From the perspective of scotland, wales and Northern Ireland. Scotlands first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has been keen to remind theresa may of all of her previous comments on the idea of an early election. All statements that theresa may must surely now be regretting. Well, the Prime Minister says she is not regretting that, she has taken the decision reluctantly, recently, and she says in the national interest. Here, though, is more of Nicola Sturgeons alternative analysis. The question of what kind of country we wa nt the question of what kind of country we want to be is at stake in this election campaign, and whether we wa nt election campaign, and whether we want that to be a country the future of which is steered and directed by a tory party moving ever more to the right, or whether we want the people of scotla nd right, or whether we want the people of scotland to be in charge. This is an opportunity to make scotlands voice heard and make sure we have mps from scotland who will be fighting scotlands corner. The Scottish National party did very well in the last General Election. This shows the vote after the 2010 election. Orange represents the Liberal Democrats. Red is labour. Yellow for the snp. This is the 2015 election. The snp won 56 out of 59 seats in scotland. One of the issues likely to dominate as the snp campaigns this time round is its demand for a second referendum on scottish independence. Remember, Nicola Sturgeon wants it to happen before the two year Brexit Process is over. This is the analysis of the bbcs scotland editor, sarah smith. Nicola stur has said she thinks it is very opportunist of the Prime Minister to call this election, but that will not stop her campaigning as hard as she can, saying that every vote for the snp is a vote for another independence referendum. You will remember that although nicola stur says she wants another vote, and the Scottish Parliament has agreed, the Prime Minister has says there cannot be one until after the uk has left the eu. The issue of whether scotland should get to vote on independence sooner than that, that will absolutely dominate the election in scotland. If the snp do well, they can use it to bolster their argument as to why they should have a referendum. But they did so well at the last election, they cannot do better, and it is difficult to see how they can do just as well next time. If they lose any seats, their opponents will suggest this means people do not wa nt suggest this means people do not want another referendum, so it is fraught with difficulties on both sides. Bbc wales Political Editor nick servini is in cardiff. A number of political leaders in wales have given the impression that they want to get stuck into this General Election campaign. The calculation from the tories will be that there will be many people in wales who will be many people in wales who will want to give theresa may a mandate to take the uk out of the eu. Elsewhere, for wildly differing reasons, the lib dems and ukip will also both feel there are opportunities, so no shortage of enthusiasm from political leaders, i guess the question is whether it is shared among the wider welsh public. And from wales to Northern Ireland. This election comes at the most politically delicate of times. Theres currently no government in belfast. Thats because the two main parties failed to agree a new Power Sharing Arrangement after an election last month. Despite this, the new election has been welcomed. Sinn feins leader, gerry adams, took to twitter to say that he was up took to twitter to say that he was upfor took to twitter to say that he was up for it. His opponent, arlene foster, who leads the democratic unionist party, tweeted a statement. She said this was a chance for voters to vote for the union. Heres our Northern Ireland correspondent chris buckler. Stormonts parties had already mr deadlines to try to form governments, and those talks were meant to continue in the days ahead, but calling this vote probably leaves them with no chance of success leaves them with no chance of success and adds to the sense of political instability here. That is because campaigns here tend to be divisive, they tend to push the parties apart. Some commentators even called the last one nakedly sectarian. This one is unlikely to be very different. Unionists are calling this an opportunity to vote for the union, while republicans are emphasising the negative impact of brexit and calling for a referendum ona brexit and calling for a referendum on a united ireland. Meanwhile, with the Uk Parliament looking like it will dissolve very soon, there are still the very real problem of no government at stormont. Westminster as two choices, one of which are to ta ke as two choices, one of which are to take over the running of Northern Ireland, and the other is a Assembly Election going alongside the General Election. In recent years, General Elections have meant live tv debates featuring the leaders, but perhaps not this time, or perhaps not all the leaders. This is from the guardians political reporter. Tories confirm theresa may Wont Take Part in General Election tv debates. And heres the spectator magazines Political Correspondent. Next question will may be empty chaired in the debates that do take place . We will have to wait and see how the broadcasters approach that, but katy is here, obviously a calculation by the Prime Minister that she can afford to be the chaired. She is obviously decide that it is not worth their while to be in this debate, she has got very little to gain from this, whereasJeremy Corbyn, standing next to them might give them a statesman like respectability that they do not actually have. Interesting to see the other leaders lining up saying, how are you not going to show up . We had this in the 2015 election, David Cameron said he did not want to be ina cameron said he did not want to be in a seven person debates, and all the broadcasters threatened to empty chair him, but it didnt happen. I am sure the other parties would trade theresa mays polling for what they have, the tories performing very well, but being a frontrunner is not always easy in an election, is it . You can become too defensive in your campaigning. The pressure really is an may, calling this election against a previous promises, so if she only raises a majority is likely, people might ask if it was worth it. All the polls are suggesting a landslide, and it is impossible to see how many, if she only raises it by about ten of these, people would ask whether it was worth the gamble. What will her target be . What sort of majority would make the gamble worth it . |j think 50 mps is the minimum, she needs a Working Majority of 50, and i think, to be honest, a lot of mps are hoping it will be more, around 90. In terms of credibility, she said time and again that she would not do this, and now she has do you think are explanation hung together, as she put that issue to bed . She has tried to explain that she was reluctant, and it is down to the Opposition Parties frustrating brexit. I think time will tell, but the first icy on pole, we had a snap poll today, suggested that voters did understand, so that continues to be the case, she might not have problems with the gamble. In terms of practicality is, does everything stopped and all the parties going to Campaign Mode . Well, we have got until the beginning of may, but brexit has been dominating everything for months now, and i cant see the election really changing that. Thanks forjoining us, katy. Still to come well have reaction from across the uk to the announcement that there will be a General Election onjune 8th. Well, the Prime Minister hopes the country will go to the polls injust seven weeks. Theresa may will want to build on her majority of 17. Our Political Correspondent Vicki Young Looks at the numbers and where the key Battle Grounds for seats are likely to be. Theresa may says she wants certainty and stability for the uk, and for her that means a clear conservative election victory. Shes made the calculation that she can improve on her partys performance two years ago. This is the electoral map showing the results of the 2015 General Election. Most striking are the swathes of blue across england, and snp dominance in scotland. But look at the number of seats. The conservatives picked up 331, labour won 232, the snp 56, the lib dems and dup eight seats each. With other parties factored in, it left the tories with a very slim majority ofjust 12. So where will the tories try to boost their numbers . The north west and the midlands are crucial Battle Grounds, here there are numerous marginal constituencies where very few votes separate conservative and labour. At the last election, labour made little headway here, and they face a huge challenge. Certainly, theresa may is calling this election against a backdrop where she is very, very much the favourite to win and, in truth, against the backdrop where no Opposition Party has ever gone into an election in such a weak position in the opinion polls. Now, labour desperately need a revival in scotland if theyre to form the next government, but the tories and lib dems will also be hoping to prise some seats away from the snp. Fascinating too will be the south west of england, the lib dems former heartland. They were wiped out here at the last election and are hoping for a comeback, but how will their pro eu message go down in a region that voted for brexit . The Prime Minister seems to be trying to make this a brexit election. If you look at last years referendum result, you can see why remain in yellow, leave in blue. How britain voted then could have a big impact on the result injune will areas that voted remain deliver a bruising message to theresa may . General election campaigns can be unpredictable, and just two years after the last one, voters must decide again whether there will be dramatic changes to the electoral map of britain. Hello, iam ros hello, i am ros atkins with bbc outside source. Theresa may has announced that she will Ask Parliament to vote one holding a snap General Election on june parliament to vote one holding a snap General Election onjune the 8th. Lets ta ke lets take a few more minutes to get through some of the questions you have been sending in, with the help of Christian Fraser live from westminster. Before he was based in london, he was our correspondent in paris. The first question we have got is from a viewer who wants to say, will the French Election result have any impact on the uk election . Well, a lot of people will be watching that French Election, because it is highly unpredictable at the moment, four candidates at the top of the polls, and you can throw a tea towel over all four. We will be watching the first round very closely and waiting to see whether Marine Le Pen and perhaps even Jean Luc Melenchon of whether Marine Le Pen and perhaps evenJean Luc Melenchon of the far left get into the second round. People will try to draw a pattern from that. The thing is that the earthquake in british political terms as already happened with brexit, and when you look at the polls, it would have to be some reversal for theresa may not to get that majority, because i think, reading today, there is no sitting conservative Prime Minster who are sad a majority as she has had in the polls, or a lead sad a majority as she has had in the polls, ora lead in sad a majority as she has had in the polls, or a lead in the polls at the moment, since the early 1980s. It would have to be some turnaround for her not to get that majority. Another question, and we have people calling from all over the world, does the second most Popular Party even matter . Where will they fit into the new governance . The thing to say about that is that in democracies, the winner takes all, and that will be the case for theresa may. If you get a thumping big majority, she doesnt even have to think about her own backbenchers. Having said that, obviously, it is advantageous to have a good opposition, and the government has said along the way, and david davis, the brexit minister, has said along the brexit minister, has said along the way, that he wants to involve parliament in the process, so there will be consultation with the opposition, but it would be, if the conservatives win, it will be them dictating the terms. Question from a viewer in the netherlands, can we consider this election as a new referendum on brexit . Well, that is an interesting one, because i think there is going to be some tactical voting along the way. I was talking to caroline lucas, the co chair, the co leader of the green party tonight, and she was saying she would be happy to sit down with the Liberal Democrats in some constituencies, and maybe they would stand aside to give a pro remain party a clear run. You might get voters thinking the same way, so down in the south west of the country, where the lib dems lost seats in a big way in 2015, they will be looking to reverse that against the conservatives this time around, so you might get some Labour Voters saying gabo we will vote for the lib dems to force the conservatives out. It might not be a rerun of the referendum, but there will be tactical voting along brexit lines. A number of you are asking whether the new constituency changes in the uk will be put in place for this election, christian said he was pretty sure they wouldnt be. We have checked, they definitely will not be, we are on the old constituencies, nothing has changed. And a question from jim constituencies, nothing has changed. And a question fromjim in essex in the uk, any chance of other parties being upfront about a coalition to win floating voters . Lets talk about that, because a little bit earlier i saw you talking to caroline lucas, discussing just this issue. As i say, she is quite open to that idea. They are notjust necessarily talking about working strategically together in certain constituencies, and they did that at the by election in richmond park, in south west london. There were reports that the green party locally said, we dont have a chance of winning, and they stood aside, and the lib dems overturned a whopping 23,000 majority that the conservative candidate who became an independent, zac goldsmith, that he had, and the lib dems won. So it can work, that strategic sort of alliance between certain parties, but really i think the lib dems would like to be working closely with labour, and they are going to have to work closely together if indeed theresa may gets that majority. One more question from ben in london, do you think people will vote along Traditional Party lines 01 vote along Traditional Party lines or specifically on brexit . vote along Traditional Party lines or specifically on brexit . I am a northerner, so i come from the north west of the country, and in my neck of the woods, i am originally from burnley, a town that voted overwhelmingly from brexit, and im interested to see what happens, because i know brexit is important to people there, but it is a Die Hard Labourarea. To people there, but it is a Die Hard Labour area. Look to people there, but it is a Die Hard Labourarea. Look at to people there, but it is a Die Hard Labour area. Look at north wales, the north west and the north east, and there are lots of constituencies in those areas where people really want brexit to work, and yet they are torn, because they are Die Hard Labour voters. Some voters will have a real quandary this time around, and we have said before, some Labour Voters just dont wantJeremy Corbyn, and some really do. There are all sorts of Different Things people will be considering when they go to the polls, but it is more difficult for Labour Voters than the vast majority of conservative voters, who are behind theresa may and want brexit to work. Thanks very much, christian, you have been very useful, lets do it again tomorrow this is a story we will be doing a lot of detail over the coming weeks. Lets talk about the pound. This is what happened when we knew that theresa may was going to be giving an important statement but we didnt know what it was about, the pound went down. Once we knew, it rallied. Deutsche bank has been sharing its analysis of what the election may mean for the economy. It says. It will dilute the influence of mps pushing for hard brexit, strengthening the governments domestic political position and allowing earlier compromise over key eu demands for a transitional arrangement. Not everyone agrees. German economist marcel fratzscher. Dangerous gamble which may backfire, adds to economic and political uncertainties for europe. So the pound is up. But the ftse was down by more than 2 . Heres rachel horne from bbc business to explain whats happened. Ftse was down before the announcement, lots of geopolitical announcements, the French Elections, and now this added into the mix. Because sterling rose, that brings the ftse down as well, because lots of Companies Bank their profits in dollars or euros, because they are global companies, so any rise in the strength of sterling brings down the values of those profits. That has also been pulling the ftse down ever so also been pulling the ftse down ever so slightly. Overall, traders are saying that apart from that initial Knee Jerk Reaction in stirling, reaction in the market is fairly muted, they do not expect a big reaction until the results of the election come through, unless polestar to show that the conservatives wont win a majority. Im going to begin the next segment with a video that has been shared thousands of times, you may well have seen it. This isjon kay in bristol breaking the news of the new election to a woman called brenda. Youre joking, not another one . oh, for gods sake, i cant honestly. I cant stand this. Theres too much politics going on at the moment, why does she need to do it . She says this will produce clarity. It gets things out in the open, sorts things out. I thought she said that initially when she took over. No. I disagree with this entirely. Are you excited about another election . No, not another one its too much. Its great, isnt it . It means that we can get her out. Lets go further west from bristol, truro, where cornwall voted for brexit and swung heavily towards the conservatives in the last election, and here are some voters there giving their reaction. She has pulled the rubbered from the bag this time around. It all depends, quite a shrewd move, we will see. I found brexit so disheartening, and the whole process so disheartening, and the whole process so disheartening, and yeah, anything that will reverse it would be really good, but i cant see that a General Election would do that. Hopefully it will be stronger, yes, but i wish she would get on with it, just get us she would get on with it, just get us out and finish with it. I dont understand all this negotiation. Us out and finish with it. I dont understand all this Negotiationm Isa understand all this negotiationm is a complicated business. Lets shift to the Prime Ministers very safe Conservative Seat of maidenhead. Theresa may has been the mpfor maidenhead. Theresa may has been the mp for nearly 20 years, big majority, it is unthinkable that she will not win again. What do i think . Its a bit soon, isnt it . Shes onlyjust got in, hasnt she . I dont know what to make of it. Ijust heard it on the news. I was absolutely staggered. That she has called one, i cant really see the reason why. I think its a good thing, really. I do. I think after the brexit type thing, and she went straight into power, i think the people didnt have a chance to have their say. A General Election . Theyll get in again, unfortunately, because labour, who really do fight for the poor. Jeremy corbyn is a great guy, and i think hes wonderful, but hesjust not strong enough. Finally, further north, dewsbury, a large south asian community, 80 Battle Ground for labour and the conservatives. Danny savage has spent the day there. Nothings changed since the last General Election for you . No. I do think hopefully its needed to have a clearer mandate in order to go forward with brexit. Its a very brave and bold assistant to go for a General Election. Do think it will work, or could it backfire . Here, not such a big gamble, but across the country it is more of a gamble. Its the first General Election since ive turned 18, and a lot of my friends are really excited to vote, but ive got no idea which way im going to vote so im going to have to do some research. Before we wrap up the programme, a question from a lot of you, is there a possibility that brexit will be cancelled depending on how this Election Result goes . We can never say never, especially after the last couple of years, but i must say that is very, very unlikely. Labour and the conservatives have dominated uk politics for a long time. Assuming they become the two biggest parties, well, we know theresa may supports brexit, she is making the case, but Jeremy Corbyn too is interested in talking about the nature of brexit, not reversing it. This is very much about the form it takes, not about whether it happens or not. Thank you very much indeed for watching, we will have much more tomorrow, im sure. Until then, bye bye. After a fairly chilly is there weekend, most of us woke up to sunshine on tuesday morning, but it was cold, particularly across scotland, temperatures in the glens down to minus 6 degrees. Tuesday into wednesday, it is the south where we will see the lowest temperatures overnight. This is the Satellite Picture from earlier, clearer skies in the south, temperatures dipping away during the early hours, whereas in the north, with a weak weather front, more cloud, not so cold. In city centres, not that cold, 5 6 , but in rural areas, and even some suburban areas, temperatures close to freezing, perhaps as low as minus four degrees. The morning is starting beautifully across the south, really lovely weather, feeling quite fresh, 56 lovely weather, feeling quite fresh, 5 6 degrees, sun quite strong, not feeling that cold, frost only around before dawn, i think. Further north, the thick of the cloud is, in fact even some spots of rain around in one 01 even some spots of rain around in one or two places, but really very light, feeling milder here, 8 9. Through the course of the day, some of this Cloud Willjust through the course of the day, some of this cloud will just further south, so perhaps throughout wales, most of Northern England and the midlands, clouding over, but even here the cloud will break. The best of the weather across the south, the south east, and also Eastern Parts of scotla nd south east, and also Eastern Parts of scotland are in for some sunshine. Thursday, High Pressure across southern sunshine. Thursday, High Pressure across southern areas sunshine. Thursday, High Pressure across southern areas of the uk, Weather Fronts towards the north, perhaps spots of rain around in the far north of scotland, may be affecting the Western Isles as well. For most of us, a bright sort of day, a lot of cloud fairly thin, hazy skies for most of us, 15 and london, 15 across Eastern Parts of scotland. A subtle change on the way towards the end of the week, this cold front will be sluggishly moving across the uk and introducing fresh air, cold airfrom the north. So ahead of it, temporarily, depending on the sunshine, we could get up to 17 and london, where as in the north the fresh air will be losing down. Through friday night, and think of this line, the cold here, warmer further south, that is the cold front moving through on friday night. Once again, towards the weekend, some fresher north westerly winds. But with High Pressure close by. Winds. But with High Pressure close by, we are not going to get much rain, thicker cloud at times, if few spots of rain. Not great news for gardeners, we have not seen an awful lot of rain for quite some time. High pressure to the west of our neighbourhood, we keep the north westerly winds through saturday and most of the weekend. Now, here is the weekend as dramatic once again, High Pressure here, low pressure there, and the air is almost in a corkscrew between the two, pushed through further south, so two, pushed through further south, so cold air getting into europe as well. Also, what we are forecasting isa well. Also, what we are forecasting is a jet stream out of the north west. Noticed these ripples in the jet stream, an north west. Noticed these ripples in thejet stream, an indication north west. Noticed these ripples in the jet stream, an indication that there will be little low pressure area is moving to the north of us, perhaps bringing outbreaks of rain. Any rain that we get will be from the north, and that doesnt often bring an awful lot of rain, so mostly dry, it will be further north, and it is going to stay on the cool side. Bye bye. I have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet where we agreed that the government should call a General Election to be held on 8thjune. The surprise decision to go the polls in seven weeks time was apparently made over the easter weekend and the Prime Minister claims its all about unity and stability. 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 announcement stunned westminster but the Opposition Parties say they now welcome the chance to appeal to voters. Were going out there to put the case for how this country could be run, how it could be different, how we could have a much Fairer Society that works for all