Wednesday briefing: Line up for the May poll dance

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/19/wednesday-briefing-line-up-for-the-may-poll-dance

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Top story: PM seeks a blank cheque on Brexit with early election

Hello, Warren Murray here with the news you need to get started.

This wasn’t part of the plan. Theresa May has done an about-face to end them all, calling a snap election in which she will aim to crush Brexit opposition by seizing a big parliamentary majority. And it appears Jeremy Corbyn has effectively put his head on the chopping block by agreeing to the poll.

Our editorial says this is an election that Britain does not need – there is no constitutional argument for it, and the PM will take her likely victory as a blank cheque on the terms of Brexit. Polly Toynbee writes that in giving May the two-thirds majority needed to authorise the election, Corbyn is rushing to embrace Labour’s annihilation. It does appear the party’s prospects are mixed at best.

Today we are also launching The Snap, a detailed email briefing dedicated to campaign happenings. Read to the bottom for details on how to sign up …

Clinton’s grief – “Mr President, I’m sorry.” Those words to Barack Obama from Hillary Clinton record her anguish and regret at being defeated by Donald Trump.

A new book, Shattered, reveals the build-up and aftermath of the potentially history-making but ultimately failed campaign to give America its first female president. The authors recount how on election night Clinton was told by Obama “you need to concede” as the outcome became clear but her campaign balked at accepting it. Only then did Clinton ring Trump to utter the words: “Congratulations, Donald.”

Acid attack – Detectives are hunting for the boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann after an unknown but “highly acidic” substance was thrown over the crowd at the Mangle E8 nightclub in Hackney, London. Police want to speak to Arthur Collins after at least 20 people were hurt, including two left needing specialist treatment at a burns unit. Clubgoers have told of their injuries and the scenes inside. A spokeswoman for McCann – known for shows including The Only Way is Essex and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here – said she was not with Collins, or at the club, on the night.

Facebook killing – Mark Zuckerberg is doing some soul-searching, admitting “we have a lot of work to do” after a user carried out a random killing and posted the video to the social network. The suspect, Steve Stephens, shot himself dead on Tuesday morning while being chased by police for gunning down Robert Godwin, a 74-year-old man collecting cans for recycling in Cleveland.

Staying south of the border – Central American asylum seekers worried about their prospects of getting into Donald Trump’s America are stopping at Mexico instead. Applications to the Mexican refugee agency have soared 150% since Trump took office, mostly from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Over the same period, the number of families from those parts being arrested on the US-Mexico border has fallen by 93%.

Meanwhile the great American patriot had to be prodded by Melania to put his hand on his heart during the national anthem.

Singing clock – Birmingham – a city famed for its curries, culture, and soon, a clock that soothes your irritation over that late train with the sound of 1,000 dulcet voices. Turner prize-winning artist Susan Philipsz has secured the commission for a £2m installation at the city’s planned high-speed rail (HS2) station. Each hour of the day will be sung as a note of the chromatic music scale, starting low overnight and building to a crescendo at noon. The voices of local people will be recorded for the project and Philipsz admits it will sound “at times harmonious, at other times not”.

Lunchtime read: It took a village

What happens when a German town – population 100 – takes in 750 refugees? The hamlet of Sumte found out after it was designated a haven for displaced people when Angela Merkel made the landmark decision to open the border to legitimate asylum seekers. The sudden appearance of long sought after LED streetlights was one sign for the people of this Lower Saxony village that things were going to change. Then a disused office complex was pressed back in to service to house the newcomers. Ben Mauk chronicles how it has all panned out.

Sport

Real Madrid are in the Champions League semi-final for the seventh successive year thanks to a controversial hat-trick from Christiano Ronaldo, a result that left Chilean Arturo Vidal claiming “robbery” at the hands of referees. A Jamie Vardy goal was not enough to put Leicester through against Atlético Madrid, but Barney Ronay says the end was fitting: “a vigorous, full-throated Viking funeral to their gatecrashing run at Europe’s elite.”

In rugby, Wales centre Jamie Roberts is set to make the cut in the Lions squad, while in equally encouraging news for keyboard warriors, eSports could get the nod as an event at the 2022 Asian Games. On a far more serious note, British Athletics doctors will face parliamentary scrutiny over whether Mo Farah breached anti-doping regulations.

Business

The pound has continued to benefit from Theresa May’s snap election call. The Asian trading session saw sterling hold on to the gains made on Tuesday as investors calculated that her decision softened the financial risks from Brexit. It stood at $1.28 early this morning while the currency pushed up to just shy of the €1.20 mark.

Not great news for the FTSE though because with many companies reporting profits in dollars, the shift in sterling means shares were sold off on Tuesday. That trend looks set to continue today, according to futures trading.

The papers

Much thunderous praise in certain quarters of the press for Theresa May’s decision to seek a snap election. “Blue murder”, says the Sun, predicting the PM’s move will kill off Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour. The Telegraph follows the theme of colour with “Bolt from the blue” while the Mail says she will “Crush the saboteurs”, meaning that troublesome group the paper calls “Remoaners”.

“May: give me my mandate”, says the Guardian splash. The Times predicts May is headed for an “election landslide” and its election spread says she kept the cabinet in the dark. “Vote for me and I’ll deliver EU exit” says the Star alongside a pic of the PM.

The FT’s splash headline is so long they had to use “in” twice: “May calls snap election in bid to strengthen hand in Brexit talks”. The Mirror does better with “The lady IS for U-turning” after May went back on her previous stance that an early election would be bad for Britain. “Stunned Britain heads to the polls”, says the i.

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We’ll still be covering the big bits here – but because one briefing can never be enough, you really should sign up to The Snap for all the nitty-gritty as Theresa May prepares to take Britain into a rare and momentous early general election.