prime Minister not given to shocks, the biggest of surprise
:01:26. > :01:30.announcements. Division in Westminster will risk our ability to
:01:31. > :01:35.make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and
:01:36. > :01:41.instability to the country. We need a general election and we need one
:01:42. > :01:46.now. In Gravesham, 65% of voters chose to leave the EU. Do people in
:01:47. > :01:51.Gravesend think she's made the right call? I think she's calling it
:01:52. > :01:57.because she knows she's in a good position. I think she's in a good
:01:58. > :02:02.position. She probably does care for the country but I don't know why she
:02:03. > :02:09.waste of money. Most people in the waste of money. Most people in the
:02:10. > :02:13.south-east will welcome the chance to vote for a government for
:02:14. > :02:18.five-year to give us the stability to get the European thing done, in
:02:19. > :02:22.everyone's interests, a successful exit, to lay the ground for a
:02:23. > :02:25.stronger and fairer Britain. Calling the snap election isn't without risk
:02:26. > :02:29.for Theresa May, she is giving the other parties a chance to make a
:02:30. > :02:33.dent on the blue map of the south-east early and by framing it
:02:34. > :02:39.as a Brexit election she may be making love difficult for
:02:40. > :02:46.life difficult for Conservative MPs life difficult for Conservative MPs
:02:47. > :02:51.in remain constituencies. If the people don't support this Prime
:02:52. > :02:57.Minister, maybe they don't really want to get out from the EU. Brexit
:02:58. > :03:01.is happening so they will carry on with it and it will probably
:03:02. > :03:05.strengthen their hand. I think it could potentially bring more
:03:06. > :03:08.instability. I think actually it would have been better if Theresa
:03:09. > :03:12.May had been able to see us through the process. I am pleased that
:03:13. > :03:18.Theresa May has called the election, the Green party has been asking her
:03:19. > :03:22.to do so ever since she pursued this extreme form of Brexit for which we
:03:23. > :03:26.believe she has no mandate so we are going to put forward a positive
:03:27. > :03:30.alternative to this extreme kind of Brexit but also to the extreme cuts
:03:31. > :03:34.we're seeing from this government. Some political experts believe there
:03:35. > :03:38.is no better time for Theresa May to go to the polls here. The further
:03:39. > :03:43.she goes in government, the more likely to have her majority shrink.
:03:44. > :03:49.She has a small working majority and it is likely that her approval in
:03:50. > :03:54.the opinion polls will go down so this is a good time to call the
:03:55. > :03:56.election. A calculated risk, then. We'll see if it pays off in the
:03:57. > :03:58.south-east in seven weeks' time. Helen, the Conservatives
:03:59. > :04:03.were dominant in the south east in the last general election
:04:04. > :04:11.in 2015, with only two seats Yes, it was pretty much a clean blue
:04:12. > :04:16.sweep last time around. This is what the political map looked like two
:04:17. > :04:18.years ago after the general election.
:04:19. > :04:21.Nearly all Conservative blue - 27 of our 29 constituencies voting
:04:22. > :04:23.Tory, the exceptions - one Labour seat in Hove, and
:04:24. > :04:31.Then on the 23rd of June last year, we went to the polls again to vote
:04:32. > :04:33.in the Brexit Referendum - overall the south east voting
:04:34. > :04:43.with a majority for remain: Tunbridge Wells, Lewes,
:04:44. > :04:46.Mid Sussex and Brighton Hove, which gave the most enthusiastic
:04:47. > :04:48.backing for the EU of anywhere in the region, with almost
:04:49. > :04:55.That is likely to play well for Green and Labour hopes
:04:56. > :04:58.for holding there and to put Tory held Brighton Kemptown
:04:59. > :05:01.with its majority of just over 600 votes very firmly
:05:02. > :05:07.While today's news has come as a surprise to many,
:05:08. > :05:10.politicians from all parties are saying they welcome
:05:11. > :05:12.the opportunity to campaign so soon after the referendum -
:05:13. > :05:15.and debate the issues raised by Brexit.
:05:16. > :05:21.Simon Jones has spent the day in Ramsgate -
:05:22. > :05:23.which has a Conservative MP, and the only Ukip-controlled local
:05:24. > :05:33.It was one of the most hotly-contested seats in 2015.
:05:34. > :05:36.The then Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, staked his future
:05:37. > :05:40.on winning South Thanet, but lost to the Conservative
:05:41. > :05:47.Now we could see the two slugging it out again.
:05:48. > :05:50.I beat Nigel Farage last time and that has to be the high
:05:51. > :05:54.We've now delivered Article 50 and I've been saying many times,
:05:55. > :06:02.Could I serve it by running and trying to win the South Thanet
:06:03. > :06:05.seat, or could I serve it best by continuing where I am, leading
:06:06. > :06:11.Ukip got almost 4 million votes in the last general
:06:12. > :06:13.election but just one MP, Douglas Carswell in Clacton,
:06:14. > :06:17.With Brexit becoming a reality, Ukip is facing questions
:06:18. > :06:23.There is an awfully long way to go in this negotiation.
:06:24. > :06:25.This general election is a distraction to that negotiation
:06:26. > :06:32.In Sussex, Labour's sole south-east MP is talking of a fightback.
:06:33. > :06:34.I'm trying to get Labour to listen to what people
:06:35. > :06:39.I think in many cases when you see the candidates we select,
:06:40. > :06:42.we're going to run a campaign that is demonstrating
:06:43. > :06:44.that we are listening to the specific challenges
:06:45. > :06:52.The Lib Dems sense an opportunity under their leader, Tim Farron.
:06:53. > :06:55.From the Lib Dems' perspective, I think a lot of Remainers
:06:56. > :06:58.are going to come over to us because Tim is passionate,
:06:59. > :07:02.as a lot of Lib Dems are, about trying to either get the best
:07:03. > :07:07.And we may not have heard the last of the 2015 campaign
:07:08. > :07:09.with a Kent Police investigation into Conservative spending
:07:10. > :07:24.How likely is it that Nigel Farage will stand there?
:07:25. > :07:29.He's been unusually reluctant to talk about it today. This morning he
:07:30. > :07:35.was busy tweeting about how much he'd enjoyed his Weeting fishing for
:07:36. > :07:40.tuna in the Adriatic Sea but when he was contacted by the BBC this
:07:41. > :07:43.afternoon he said he had nothing to say. -- enjoyed his weekend.
:07:44. > :07:47.radio programme he said he needed radio programme he said he needed
:07:48. > :07:51.more time to think about it. He has stood for Parliament seven times
:07:52. > :07:54.before and failed each time. I understand he is due to come to
:07:55. > :07:56.Thanet in a few days, perhaps to gauge opinion. Thank you for joining
:07:57. > :07:57.us. A two year old girl from Dover
:07:58. > :08:02.died from a fatal dose of the heroin-substitute methadone,
:08:03. > :08:05.after it was left on the floor Lucy King denies manslaughter
:08:06. > :08:08.by gross negligence, following the death of her daughter
:08:09. > :08:12.Frankie in 2015. Maidstone Crown Court heard that
:08:13. > :08:15.rather than dialling 999 straight away, Miss King waited more than two
:08:16. > :08:18.hours before telling anyone. The court heard today how Lucy King
:08:19. > :08:24.had left the dose of methadone in a cup on the floor
:08:25. > :08:28.of her sitting room. It was intended for her
:08:29. > :08:30.but her daughter drank it Rather than call the emergency
:08:31. > :08:39.services straightaway, though, the prosecution say Ms King messaged
:08:40. > :08:42.friends on Facebook and watched Ms King told paramedics that
:08:43. > :08:49.Frankie drunk the methadone and about half past seven
:08:50. > :08:52.while she slept on the sofa but it emerged that the emergency services
:08:53. > :08:54.were not called until 9:45am, Frankie was taken to
:08:55. > :08:58.the William Harvey Hospital Prosecutor Robin Jenkins told
:08:59. > :09:06.the court: bothered to mention the fact that
:09:07. > :09:11.Frankie had taken methadone to anybody at all, it was far
:09:12. > :09:14.too late to save her. "the failing was so basic,
:09:15. > :09:24.so far removed from the standard of care that a mother should owe
:09:25. > :09:26.to her child, it was Lucy King denies two counts
:09:27. > :09:31.of manslaughter by gross negligence. Piers Hopkirk, BBC South today,
:09:32. > :09:43.Maidstone Crown Court. Now let's look at the weather with
:09:44. > :09:57.Rachel. Chilly but bright. That's right, a cold start but by
:09:58. > :10:01.the afternoon, temperatures of 12 or 13, mostly dry, following the trend
:10:02. > :10:07.of April with only 8% of the expected rainfall. With high
:10:08. > :10:11.pressure in control over the next few days it is expected to stay dry.
:10:12. > :10:15.Overnight with clear skies, temperatures falling away, dropping
:10:16. > :10:19.to two, three degrees in towns and cities but below freezing
:10:20. > :10:24.potentially in rural spots. Potentially for Wednesday, some
:10:25. > :10:29.frost here and there. I pressure firmly in control of things. We've
:10:30. > :10:34.still got this light but called north-easterly breeze and along the
:10:35. > :10:41.coast, temperatures still in single figures, but further west, 11th, 12
:10:42. > :10:45.degrees. A very pleasant afternoon. On Wednesday and Thursday, clear
:10:46. > :10:48.skies with a chilly picture, temperatures around freezing in more
:10:49. > :10:55.rural spots. Two, three degrees in towns and cities. On Thursday,
:10:56. > :10:58.missed and Fog, a lot of sunshine, high temperatures of around 13
:10:59. > :11:01.degrees.