April 17 and 18, 2017


News and Views


WELCOME TO TRUMPLAND, 2017, THREE ARTICLES:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-jones-infowars-defends-himself-amid-custody-battle/
By ANNA WERNER CBS NEWS April 18, 2017, 8:12 PM
Conservative radio host Alex Jones defends himself amid custody battle

A lawyer for an influential right wing conspiracy theorist made a startling claim in court recently during a child custody case: He said the radio rants of Alex Jones are just an act.

Among Jones’ outrageous claims? That the terrorist attacks on 9/11 was an “inside job.”

“The whole thing is a black hole of lies,” he said on his radio show in March of last year. In 2014 he called the Newtown massacre -- where Adam Lanza killed 20 children -- “fake.”

Conservative radio host Alex Jones fights to keep custody of children

“The official story of Sandy Hook has more holes in it than Swiss cheese,” Jones said in a November broadcast.

Yet his radio and “Infowars” Internet videos have drawn millions of fans, including a certain New Yorker.

“And on my way here Donald Trump gave me a call,” Jones said.

“Your reputation is amazing,” then-candidate Donald Trump said in December 2015. “I will not let you down. You will be very very impressed, I hope.”

Conservative radio host Alex Jones in custody fight
Play VIDEO
Conservative radio host Alex Jones in custody fight

Not only that, President Trump has echoed some of Jones’ claims, says New York Times media writer Jim Rutenberg.

“When President Trump said that the mainstream press is covering up terrorist attacks to cover up for Islamists, that was directly out of Alex Jones. When President-elect Trump raised the possibility that some 3 million people voted illegally, that had been on ‘Infowars.’”

But now his own lawyer suggests Jones shouldn’t be taken at his word.

His comments came during Jones’ custody battle over his kids, according to one report, his attorney Randall Wilhite said that Jones is “playing a character” on his radio show -- that he’s actually “a performance artist.”

Newtown leaders call on Trump to denounce Sandy Hook conspiracies

Today, Jones defended himself this way: “I am an actor, we’re all actors, but I believe in what I stand for.”

But Rutenberg says questions about Jones could raise some for Mr. Trump, too.

“We have never seen a president embrace a conspiracy theorist like Alex Jones before, let alone talk to him on the phone or mimic some of the reporting from said conspiracy theorist,” he says.

CBS News reached out to Jones for comment but his lawyer told us they are prevented from speaking by a gag order in the custody case.



“I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN?” SEE THE ALEX JONES ARTICLE AND VIDEO BELOW.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/newtown-leaders-call-on-trump-to-denounce-sandy-hook-conspiracies/
AP April 18, 2017, 5:22 PM
Newtown leaders call on Trump to denounce Sandy Hook conspiracies

Photograph -- In this March 31, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with the National Association of Manufacturers in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. AP

Members of the Newtown Board of Education hoped a newly elected President Donald Trump would speak out against a famous conspiracy theorist and others who question the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Two months later, they have yet to receive a response.

The school board sent a one-page letter in February, asking Trump to denounce the lies because the comments of those who deny what happened are still hurting the community, said Keith Alexander, board chairman.

The letter singled out Alex Jones, a radio host whose “Infowars” programming has alleged the massacre was a hoax. As a candidate, Trump voiced admiration for Jones during a December 2015 interview, telling Jones: “Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down.”

The school board wrote to Trump: “We are asking you to intervene to try to stop Jones and other hoaxers like him,” urging him to “clearly and unequivocally” recognize that 20 children and six adults were killed at the school more than four years ago.

In response to questions from The Associated Press about the school board’s letter, the White House said: “President Trump has been quite clear that we, as a nation, are united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.”

Messages were left seeking comment with Jones through the Infowars website and the radio network that produces his show.

What we learned about grief from Sandy Hook parents
Play VIDEO
What we learned about grief from Sandy Hook parents

Alexander said the school board had not heard back from Trump as of this week.

“I do hope that we will receive a direct response at some point,” he said.

In the days following the mass shooting, Trump used Twitter to express condolences to the Newtown families, saying it was “heartbreaking “ to see the photos of the young Sandy Hook victims and saying “it was a horrible day for Newtown, CT and our country.”

Since the shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, several victims’ relatives have been accosted or harassed by conspiracy theorists, including some who say it was staged to erode support for gun rights.

The question of how to address conspiracy theorists has been a sensitive one in Newtown. Many don’t want to talk about it publicly, fearing it will stir up more provocations. One parent whose child was killed at Sandy Hook, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of the fear of harassment, said many victims’ families opposed the letter being sent to Trump for that reason.

Leonard Pozner, whose 6-year-old son Noah was killed in the shooting, once had a caller leave a voicemail message telling him: “You gonna die, death is coming to you real soon.” A Florida woman has been criminally charged in connection with voicemail and email threats to Pozner.

A man accused of approaching the sister of slain Sandy Hook teacher Victoria Soto and angrily claiming the massacre hadn’t happened was sentenced a year ago to two years of probation. A Newtown teacher told a court in September that he had brought a weapon to school because he feared for his safety after receiving threats from conspiracy theorists.

Pozner said he doubts the school board’s appeal to Trump will do much to sway anybody who believes the shooting that killed his son was some kind of hoax.

“I don’t think the president can do anything about this conspiracy theory, even if he wanted to,” Pozner said. “The origin of conspiracy theories is a mistrust of government.”

While he believes there is little any government official can do, Pozner has been working since 2015 to keep conspiracy theories from gaining such prominence on the internet. His HONR Network encourages the public to contact advertisers on Google and social networks to raise awareness of how ad revenue is being used to support false news.

Alexander said the school board sent the letter in hope that it would help.

“The town of Newtown suffered a tragedy that brought with it more than its own direct consequences and the comments of those who deny the events only further harm our community,” he said. “I believe the board of education action was intended to limit further harm from that behavior.”



http://www.snopes.com/2017/04/17/alex-jones-performance-artist/
Alex Jones’ Attorney Calls Him ‘Performance Artist’ in Child Custody Case
The Infowars host's ex-wife said his remarks about California Rep. Adam Schiff show he's "not a stable person."
By Arturo Garcia Apr 18th, 2017

An attorney for right-wing radio host Alex Jones plans to argue in a custody case that the Infowars founder and host’s on-air demeanor should not be used to determine his fitness as a parent.

Randall Wilhite said of his client during an April 2017 pre-trial hearing: “He’s playing a character. He is a performance artist.”

But in a video filmed in his car on 18 April 2017, Jones appeared to reference Wilhite’s argument, saying, “We’re all actors, but I believe in what I stand for. I’m not an actor as my main identity.”

He also argued that he was never a “right-wing extremist,” saying:

I’m a thinker, I’m an open person, I am who I am. I do have a Texas accent … and I’m not talking about myself, but because they have to attack who I am everywhere and they have to misrepresent who I am and what I stand for and take everything out of context like [the movie] “A Face In The Crowd” like [Andy Griffith] does at the end of the movie where he goes: “Ha, I don’t like any of you, I’m not really real”, all this stuff. That’s not who I am. I am completely real, and everybody knows it. But the media’s so deceptive they’ll take that clip where I said “I’m not really real” and then say I said I wasn’t real.

Shortly after the video was posted, District Judge Orlinda Naranjo said that Jones was under a gag order when informed about a separate video. If Jones published the video on 16 or 17 April 2017, the judge said, she would “address it” as a violation of that order.

The video has a publishing date of 17 April 2017, and also shows Jones holding up a printout of an article published on the same day:

Jones’s ex-wife, Kelly Jones, is seeking sole custody of the couple’s three children. She said she was worried because the children are present at his home during his broadcasts:

He’s not a stable person. He says he wants to break Alec Baldwin’s neck. He wants J-Lo to get raped. I’m concerned that he is engaged in felonious behavior, threatening a member of Congress.

Her remark referred to the host’s use of an anti-gay slur against Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California) in a 30 March 2017 video. In addition to that slur, Jones also issued a threat to Schiff, saying: “I’ll beat your goddamn ass, you son of a bitch.” A week later, Jones said that the statements were “clearly tongue-in-cheek and basically art performance.”

On 13 March 2017, Jones accused Alec Baldwin of trying to “defame” him and President Donald Trump in a Saturday Night Live sketch and challenged him to a boxing match, saying:

I’ll do it right now. I’ll get in the ring with you and I will break your jaw, I will knock your teeth out, I will break your nose, and I will break your neck. You coward, you think you’re tough guy, messing with little cameramen people.

A day later, he posted a follow-up video billed as an apology, which in reality was another commentary accusing Baldwin and the sketch comedy show of spreading lies about him and Trump. He said:

I’m a human. I’m actually trying to get freedom in this country. I’m trying to actually promote jobs. I’m actually trying to promote a future. I’m not a globalist eugenicist that wants a post-industrialist world. I’m for real. InfoWars is for real.

Jones, who supported Trump’s campaign for the presidency, has also claimed that the December 2012 mass shooting attack against Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut was staged. The school board in Newtown, where the school is located, sent Trump a letter in February 2017 asking him to denounce Jones for the allegation. As of 7 April 2017, the president had yet to respond.

Jury selection in the Jones custody case began on 17 April 2017. Naranjo told attorneys for both parties:

This case is not about InfoWars, and I don’t want it to be about InfoWars. I am in control of this court, not your clients.


http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/91665912/altright-conspiracy-theorist-and-infowars-host-alex-jones-disputes-persona-in-custody-dispute
Alt-right conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones disputes persona in custody dispute
Last updated 15:24, April 18 2017

The right-wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is a performance artist whose true personality is nothing like his on-air persona, according to a lawyer defending the Infowars broadcaster in a child custody battle.

Attorney Randall Wilhite said at a pretrial hearing in Austin last week that evaluating Jones based on his on-air comments is like judging Jack Nicholson based on his role as the Joker in Batman.

But Kelly Jones described her ex-husband as "not a stable person," according to the Austin American-Statesman. She said he is threatening toward others, noting homophobic comments he's made about Democratic US Rep Adam Schiff and a challenge to fight actor Alec Baldwin. He broadcasts from home, she said, and that exposes their children to his incendiary behaviour.

Alex Jones "performing" the role of angry newscaster</b> on his YouTube show.
ALEX JONES
Alex Jones "performing" the role of angry newscaster on his YouTube show.

Jury selection in the case in which Kelly Jones is seeking sole or joint custody of the children, ages 14, 12 and 9, began on Monday.

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Alex Jones began on public access television in Austin and his Infowars programming on radio, YouTube and other platforms draws millions of listeners.

CAPTION: ALEX JONES, Infowars has become a popular right-wing opinion-lead show.

Infowars.com, for instance, had 7.6 million global unique visitors from March 16 to April 14, according to Quantcast, which measures web audiences. Quantcast ranked Infowars.com 387th among all U.S. websites, not far behind Texas.gov, MLB.com and PBS.org.

Infowars.com has alleged that the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting was a hoax and that the September 11, 2001, terror attacks involved the federal government.

The Alex Jones YouTube channel has more than 2 million subscribers and more than 1.2 billion video views.

He drew praise from Donald Trump when Trump was a candidate for the White House, telling Jones in December 2015: "Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down.''

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But the judge overseeing the custody case, state District Judge Orlinda Naranjo, told lawyers last week that the focus of the trial must be on the Jones children.

"This case is not about Infowars and I don't want it to be about Infowars,'' she said.

Jones pays $43,000 a month to Kelly Jones, whom he divorced in 2015, the newspaper reported.

- AP






http://www.cbsnews.com/news/information-wanted-freed-slaves-heartbreaking-ads-tell-personal-stories-of-slavery/
By VLADIMIR DUTHIERS CBS NEWS April 18, 2017, 7:33 PM
"Information Wanted": Freed slaves' heartbreaking ads tell personal stories of slavery


PHILADELPHIA -- Margaret Jerrido is the archivist at Philadelphia’s Bethel AME church, where stored away in boxes are historical gems.

They’re called Information Wanted ads. They were written by newly freed slaves looking for lost family members who were sold or ran away.

d2-duthiers-slave-ads-0418-transfer.jpg
Margaret Jerrido CBS NEWS
“I didn’t even know they were there,” Jerrido said. “I just said to myself ‘oh my God, it’s just a hidden treasure.’”

Villanova University history professor Judy Geisberg came looking for them as part of a research project last August.

“I think there are so few opportunities for us to hear enslaved people describe their lives,” Geisberg said. “Every one of these ads tells a life story.”

In one a daughter writes “My mother was sold from me when I could but crawl.” A sister says her brothers “escaped by Underground Railroad.” About his son, a father says “When about fourteen he was sold” and his daughter “Leah, was sold at the same time.”

underground-railroad.jpg
VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY/"INFORMATION WANTED"
“They’ve been trying to in their minds remember what their daughter looked like or their son looked like and then at that moment they write it all down in that short three or four lines,” Geisberg said.

GALLERY: Read more Information Wanted ads
They’ve cataloged a thousand so far from the archived microfilm of The Christian Recorder and five other newspapers.

A few ads hint at success, like one from 1880 which says “I have found Henry and Mary ... We all belonged to William Hightower.”

hightower-found.jpg
VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY/"INFORMATION WANTED"
“Tears came to my eyes when I read some of these … It’s just unimaginable,” Jerrido said.

d2-duthiers-slave-ads-0418-transfer2.jpg
Prof. Judy Geisberg CBS NEWS
Both Jerrido and Geisberg say they hope the ads fill in the historic hole after Emancipation.

“I think they’re really important for people, you know, to understand how people survived an institution like slavery, and then how they carry on afterward,” Geisberg said.

Evidence that after freedom, family was never forgotten.



WILL WE HAVE CHURCHES BECOMING WALLED CITIES SOON? PROBABLY NOT, BUT THIS SOUNDS AS “INAPPROPRIATE” TO ME AS ANIMAL SACRIFICE IN A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. THERE WOULD BE NO CIVIL COURT FOR COMPLAINTS. WHAT PENALTIES COULD THEY PLACE ON INDIVIDUALS?

IF THEY’RE WORRIED ABOUT VIOLENT CRIME AS THEY SEEM TO BE, TWO (HOPEFULLY UNARMED) OFFICERS WOULDN’T BE LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE PROBLEM. EVEN IF THERE ARE VIOLENT INCIDENTS, USUALLY BY OUTSIDERS, POLICE FROM THE NEAREST TOWN WOULD BE MUCH MORE IN LINE WITH “THE SPIRIT” OF THE LAW AND CONSTITUTION.

WHAT ACTIONS WOULD THEY PROPOSE THAT THEIR OFFICERS BE ALLOWED TO DO? CARRY AUTOMATIC WEAPONS AND SHOOT TO KILL? I TRULY HOPE NOT. THE VATICAN HAS ITS’ OWN GUARD FORCE. I WONDER HOW THEY HANDLE IT? THE ARTICLE DOES SAY THERE WOULD BE NO JAIL, BUT DOESN’T SAY MUCH ELSE ABOUT WHAT OFFICERS WOULD DO AND HOW THEY WOULD DO IT, AND WHAT SORT OF “LAW” WOULD GOVERN THE SITUATION. PLUS, AS THE ACLU REPRESENTATIVE SAID, IT SETS UP ONE PARTICULAR CHURCH WITH PRIORITY OVER OTHERS.

PERSONALLY, I FEEL THAT IN ORDER FOR A CHURCH TO BE A PLACE OF WORSHIP, IT NEEDS TO BE SMALLER AND MORE RESTRICTED TO SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES, RATHER THAN “A COMMUNITY” OF 8,000. OF COURSE, CATHOLIC CHURCHES HAVE MONASTERIES AND CONVENTS WHICH HAVE MORE POWER AND AUTONOMY THAN A SMALL CHURCH. MAYBE IT’S JUST MY AGE, BUT FOR ME, IT’S TOO MUCH LIKE THE IDEA OF ROBOTS DOING ALL THE WORK IN A FACTORY. THERE’S GETTING TO BE NO ROOM FOR INDIVIDUAL HUMANS ANYMORE. WE SHOULDN’T HAVE COME TO THIS PLACE, IN MY VIEW. THE NATIONAL CATHEDRAL IN WASHINGTON DC’S 18 MEMBER POLICE FORCE IS CITED AS A PRECEDENT. I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED IF THE HUGE MORMON TABERNACLE IN WASHINGTON DC ALSO HAS POLICE.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/briarwood-presbyterian-alabama-megachurch-police-force-bill/
By DAVID BEGNAUD CBS NEWS April 18, 2017, 7:59 PM
Attorney defends Ala. megachurch's proposal for own police force

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A bill that would allow a church to form its own police force is working its way through Alabama’s state legislature.

In the buckle of the Bible Belt, Briarwood Presbyterian is a small community, a daycare center, a seminary and a school, grades K-12. It’s a mega church serving 8,000 people a day.

170418-en-begnaud-greg-garrison.jpg
Greg Garrison CBS EVENING NEWS
Greg Garrison covers religion in Alabama for AL.com and spoke with CBS News.

“The conservative Christian churches have a lot of power in Alabama politics,” Garrison said. “If Briarwood Presbyterian Church says we need a police department, I think a lot of people will say, ‘sure.’”

A shooting this past weekend injured five teenagers and a baby at another church 15 miles north of Briarwood. In a statement, Briarwood pointed to recent mass shootings at churches and schools to reinforce their need. “The sole purpose of this proposed legislation is to provide a safe environment for the church, its members, students and guests,” the statement said.

The bill would authorize Briarwood to establish its own independent police force. Attorney and Briarwood church member Eric Johnston helped draft it.

170418-en-begnaud-eric-johnston.jpg
Eric Johnston CBS EVENING NEWS

“We know that things have happened in other places, and we want to provide a secure environment for the visitors and the members that come to Briarwood,” Johnston told CBS News.

“We do hire off duty cops and they do fill in here and there … but it’s inconsistent, it’s different people,” he said.

Randall Marshall is with the Alabama branch of the ACLU, which is prepared to sue if the bill becomes law.

“It’s a problem because it violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” Marshall said. “It establishes a singular religion that is favored above all others in the state of Alabama and it gives them the authority of state government.”

170418-en-begnaud-randall-marshall.jpg
Randall Marshall CBS EVENING NEWS

But if it does pass, no other church in the state would have what Briarwood anticipates will be at least a two-person department all its own.

Johnston asked a number of churches if they cared to be a part of this proposal and he said they refused.

Some of the restrictions of the church’s police force would include: no jail, police activity would be limited to church property, officers would answer to the church and if you had a complaint, you’d have to complain it to the church.

Church officials question why anyone would oppose this as one person told CBS News: “What’s all the fuss about?”

170418-en-begnaud-church-police-force-proposal.jpg
Briarwood Presbyterian seeks to establish its own independent police force. CBS EVENING NEWS

It wouldn’t be the first church with a police force. The Washington National Cathedral has 18 officers on staff and observers expect Alabama state representatives to approve Briarwood’s request.

A similar measure passed both houses of the legislature in 2015, but the governor didn’t sign it. Now, there’s a new governor. If the bill passes the house, her office says her staff will advise her on whether or not it’s prudent to sign the bill into law.



"HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN THE FUTURE?" THE SIGNS ARE ALREADY OCCURRING, BUT LAMBORN’S “PLEDGED” TO OPPOSE FEDERAL SUPPORT TO THE KOCH BROTHERS. LAWMAKERS’ OPINIONS SHOULD BE MADE AT THE TIME LEGISLATION IS PRESENTED AND NOT MONTHS, YEARS IN THE FUTURE. I GUESS THAT’S WHAT BEING “BOUGHT” MEANS, THOUGH.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/04/watch-young-girl-invite-republican-congressman-her-science-class
Badass Little Girl Confronts Climate-Denying Congressman With Brilliant Question
And then invited him to her science class.
REBECCA LEBER
APR. 14, 2017 1:39 PM

Photograph – No caption, but it speaks for itself -- Getty Images/ DNY59

Voters aren't letting their representatives get away with climate change denial, especially at their town halls this week. Even those too young to vote are getting in on the action, like at a Wednesday town hall in Colorado Springs, where one girl confronted her congressman.

"You don't want to pursue renewable energy, but please reconsider," the girl, who identified herself as Haven, said. Haven made her thorough case for solar and wind, noting that these fast-growing jobs were a retraining opportunity for veterans, while reliance on coal, which has the downside of making people sick, is declining. She concluded with an invitation to Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) to join her science class next Friday, receiving cheers and applause from the 110 people in attendance. The class will include a presentation on climate change, she added.

In the past, Lamborn has rejected the scientific consensus on climate change and opposed legislation to address the problem. In 2013, according to The Mountain Mail, Lamborn said there are "a lot of contentious facts and claims about global warming and whether it is man made," adding there is "not much unanimity." He's pledged to the Koch-funded conservative political advocacy organization Americans for Prosperity to oppose any climate legislation that leads to more government revenue and, in 2014, argued that the federal government should not issue regulations for the domestic energy industry "designed to curb the possibility of climate change hundreds of years in the future."

The House Natural Resources Committee member only addressed the first part of Haven's comment, which focused on supporting renewable-energy jobs for veterans. He told Haven he supported all kinds of jobs and believed "in an all-the-above energy policy," including hydrocarbons, nuclear, hydropower, and solar. His answer prompted another woman to shout, "How can you sit here and lie to us? You're lying to us."

Go To Website and Watch the encounter below (Video):

In response to Mother Jones, Lamborn's spokesperson, Jarred Rego, declined Haven's offer. "Congressman Lamborn will be out of town next week and unable to attend," he wrote in an email. "However, he really appreciated Haven's question and her involvement in our civic process."



http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/british-prime-minister-theresa-may-calls-snap-election-n747681?cid=eml_nbn_20170418
APR 18 2017, 7:41 AM ET
British Prime Minister Theresa May Calls for Snap Election
by ALEXANDER SMITH

LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May stunned her country Tuesday by calling for a snap general election to be held in less than two months' time.

Her announcement caps a bruising year for the United Kingdom, coming only 10 months after the country's "Brexit" vote to leave the European Union that ushered in May's own leadership.

"I have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion ... that the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election and to seek your support for the decisions I must take," she said, apparently a reference to her repeatedly ruling out the possibility of such a vote.

Image: Theresa May makes the surprise announcement outside 10 Downing Street, central London.
Theresa May makes the surprise announcement outside 10 Downing Street, central London. James Gourley / REX / Shutterstock

Moving forward the vote from its scheduled date in 2020 will require parliamentary approval — something that appeared likely given the immediate backing of several opposition leaders.

At a hastily arranged press conference outside Number 10 Downing Street, May accused opposition political parties of trying to hinder the Brexit negotiations. She said she wanted to increase her political mandate to drive through the two-year divorce from the E.U.

May's right-of-center Conservative Party rule by a slim majority of lawmakers in the British parliament but currently enjoy a years-high lead of 21-points over the left-wing opposition Labour Party.

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With the PM calling a general election for 8 June, here's YouGov's most recent voting intention
Con - 44%
Lab - 23%
LD - 12%
UKIP - 10%
6:10 AM - 18 Apr 2017
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"Our opponents believe that because the government's majority is so small that our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change course. They are wrong," she said. "They underestimate our determination to get the job done and I'm not prepared to let them endanger the security of millions of working people across the country.

She accused opposition parties of "political game-playing" that will "risk our ability to make a success of Brexit" and "cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country."

She added: "So we need a general election and we need one now. Because we have at this moment a one-off chance to get this done," referring to the Brexit negotiations.

May backed the campaign to remain in the E.U. — the losing side — but has vowed to honor the popular vote and lead the U.K. through two tough years of negotiations to exit the 28-member trading bloc.

Image: Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn prepares to speak at a rally in London last August. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP - Getty Images

Labour is led by anti-establishment socialist Jeremy Corbyn, who has drummed up record membership among core supporters but is accused of not engaging with the wider population or providing a strong opposition to the government.

While Corbyn was also pro-Remain he was criticized for his lukewarm backing during the referendum.

Corbyn said he welcomed May's decision to "give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first."

"Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS," he added, referring to the U.K.'s huge National Health Service.

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