you are watching bbc news. i'm simon mccoy live at westminster as the prime minister calls a snap general election. in a surprise political u—turn, theresa may said she had recently and reluctantly come to the decision, to see the uk through brexit and beyond. at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in westminster, but instead there is division. the country is coming together, but westminster is not. the general election would need parliamentary approval — mps will vote tomorrow. labour say they will back it. we are going out there to put the case. to put the case about how this country could be run, scotland's first minister says the prime minister is trying to move the uk to the right and force through a hard brexit. the liberal democrat

leader, tim farron, said it was an opportunity for people to change the direction of their country and avoid a disastrous hard brexit. voters could go to the polls in just seven weeks and there's been shock and surprise at the announcement. general election. you're joking! general election. you'rejoking! not another one! honestly, ican‘t general election. you'rejoking! not another one! honestly, i can't stand this. there is too much politics going on at the moment. why do she need to do it? the prime minister has announced plans to call a snap

general election on 8thjune. in a surprise statement in downing street this morning, theresa may said britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership following the eu referendum. explaining the decision, mrs may said she had reluctantly come to the conclusion that a vote was necessary, adding "the country is coming together, but westminster is not." so let's have a look at the timetable of events leading up to a general election after today's dramatic announcement by theresa may in downing street. a motion will be submitted and voted on tomorrow for the commons to cut short the present fixed—term parliament. mrs may needs a two—thirds majority. labour will vote with the government so it is likely to be passed. on 27th april, six weeks before polling day, writs are issued to local returning officers. this is the official start of the campaigning period. on wednesday, 3rd may, parliament will be dissolved, meaning it's the official end of the present parliament. this is on the 25th working day before polling day. then, on thursday, 8thjune, the country will go to the polls.

so, let's catch up on all the events from this morning. our political correspondent ben wright reports. out of the blue, number 10 announced there would be a statement from the prime minister. out of the blue, theresa may stunned westminster and the country with this. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet, where we agreed that the government should hold a general election, to be held on 8thjune. the next general election was not due until 2020, but theresa may said a poll was needed now. the reason she gave? to bring political stability to brexit. at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in westminster, but instead there is division. the country is coming together, but westminster is not. in recent weeks, labour have threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the european union.

the liberal democrats have said they want to grind the business of government to a standstill. the scottish national party say they will vote against the legislation that formerly repeals britain's membership of the european union. and unelected members of the house of lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way. our opponents believe that because the government's majority is so small, our resolve will weaken and they can force us to change course. they are wrong. the prime minister said she had only recently and reluctantly decided to call an election, but said the political choice was now stark. it will be a choice between strong and stable leadership in the national interest, with me as your prime minister, or weak and unstable coalition government, led byjeremy corbyn, propped up by the liberal democrats, who want to reopen the divisions of the referendum, and nicola sturgeon and the snp.

every vote for the conservatives will make it harder for opposition politicians who want to stop me getting thejob done. prime ministers now have to get the approval of parliament before they can call a snap election. a two—thirds majority of mps is needed and labour will back the prime minister's move in the commons tomorrow. this morning, jeremy corbyn said he was ready for the election fight. i welcome the opportunity for us to put the case to the people of britain, to stand up against this government and its failed economic agenda, which has left our nhs in problems, which has left our schools underfunded, which has left so many people uncertain. we want to put the case out there to the people of britain for a society that cares for all, an economy that works for all and a brexit that works for all. the first minister of scotland said the prime minister was trying to force through a so—called ‘hard brexit‘. the prime minister's announcement today is all about the narrow

interests of her own party, not the interests of the country overall. clearly, she sees the opportunity, given the disarray in the ranks of the labour party, to crush her opposition, to get rid of people who disagree with her and to give herself a free hand to take the country in the increasingly right—wing direction she wants to take it in. the lib dems will fight against the government's strategy for brexit. it is an opportunity for the people of this country to change the direction of this country, to decide that they do not want a hard brexit, they want to keep us in the single market. and it's an opportunity for us to have a decent, strong opposition in this country that we desperately need. the ukip leader, paul nuttall, welcomed the general election. but make no mistake, he said, this was a decision driven by the weakness of labour, not the good of the country. labour certainly goes into this election a very long way behind the tories in the opinion polls. labour mps in marginal seats are likely to be sweating at what could be seen by some

as an audacious political ambush by theresa may. so she has rolled the dice, she is confident she will win, but politics has never been more unpredictable and a lot can happen in a six—week campaign. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. our political correspondent eleanor garnier is at downing street. she would not have called this u nless she would not have called this unless she thought she would win it, but is there a risk estimate there isa but is there a risk estimate there is a risk in any general election and over the last few months, perhaps even couple of years in the uk, all attacks has become an unpredictable affair. of course, it isa gamble, unpredictable affair. of course, it is a gamble, but some are saying it could've been a gamble to hold on until 2020. no one in westminster thought there would be a snap election because up until extremely recently downing street and the

prime minister had been playing down any prospect of an early poll, but the must have always been that nagging temptation of potentially being able to increase the majority in the house of commons because theresa may's the problem recently has been her own backbenchers. with such a small majority, her hope will be that if she goes out of the country and get that general election under her belt, will she come back with a bigger majority? the reasoned that for so long the prime minister had not wanted to go to the polls was that she thought it would create instability and unpredictability during the brexit negotiations. 0f unpredictability during the brexit negotiations. of course, general election campaigns can be difficult things to fight at the same time as having the huge task of negotiations going on as well. clearly, temptation has given way and theresa

may will hope she will come back after the 8th of june may will hope she will come back after the 8th ofjune with a much increased majority. she says it is also about creating stability and strengthening her hand as she goes into those negotiations. it is also very difficult for labour. what they fight this election on? we know that the party in the house of commons is divided in terms of its support for jeremy corbyn. i expect we will see many labour mps fighting local campaigns. when it comes to the topics that this election will be fought on, how much willjeremy corbyn be talking about brexit? we have seen him out this afternoon doing campaigning on the issue of care, i suspect people want to be able to fight this on local issues and domestic issues, the nhs and the economy. theresa may says she thinks this is a brexit general election and she will be trying to unite the

country behind brexit while she says opposition parties in westminster are not coming together behind brexit at the moment. joining me now is the conservative mp philip hollobone. will labour fight this on brexit or a world they concentrate on things that they feel they are a head—on like social care and the nhs? what the government will want to do... the nhs is facing its biggest crisis ever come we have a crisis in school funding, a sense that the country is needing leadership. the prime minister is saying she can't control her own party. what you will see from the labour party is at programme encompassing all of those

areas and! programme encompassing all of those areas and i hope that the prime ministerand areas and i hope that the prime minister and government will do the same thing. john redwood, is there a risk and what theresa may has done this morning? i think she has done the right thing. i think we will be fighting it on a range of issues. we are keen to promote the economic recovery and to promote prosperity throughout the country, developed the industrial strategy and get more people into a better paid jobs. as well as asking for the mandate to see through what the british people voted for in the referendum when the snp and liberal democrats are using every trick in the book to thwart the will of the british people. but isn't it a trip to say a month after saying there would be no snap election to call one? it was the way the snp and liberal democrats are behaving. they threatened to use every technique to stop the british people seeing their decision

fulfilled. we need to trust the prime minister. she will negotiate in europe. we need to maximise our chances of getting a good response and some members of this parliament are out to undermine the british position the whole time. she is trying to get the country to get behind her. she has article 50 three. we were not expecting the government to put the needs of the country first, not the party first, ankle while spending two years ago see a thing in britaininterests. we look forward to getting out there and making the argument. what this does do is completely toed the line of the sense that theresa may was willing to put the country before the party, but she is directly putting her party interests ahead of

the national interests. she may end up the national interests. she may end up regretting that. isn't she just being opportunistic? she has looked at the polls and thought it is now or never? theresa may is a serious politician that understands the importance of what she is trying to do for the country and wants to maximise unity in the country. as she rightly said in her remarks, it is all about getting unity behind brexit, the country is coming together but this parliament is not. there are some smaller parties not accepting the decision of the british people and are trying to disrupt the british position. now we are about to go into serious because asians that we need to show discipline. they are constantly undermined in the british position saying britain is in a weak position and trying to upend the parliamentary processes in a way that gives confidence to those on the continent who do want britain to

have a bad deal, who are in the minority, but they are drawing strength from the liberal democrats and snp in particular. jeremy corbyn today talked about education, the nhs, did not mention brexit wants. isn't that a mistake? of course there will be talk about the exit, it will be a factor in the general election, but the election is about more than that. at a time when the national health service is facing unprecedented problems, the government has abandoned plans to get rid of the deficit in this parliament, there is this pressure on the nhs, social care, free school meals. it is a programme that we will look forward taking to the british people. we will look forward to reminding them that this is a prime minister butjust a month ago said we would not have a general election because she was putting the country first. but you are looking

forward to an election? always good to get out there! thank you both very much. the economist victoria clarke is in the investec office in the city. this mantra that's the city does not like uncertainty, does the general election make that worse or better? in this case it makes things better. sterling moved up quite sharply after we heard the news that theresa may was going to have a general election. 0n current polling, the government would strengthen its position in the houses of parliament, meaning it had a stronger hand to play and more time to play in the brexit negotiations. and that is this sense, is it, that theresa may will be able to beef up hand, brussels doesn't hold the

cards? brussels is certainly holds plenty of cards, but the timing is important. we would've had a general election in may 2020, and that could've been at a point when did uk was in transitional arrangements with europe. if you hold a general election night then you run a new electoral cycle and that gives more time to play with and they can't have brussels pushing them into things. you are working on the premise of the general election, a lot of your colleagues will factor in now, or try to, he will win it. absolutely. that is the negotiating strategy there will be going with, looking at how strong man did the conservatives will have. we have with brussels, if the conservatives have a bigger majority, that is a tougher card to play in brussels and

it makes things easier for them to get things through domestically, such as the great repeal bill. get things through domestically, such as the great repeal billm was interesting this morning when there was an announcement that there was going to be a statement the people didn't know what it was, the pound dropped dramatically, then it bounced back. by that reaction? the initial news was that there was just wa nt to initial news was that there was just want to be a press conference. we didn't know what the news was. there we re didn't know what the news was. there were rumours that might have been ill health, it could've anything. political uncertainty is unhelpful. as soon as it was clear that the uk was going to go to a general election, that theresa may had worked out that the conservatives could do better, that is when sterling took a turn upwards and the pound recovered. that uncertainty about what that press conference was going to be was negative for markets. thank you very much for your time. it will be an interesting

six weeks for you as it will be for everybody else here in westminster. thank you forjoining us. labour have said they will vote with the government, jeremy corbyn welcoming the chance to stand up for the people of britain. nicola sturgeon said that this announcement was one of the biggest u—turns and political history. it was almost two years ago when the country last had its say on the kind of government it wants. have a nice day! then, david cameron at the helm campaigning on the economy, the nhs, and with a promise to hold a referendum on eu mentorship. that was a decision that led to his resignation when the country backed brexit. i think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction. so theresa may took over and pledged from the start to honour the referendum result. brexit means brexit and we are going to make a success of it. despite her slim majority

in the commons, she repeatedly said there would not be an early election. i am not going to be calling a snap election, i have been very clear that i think we need that period of time, that stability to be able to deal with the issues that the country is facing and have that election in 2020. but with such a slim majority in the house of commons, parliamentary battles over brexit beckoned. theresa may wants a mandate, but will have to overcome the rule which says elections can only be held every five years. to get around the fixed—term parliaments act, there must be a vote of no—confidence in the government or two—thirds of mps to vote in favour of it. tomorrow, theresa may will seek a general election on 8thjune, she will almost certainly get the backing she needs. she hopes to increase support for her brexit plan from across the country and among hermps, but general elections are also always a risk.

although the labour party are in a dire position in the opinion polls, a lot of their seats are safe ones. if the opinion polls were to narrow during the course of the campaign, we should bear in mind that theresa may is now going for a vote conservative for my vision of brexit, and that is going to make some conservative voters unhappy. if that lead were to narrow, we could discover that she would get a rather small majority than she is hoping for. so once again, who holds control here, and with how much clout, will be for the country to decide. iamjoined i am joined now by sir michael

fallon. this morning seems like a lifetime ago! when you went into the cabinet meeting this morning did you have any idea what the prime minister was going to say? the cabinet was told of the prime minister's decision formally for the first time at 9:30am this morning. what was the reaction round the table? it was overwhelming support. this will give us a proper mandate, strengthen our hand in the brexit because asians and give the country certainty and stability for the next five years. did anybody say to theresa may, why did you change your mind? no, i think theresa may, why did you change your mind? no, ithink the theresa may, why did you change your mind? no, i think the prime minister hoped initially that the brexit because asians could be completed without an election, but over the last few weeks the liberal democrats

and the snp have wanted to frustrate. it also became clear that it would be vulnerable to the rest of europe saying we will string tied until the election in 2020, just a year after the formal negotiating period. it makes a lot of sense to get a fresh mandate and get this because asians done and then get on with the rest of the business of government. aren't you being disingenuous given that the polls say that labour is in a weak position, that this is a rather cynical attempt just to have position, that this is a rather cynical attemptjust to have a go at labour? it is not anything to do with having a go at other parties. this is to give us in government a proper mandate. theresa may did not wina proper mandate. theresa may did not win a general election, she succeeded david cameron, this is to give her a proper democratic mandate. she is entitled to ask about us by minister. that is what

you will be asking the country pour on the 8th ofjune. as defence secretary, a lot of serious stuff going on out there, you must be feeling slightly frustrated that this will overshadow all of that. you have a lot on your plate and neither is a general election. on the contrary, in increasingly uncertain world this will give a certainty and stability for the next five years. we have commitments to make to nato, we have ambitions to step that globally. we are playing our part in the coalition against daesh. a full mandate for the five—year term will give us those stability we need to project our country internationally and do what we can to strengthen security.“ theresa may strengthens the mandate why do you think brussels will take any more or less seriously, don't they hold the cards anyway? the

danger with the european negotiations is that they could be frustrated by both serotonin where we only had a small majority and the majority in the house of lords, but the other danger was over in europe then just at the end of the two—year negotiating period there would be the general election originally scheduled for 2020. it would have been possible for europe to have strung out the negotiations, ( change of government, knowing we we re change of government, knowing we were desperate to get it concluded before the next election. with a new five—year term, europe will know what we are dealing with, what they are dealing with. jeremy corbyn sees this as an opportunity to push the agenda on the nhs, education and housing. for the tories, this will be the breadth of the election, isn't it a rest are notjust brexit. the country voted lastjune in the referendum and made up its mind, but

it will also be about giving the conservatives are mandate to build a stronger and fairer britain? there wasn't a groan run the table this morning, after the referendum, all the political turmoil, is there really the appetite? a lot of people we have been speaking to have been saying, gosh, haven't we had enough of this? no, this is a clearing of the air. it gives us the opportunity to have a five—year term of government and give people the stability they need for a full five—year term. stability they need for a full five-year term. why do you think the prime minister suddenly changed her mind. she had seen evidence from the scottish nationalists, the liberal democrats, that they would be extremely difficult about the negotiating process, promising to slow down in parliament, vote against everything, whereas we want to get thejob against everything, whereas we want to get the job done,

against everything, whereas we want to get thejob done, get against everything, whereas we want to get the job done, get the referendum implemented, get it successfully completed in the interests of europe and in our interests. i then she began to see clearly that this would require a fresh mandate from the people. there are always risks with the general election. what are the banana skins you're keeping an eye on? what worries you about a general election campaign this? you can never take the electorate for granted, and we are not. we will have to fight hard for every single vote all over again, up and down the country. this is about winning the trust of the british people all over again to negotiate as successful exit from europe and a mandate to build a stronger and fairer britain. the liberal democrats are saying this is an opportunity for people to say we don't want hard brexit, that theresa

may is pushing for. is there a risk that that is what people will end up voting on? people will realise that they voted last year in the referendum and the country voted not overwhelmingly, but by a decisive majority that we would be leaving the european union. what people want is for us to get on with it, do it successfully and is for us to get on with it, do it successfully a nd clea nly is for us to get on with it, do it successfully and cleanly and ensure that it doesn'tjeopardise ourjobs or trade or ourfuture that it doesn'tjeopardise ourjobs or trade or our future relationship with the rest of europe. that is what we need this fresh mandate for. sir michael fallon, thank you for your time. let's ta ke let's take a look at general election 2015 to remind ourselves. the conservatives took a majority of 12, 99 more seats and labour who

we re 12, 99 more seats and labour who were practically wiped off the map in scotland. the only held edinburgh south. it was a difficult election for the liberal democrats who were wiped out in the south—west of the country. they returned with just eight seats. let's compare that to the referendum in 2016. you can see that the map looks broadly the same, the conservative areas voted broadly in favour of brexit. north wells, the north—east, labour heartlands going for brexit. that will be the challenge forjeremy corbyn on the doorstep. yes, labour are generally in favour... let's have a look at the by—elections for some clues. this one is a bright spot for the liberal democrats because they overturned a whopping 23,000 majority that zac goldsmith was holding and they took it from him. richmond park avenue very pro—remain area. this is a very big brexit

area, stoke—on—trent central, but labour held that. so they can hold brexit areas. they held off a strong challenge from paul —— paul not all. this is the first time that a sitting government has won a by—election since 1984 and labour had held that seat for over 80 yea rs, had held that seat for over 80 years, as 62% brexit area. there are things that all the parties will have to bear in mind and we will look at that brexit map for clues. they will have to think about voter fatigue, we have had three uk wide elections in three years, we have had elections in scotland, northern ireland and wales, three in northern ireland and wales, three in northern ireland ina ireland and wales, three in northern ireland in a little over a year, then we will have to think about how then we will have to think about how the population splits because there are differing views among different age groups, so young people you can see in blue when four remain, and

older people in red went for a leave. how will these groups of people vote in a new general election? we just don't know, but there might be some clues in that for all of the parties. joining me now is the conservative mp philip hollobone. and david lammy. i think there are lots of things that we should put to a general election. i thought theresa may might have called a general election. i'd use that phrase deepjoy general election. i'd use that phrase deep joy because a lot of people were probably thinking we have a period of stability, then this. there's nothing i can election to remind mps they are better represent their constituencies. what is the issue? clearly theresa may is regarding this as the brexit

election, backed me and i can negotiate with brussels, is that what it's really about?|j negotiate with brussels, is that what it's really about? i think it probably is. and the reason is that in parliament there were 500 remain mps. some of those, like our friend david, have voted against article 50. we simply can't have any kind of sensible negotiating programme if there is going to be constant bickering in parliament about the brexit process. will that play on the doorsteps do you think? the idea that the conservatives will keep this election as a brexit election forgot knows how long, from the middle of april to june... forgot knows how long, from the middle of april to june. .. it's only six weeks. it's not going to happen. the election will be on bread and butter issues. the nhs, queueing in a&e, those cuts to other schools, on the collapse in social care. and of course it will be about brexit and they will get to decide whether they

wa nt they will get to decide whether they want a hard brexit under theresa may or they want a much softer landing. you'll get that with the labour party. what you say to those who say this is a cynical attempt by theresa may. she's looked at the polls, she's seen the lead of the tories and said we may as well do it now, things couldn't be better. there's nothing cynical about taking one's case to the country. on nothing cynical about taking one's case to the country. 0njune nine war we have as prime minister theresa mayjeremy corbyn. that is what people will have to decide upon —— onjune nine. what people will have to decide upon -- on june nine. will that play in your favour? i think the issues will play to labour's favour. a lot of people are very worried about the future of this country. now they get to make a decision that ultimately will decide our course. let's remember many of those people who voted 48% and some who voted leave do not like the course we are now set on. do not like the enemies we

are making across europe, do not like the trajectory. for all of those reasons a general election is a huge opportunity for the labour party. to jeremy corbyn make a mistake in not mentioning brexit today in birmingham? he didn't make a mistake. he talked about the real issues. a lot of people who voted leave or remain worth voting through the lens of the opportunity in their lives and their own standard of living. absolutely it was right for germany to focus on these real issues. if you've got a child in a state school, do you want that funding cut. if you go to a&e, do you want to wait seven hours. if you've got an elderly parent, do you wa nt you've got an elderly parent, do you want to see social coconuts. —— do you want to see social care collapse. where is that £350 million they promised for the nhs? these are they promised for the nhs? these are

theissues they promised for the nhs? these are the issues that will be tested over the issues that will be tested over the next six weeks. is that the risk theresa may has taken in going so ha rd theresa may has taken in going so hard on this being about brexit and not mentioning the issues david just talked about? the fact is of course thoseissues talked about? the fact is of course those issues are real for talked about? the fact is of course those issues are realfor our constituents but the labour party don't have any answers to those problems. it's clear to most people thatjeremy corbyn as prime minister isn't acceptable to the vast majority of people in our country. we will find out onjune the 8th. germany is a populist leader. many fa ke germany is a populist leader. many fake populism is back. we will see onjune eight fake populism is back. we will see on june eight what the people fake populism is back. we will see onjune eight what the people of britain make up the prospect of a labour government. nicola sturgeon has called this a cynical attempt, that this is an english issue and she's described it as a moment where theresa may is taking people for a ride, basically. i think theresa may is taking people for a ride, basically. ithink there theresa may is taking people for a ride, basically. i think there will

be voters who look at the decision to call an election and see some cynical motive in the opportunity the prime minister has taken. nevertheless, in the end, parliament will vote for this tomorrow, i will vote for a general election and i suspect many of my colleagues in the labour party will. do you think some went? in the end it's up to individual mps. went? in the end it's up to individual mp5. i think we will have a general election and it's right as a general election and it's right as a parliament ultimately make that decision. thank you. i'm joined a parliament ultimately make that decision. thank you. i'mjoined by john curtis. earlier he explained that although the conservative party is enjoying a good lead in the polls, that could change. if you take the most recent poll done by all of the companies, on average they point to the conservatives on 42%, labour on 27%. so, about a 15—point lead. some polls put the lead even bigger than that. so, certainly, theresa may is calling this election against a backdrop where she is very, very much the favourite to win,

and against a backdrop where no opposition party has ever gone into an election in such a weak position in the opinion polls. that said, i don't think this is an entirely risk—free enterprise for her. in effect, what she has said to the country is, i need a big majority in order to handle the brexit process. the question is, is she guaranteed to get a big majority? you might think, with a 15—point lead, the answer to that question is "yes". the truth is, the real answer is only "maybe". remember, first of all, both northern ireland and now scotland are effectively out of the game, so far as creating a parliamentary majority is concerned. the snp will almost undoubtedly hang on to most, if not necessarily all, of the seats that they have north of the border. you are therefore left with having to create that majority in england and wales. once you start looking at the actual geography of labour's vote, it's very... it has a lot of very safe labour seats, and therefore getting a large majority can be quite difficult.

certainly, if the polls are perhaps exaggerating the tories‘ lead a bit, or if that lead comes down to 7—9 points, still quite substantial, that could still mean that theresa may doesn't end up with anything like as large a majority as she might like. 0ne rule to remember throughout this election, it took a 7—point tory lead to get that majority of 12, it therefore will require a very large lead indeed. for example, to get the lead of 100 that perhaps theresa may may have in mind. if she's looking over her shoulder, it will be towards the liberal democrats, will it? it's certainly true, i think the liberal democrats will be quite happy with this election. after all, if you've only got nine seats, it's pretty difficult to lose many more, although maybe that could happen. they have a very clear, distinctive position on brexit. that is, if you don't like theresa may's version of brexit, or if you don't like brexit at all, you should vote for us.

in contrast, the labour party, well, if you listen to jeremy corbyn's statement today, he's not really been wanting to talk about brexit. he's wanting to talk about what he regards as the unfairness of the conservative party. he wants to fight on a different ground. the truth is that the labour party, certainly in recent months, seems to have struggled to reach a united position on brexit, and that therefore, perhaps if theresa may is successful in focusing the referendum on brexit, and the leadership required to get a successful brexit outcome for the uk, labour may be struggling. perhaps, as in the 1983 general election, they'll begin to be looking over their shoulders at the liberal democrats. although, in truth, the liberal democrats have an awful long way to go before they begin to become a substantial factor in the likely outcome of this election. how difficult an election could this be for ukip, given that they've lost their only mp already? i think probably that may have been one of the other things that tempted theresa may into this election. because clearly she will be hoping that by her pitch,

she will persuade the 10—12% of people who are still saying they vote ukip to switch to the conservatives, on the grounds that they can deliver. certainly, paul nuttall, relatively untried and untested, apart from a difficult by—election in stoke. i think certainly ukip may be at risk of being squeezed. they certainly were in copeland, and i think theresa may will be making a pitch very much to that section of the electorate, as one of the ways in which she tries to build on the already quite substantial majority she's already got in the opinion polls. what was your reaction this morning when you heard what theresa may said? i was surprised. when you heard what theresa may said? iwas surprised. she when you heard what theresa may said? i was surprised. she was saying for weeks there was unity behind tory plans and lo and behold there isn't unity and she needs an election. this is incredibly

opportunistic. she's going to crush what's left of labour in england to give the tory party a free rein for a harder brexit. bad news for the people. you say opportunistic, isn't that what politics is all about?“ could also backfire badly on her. 0nly could also backfire badly on her. only time will tell. i think the arguments against the hard tory brexit will be made. when people come to terms with the cost of brexit, this isn't necessarily a shoein brexit, this isn't necessarily a shoe in for her. negotiations haven't even started yet. what she said this morning was, i need to know that i have the backing of as many people as i could possibly have when i go into those negotiations. she's right, isn't she? she could do that by bringing forward the framework for negotiations to the houses of parliament and we could say we agree with 90% but you're missing a trick here, there or there. she doesn't have to go through a general election to get an agreement on the nature of the

negotiations. what she going to do, tell the public what her negotiating hand is, when she's been refusing to tell parliament? that doesn't ring true. are you feeling miffed that here we are facing a general election in six weeks, when the call for a second scottish referendum now looks some way off? theresa may has been saying now is on the time for an independence referendum, now isn't the time for a general election. now we are having a general election it makes any of these arguments about a scottish independent selection hollow and chalets. in terms of the next six weeks, what are the issues do you think? she's clearly fighting on and i need support the brexit, jeremy corbyn today talking about education and housing, anything but brexit. what will be your ploy on the doorstep? we know what the tories' game is. it is to destroy labour in england, strengthen their hand for a

ha rd tory england, strengthen their hand for a hard tory brexit and more austerity. 0urcampaign will be hard tory brexit and more austerity. 0ur campaign will be based on the fa ct 0ur campaign will be based on the fact the scots have rejected austerity and brexit. we will be saying vote snp to put scotland first to get the best deal. thank you. let's talk about the process. professor gavin philipson joins you. let's talk about the process. professor gavin philipsonjoins me now. just explain to us why this has to be voted on in parliament tomorrow, because of the fixed parliament act? sure. before the fixed—term parliaments act passed in 2011, the prime minister could simply call on the queen to dissolve parliament and the royal prerogative and the queen would grant the prime minister a dissolution. effectively the prime minister had the power to dissolve parliament when she wanted to and could just call a general election herself. that power was

abolished by the 2011 act. there are only two ways in which parliament can be dissolved early. 0ne only two ways in which parliament can be dissolved early. one is a vote by a two thirds majority of all mps which at the moment is 434. the other way is if a motion of is past. talk us through the process. of the next few weeks. we have the vote tomorrow, then there are certain points we have to meet before the actual vote takes place. the vote will take place tomorrow and that's ona simple will take place tomorrow and that's on a simple nation. as long as it gets 434 votes or more, then the election will go ahead. there is then certain formalities to do with setting the date for the election itself. which the queen does by proclamation under the act. eventually the key voters tomorrow

—— essentially, the key fate is tomorrow. the last snp spokesman said this was a cynical ploy by the conservatives. i've seen another opposition mp saying this is an opportunistic move. i'm curious that none of them appeared to be proposing to vote against it. we'll have to leave it there. thank you. i wa nt to have to leave it there. thank you. i want to talk about wales. i'm joined by hywel williams. a momentous day, the day you presumably weren't expecting this morning. a complete u—turn by the prime minister. but she has been inconsistent in the past. 0ne she has been inconsistent in the past. one can only think of her sta nce past. one can only think of her stance on brexit. i suppose one shouldn't be surprised. she have a point when she says the country is united, the country wants brexit and

westminster is making life difficult? the first question is which country is she talking about? there is a division of opinion across the uk. are the other 27 going to be more accommodating just because she's had a domestic general election? i hardly think so. why did she change her mind? clearly she is taking the opportunity. she's a politician and is quite ruthless in saying the labour party are in a writhing mass and the possibility of getting a majority which will see the tories in for the next ten, 15 yea rs. the tories in for the next ten, 15 years. isn't that a gamble? of course it's a gamble. the party appeared to be unified at the moment but under the paper, the cracks are there. in terms of plaid cymru, what do you hope to get out of this campaign? clearly the labour party is in no fit state to fight wales' corner. that is what we will be

doing. we have to think in terms of post—brexit. we have to have a vision of what wales will be like. i was in favour of staying in but the reality is that we are leaving. we'll fight on the bread and butter issues that really concerned people. economic development, poverty, education and health. given that this is a snap general election and there isn't a lot of time, how ready is the party? this has been lurking in the background since last summer. we've been doing preparations, like every other party we preferred the stability of how it is now. this is an opportunity for us. i have to confess that. it's time for us to put ourselves forward as the real opposition in wales. which seats are you going to be targeting, who do you going to be targeting, who do you see as the weak seats at the moment? clearly labour are in a com plete moment? clearly labour are in a complete mess. there are things we did well in last time. we have our

eye on certain seats. we would be glad to represent more people and i hope we'll have another number of mps. we have to be realistic and target our resources in that respect. thank you. an interesting day it has been in the last few hours and plenty more to come. i'll be back live at five. let's remind ourselves of how the prime minister made the announcement of the snap general election this morning. i have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet where we agreed that the government should call a general election to be held on the 8th ofjune. i want to explain the reasons for that decision, what will happen next and the choice facing the british people when you come to vote in this election.

last summer, after the country voted to leave the european union, britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership. since i became prime minister, the government has delivered precisely that. despite predictions of immediate financial and economic danger, since the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain high, a record numbers ofjobs, economic growth that has exceeded all expectations. we have also delivered on the mandate that we were handed by the referendum result. britain is leaving the european union and there can be no turning back. as we look to the future, the government has the right plan for negotiating our new relationship with europe. we want a deep and special partnership between a strong and successful european union

and a united kingdom that is free to chart its own way in the world. that means we will regain control of our own money, our own laws and our own borders. we will be free to strike trade deals with old friends and new partners all around the world. this is the right approach and it is in the national interest, but the other political parties oppose it. at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in westminster, but instead there is division. the country is coming together, but westminster is not. in recent weeks, labour have threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach with the european union. the liberal democrats have said they want to grind the business of government to a standstill.

the scottish national party said it will vote against the legislation that formally repealed britain's membership of the european union. and unelected members of the house of lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way. because the government's majority is so small, opponents believe our resolve will weaken and they can force us to change course. they are wrong. they underestimate our determination to get the job done. i am not prepared to let them endanger the security of millions of working people across the country. what they are doing jeopardises the work we must do to prepare for brexit at home. and it weakens the government's negotiating position in europe. if we do not hold a general election now, their political gameplaying will continue and the negotiations with the european union

will reach their most difficult stage in the run—up to the next scheduled election. division in westminster will risk our ability to make a success of brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country. we need a general election and we need one now. we have, at this moment, a one—off chance to get this done while the european union agrees its negotiating position and before the detailed talks begin. theresa may speaking in downing street this morning announcing her intention to hold a general election on thursday the 8th ofjune. that announcement coming out of the blue and provoking a lot of interest in the world of finance and business.

it was a long four—day weekend for most of the global markets, that rest is now over. an election announcement — the financial markets had a lot of catching up to do today. we didn't know what the announcement would be about and the pound fell. 0nce traders found out it was a general election the pound recovered and it recovered significantly. lots of a nalysts and it recovered significantly. lots of analysts say the big winner will be the pound. you can see against the dollar it's up at one. —— 1.2 seven. we had a fall in commodity prices pulling down oil. many companies in the ftse global, they

bank their profits in dollars and euros so a stronger pound pulls down the value of the ftse. you can see it's down 2.5% almost. let's get detailed analysis with laura lambie, senior investment director investec wealth and investment. thank you forjoining us this afternoon. how would you describe the market's reaction? quite muted. as you said in your introduction, the market was off on the back of the market was off on the back of the oils and commodities sector. also on the fact of geopolitical considerations surrounding north korea. as soon as the announcement was made, sterling began to strengthen. many of the companies who have benefited from stirling's wea kness who have benefited from stirling's weakness since brexit fell back, with the only real rise being things like marks and spencer and next, domestically orientated companies who benefit when sterling is

stronger. lots of commentators saying sterling is the big winner of the back of this decision. can sterling hold onto this strength it has gained today? we'll see volatility in sterling. 0ne has gained today? we'll see volatility in sterling. one of the reasons sterling has been buoyant todayis reasons sterling has been buoyant today is that there are thoughts from financial analysts that this negotiation will result in a soft brexit. so, a soft exit from europe. that's is on the back of opinion polls but say mrs may after an election will go back with an increased majority. not only will but give her better bargaining power within europe but will also dilutes the eurosceptic element within her party. they are pressing for a hard brexit, remember mrs may was in the remain campaign. it may be she start with a hard line but in fact this becomes softer. that is good news is

the sterling. you say it was a muted reaction on the market, were any particular sectors see some movement because of the announcement?” particular sectors see some movement because of the announcement? i think more long—term, we've discussed the retailers. in the long—term, sectors which will benefit from a soft exit from europe are things like the banks. the banks have a pan european beach and they are keen to sort out what's going to happen when we leave the union. if that is a soft brexit and they can continue to do business across the european bloc that will be good news for that sector. thank you. let's ta ke let's take a quick recap on the markets. the ftse down almost 2.5%. in the states the american indices partly pulled down because of the strength in the uk sterling. that's

pulled down the dollar. lots of markets news happening, keep up—to—date on the website. you'll get loads more information and will be back tomorrow with the other business headlines. we are going to go straight to the scene outside number 10 downing street were the prime minister's car is waiting to ta ke prime minister's car is waiting to take her to a meeting with members of the backbench 1922 take her to a meeting with members of the backbench1922 committee. this is a regular meeting we understand. but certainly not on a regular day. our political correspondent is watching and waiting for the prime minister. certainly not a regular day as she goes to this meeting with conservative backbenchers, what is she likely to be saying to them?” expect she'll be getting them ready for the general election, getting them excited. the door is just

opening now, will this be the prime minister? have you changed your mind, prime minister? another u—turn, prime minister? how many times are you going to change your mind prime minister? there she goes, in the caroff mind prime minister? there she goes, in the car off to the house of commons to address members of the backbench1922 committee. she will be getting them excited about a general election. i was at the last 1922 committee sitting outside in the corridor while theresa may addressed them just before the easter break. then, she looked relatively relaxed. she had just come through triggering article 50, sending the letter off to brussels so the formal negotiations could get started. this evening when she addresses conservative mps it will be about a very different things.

getting them ready to go out across the country and to try and get her a bigger majority when she comes back after the general election on june the 8th, injust after the general election on june the 8th, in just a matter of weeks' time. the big question that emerges from this is whether this election will give theresa may the clarity and stability she was talking about seeking when she made that statement outside downing street this morning. she said she wants to create stability, that she needs a stronger negotiating hand as she goes about the talks across brussels over the next couple of years. of course, most of the troubles she has faced in the house of commons over the issue of brexit, notjust that, on national insurance contributions for exa m ples national insurance contributions for examples as well, has come from her own backbenchers. although number 10 and the prime minister had consistently played down the prospect of any snap or early

general election, the temptation must have been so great. now we know she's plumped for it and she is going to the country onjune the 8th. thank you, larry the cat sitting on the doorstep of downing street before sauntering off. i wonder what he makes of the comings and goings today. theresa may intending to have a general election on thursday the 8th ofjune. let's get much more on that from westminster live at 5pm, coming up. today at five, we're at westminster,

where theresa may has announced plans to seek a snap general election for the 8th ofjune. in a surprising u—turn, the prime minister said divisions in parliament were putting at risk the country's ability to make a success of brexit. at this moment of enormous national significance, there should be unity here in westminster but instead there is division — the country is coming together, but westminster is not. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn said he welcomed the announcement as a chance to fight for social justice. we are going out there to put the case, to put the case about how this country could be run, how it could be different, how we could have a much fairer society that works for all, for everyone in our community. that's the case i'm putting and i'm looking forward to doing it.