Death is still with him, 20 years after Princess Diana was killed. He was speaking in a bbc documentary on the London Marathon. Police say they want to speak to Arthur Collins about a suspected acid attack at an east london nightclub. Good morning from westminster, where mps are expected to give their approval this afternoon to the Prime Ministers plan for a Snap General Election injust seven weeks. Theresa may says shes going to the polls three years early to help her make a success of brexit and secure a better dealfor britain. Opposition parties have accused mrs may of a u turn, but say they wont vote against the election. This morning theresa may has denied claims of political opportunism and insisted that its in the National Interest to hold a Snap Election. Speaking on the today programme, the Prime Minister has said she is not seeking a mandate for a blank cheque on brexit. So you are committed to fighting the election without spelling anything new out at all . Nothing new about brexit, nothing new about immigration, nothing new about trade . That is what we would call seeking a blank cheque, when youre saying to me, trust me, im in control, ill get it sorted. Well, if i may, with due respect, its not seeking a blank cheque when i say to people, look what we have done already. Look what weve delivered as a government already. Look at the modern industrial strategy we are working on. Look at the policies that we have and the aims that we have in terms of a good school place for every child. Look at the changes that we are making in terms of Technical Education for young people. None of these are brexit, which is why you say you are having the election. We are having the election in order to ensure that we strengthen our position for dealing with the European Union negotiations, but ive also been clear, as i said yesterday, and im happy to say it again now, that i believe that this is the way that we can ensure we get clarity and stability into the future, and we get the strong leadership we need for the United Kingdom going beyond brexit. Understood. Weve got to get the Brexit Process right. We want to make a success of it but we also want to ensure that we have set out a plan for this country beyond brexit for a stronger Global Britain. Mrs may has also denied that she was Running Scared by refusing to take part in any televised debates with her opponents. Im constantly debating with my opponents. On television, like David Cameron did . We wont be doing the Television Debates because i actually. You wont be facing Jeremy Corbyn on any stage at any time . Ill be facing Jeremy Corbyn later today in the House Of Commons, as i faced him most wednesdays of the year in the House Of Commons. Excuse me, Prime Minister, why are you Running Scared of debating your opponents . I am not, because i believe in campaigns where politicians actually get out and about and meet the voters. Its what ive always believed in. Its what i still believe in. I still do it. The Prime Minister is a constituency mp. I still go out and knock on doors in my constituency. Thats what i believe in doing, and thats what im going to be doing around this campaign. Despite the Prime Minister talking about opponents frustrating the Brexit Process, labours shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, says its about more than that, and his party has a lot to offer the electorate. First of all, dont be deceived by the polls. They have not been accurate either in terms of the last General Election or at the referendum, indeed, even with america in the trump election. But also i think that people have underestimated Jeremy Corbyn of the way along, and we saw that at the labour leadership elections, and went. Particularly when he was able to debate head to head with alternative candidates, he was able, then, to demonstrate the sort of person he was, a decent, principled person. Now, again, iam hoping that the Prime Minister changes her mind about this issue of head to head televised debates. She is refusing at the moment but i think that would be critically important to have in this Election Campaign. Now, on that basis, i think youll find that people will see that, actually, Jeremy Corbyn is the sort of new Prime Minister that we want someone who is honest and decent and looks after the long term interests of the country, rather than this short term Party Politics that theresa mays engaged in now. The Liberal Democrats took a hammering after the last General Election after their coalition with the tories. Now tim farron believes they have a message which will appeal to voters. You cant call the labour party the main opposition when they held theresa mays hand as they let off together the hard brexit cliff edge and put our countrys future at risk, without any guarantees of what kind of deal we will get at the end of all of this. Whether you voted leave or remain lastjune, the point is, in two years time, theresa may is asking in this election now to give her a mandate to deliver any old brexit, stitched up by mandarins in whitehall and bureaucrats in brussels, that we will all have to live with for two or three generations. That is not democracy. So, if you think that there is something that can be done about changing that direction now, the Liberal Democrats offer you the opportunity to do just that. Whether you voted leave or remain lastjune, whoever you would have normally voted for, this is the moment when democracy must come back to life in this country. A one party state and a coronation in this next seven weeks will be disastrous for democracy and a disaster for britain, and only the Liberal Democrats offer you the chance for that not to happen. The snp has accused theresa may of putting her party before country. They have accused her of backtracking on the election. Nicola sturgeon is At Westminster. I dont think you will find anybody, probably in any part of the uk, who thinks it is. I was stating the fact asi thinks it is. I was stating the fact as i did in 2015 that i dont want to see a tory government. If there was parliamentary arithmetic that lent itself to keeping tories out of government, i would want to see that happen. Do i think that is likely . My happen. Do i think that is likely . My answer is not what i am looking at now. My objective in this election is not to worry about coalitions with anybody, but to making sure that the snp is in the strongest possible position to stand up strongest possible position to stand up and protect scotlands interests. 56 mp5 returned, and possibly even an extra one. You heard me say i will be fighting to win every constituency in scotland, not limiting myself to any particular number. I intend to win this election and i want to win this election and make sure every one of these colleagues behind me is returned here to continue to do the effective job they do. I am fighting to win as many seats and as many votes as possible, because that is how we protect the interests of scotland. My colleagues must get back into the chamber. Thank you. 0k, one picture. Nicola sturgeon standing next to angus robertson, leader of the snp in the House Of Commons. And a sunny day here in westminster. Before the vote ta kes day here in westminster. Before the vote takes place, we expect that to happen after Prime Ministers questions, following a 90 minute or so questions, following a 90 minute or so debate started by the Prime Minister. Former ukip donor arron banks says he is 100 standing in clacton at the General Election, against the partys former sole mp, douglas ca rswell. Mr banks says he is still consulting on whether to contest the seat as a ukip candidate. Mr carswell quit the party last month and has suggested those who voted ukip at the last General Election should back another party this time. Lets talk to our assistant Political Editor norman smith, here in the sunshine. Looking traditional in terms of where the parties are placing themselves. It is, but one thing that struck me listening to th rse listening to theresa may is how little she gave away in a 20 or 25 minute interview. I expect youll find a tightly controlled and buttons down campaign with limited access to the media. We know she has ruled out live Television Debates taking part, and says she will not do them. As Prime Minister, she has held view rask conferences and not many of the sort that david coburn did, David Camerons meet the voters debate. In terms of access by the media, theresa may feels she is in Pole Position and has a whopping lead in Opinion Polls. I surmise that she thinks she does not have to take chances and debate againstJeremy Corbyn, because they are in the driving seat. Isa driving seat. Is a decision to not take part in tv debates open her up to the accusation she is Running Scared . It does, but the decision to call for a Snap Election having previously said no, doing a complete about turn, Peacock Elation is that history is written by the victors. If she wins, a calculation. What does it matter if she doesnt take pa rt does it matter if she doesnt take part in live debates or does a u turn . Getting a sizeable victory is all that counts. And all of the rattling around it about whether she is paid to take part in debates, that will not matter. Their view is that will not matter. Their view is that they dont have to take chances and they will not. They are giving Little Information about policy, for example, nothing about the brexit deal she is trying to negotiate. Little on the Immigration Deal to seek. We are comparatively blind about policy with theresa may. Norman, you are here all day as everyday. Thank you very much and we will see you later on. Lets just have a quick look at how the election timetable is expected to unfold. In her announcement, mrs may said the government would present a motion in parliament today, asking mps to agree the request for a General Election. That takes place after Prime Ministers questions this afternoon. This vote is needed under the fixed term Parliaments Act, because the next election wasnt due to take place until 2020. 0pposition parties say they will agree to the request, so its almost certain to be carried. Parliament will probably be dissolved on may the 3rd, with the full Campaign Starting a few days later. The Prime Minister announced yesterday that polling day across the uk will be on thursdayjune the 8th. Lets talk now to the Conservative Mp james cleverly. Is this a fight you are relishing . We are all excited and we love politics and elections. This is an important election because what we have seen since the referendum result last year is a lot of game playing. A lot of uncertainty from the opposition parties. The premise is right to say, lets clear this up and have a Firm Platform to negotiate from for reforming the Public Services and british economy thatis Public Services and british economy that is so desperately needed. And is that politicians say they Love Elections when they think they will win. I wonder, Love Elections when they think they will win. Iwonder, theresa Love Elections when they think they will win. I wonder, theresa mays decision not to take part in Television Debates, is that sabina frustrates you . I was never a fan of the Television Debates, i thought they distorted the Election Campaign. In a short run up to polling day injune, i think it is right for the Party Leaders to be able to travel around the country and take the message to the country and take the message to the voters, rather than be stuck in Television Studios for two or three weeks out of a four a five week campaign. She addressed the 1922 committee yesterday. How would you address her mood and the mood of your colleagues . Very positive mood. The conservatives are in a good move. I think we feel we are in a strong position. I think we have some good arguments to take to the country and i think the labour party are in a bad place. We are up for it, i think, and that came across in the meeting. You set the labour party are in a bad place, so the tories have the criticism of opportunities and opportunism that that is what this is about. We are taking advantage of abysmal labour poll reading if we were to ta ke labour poll reading if we were to take advantage of abysmal labour poll it couldve been any time in the past two years. The significance of the timing is the Prime Minister wa nts a of the timing is the Prime Minister wants a strong hand to going to the negotiations with the future president of france and future chancellor of germany. And i think it is right she does so now. I was not expecting it but i think the argument is compelling. Thank you very much. Ramifications across the country and across the nations. Now scotland and wales and Northern Ireland, how have they been reacting . 0ur scotland correspondent, lorna gordon, is in edinburgh. We have heard from Nicola Sturgeon here. Yes, making some interesting comments down in london in the last few minutes, Nicola Sturgeon, first minister and leader of the snp, saying her party plans to fight for each and every seat in scotland. Remember, they are dominant in scottish politics, and at the last election day 156 out of the 59 constituencies in scotland. They w011 constituencies in scotland. They won 56 out of 59 seats. Those three they did not win in the last election they will have a good go at this time around. She said that if the parliamentary arithmetic was such, she would seek to be part of a progressive alliance, but does not think, she added, that labour will be in think, she added, that labour will beina think, she added, that labour will be in a position to bomb a government. You see how the narrative is going to develop Going Forward , narrative is going to develop Going Forward, with Nicola Sturgeon arguing the snp are the party that are going to be standing up for scotland. You also see that, yes, independence is going to be a big pa rt independence is going to be a big part of the campaign, Going Forward, here in scotland. She argues they already have a mandate, the snp, to hold a second Independence Referendum, and of course that is disputed by theresa may. But she also explicitly tipped her hat to that issue this morning, with the big article in the Scotsman Newspaper in scotland, saying that she argued that only a vote for the scottish conservatives would send a message against what she called the narrow, divisive politics of the snp. And she said a cup of the scottish conservatives would mean standing upfor scottish conservatives would mean standing up for the union. You see that, really, independence will be the dominant theme of the General Election here in scotland, and that is the situation here in scotland. What about in wales . Tomos morgan is in cardiff for us now. The situation in wales is at first minister carwyn jones the situation in wales is at first minister carwynjones is not positive towards this decision by theresa may, saying it was not in the