08/05/2014 BBC Points West

Good evening. As we have bedn hearing, the Prime Minister has

spent the day campaigning in the West Country. David Cameron visited

Chippenham and Wotton`under`Edge before heading to the outskhrts of

Bristol for an election rally. Last time, his party won three of the

South West's six seats in the European Parliament, but thd

Conservatives fear they'll lose out this time to UKIP. Our political

editor Paul Barltrop has bedn following the PM.

First stop Chippenham and a big photo opportunity. Everything was

carefully controlled ` except the weather. Hello. Thank you for coming

out in the rain. He hopes to win over Eurosceptics in both the

population at large and his own party. I won't be Prime Minhster

after the next election unldss I can be absolutely certain that there

will be an in out referendul. Location mattered ` Chippenham will

be a key battle ground in ndxt year's general election. So, too,

his next stop ` the Stroud constituency, and a tour of

engineering firm Renishaw. He wanted to focus on the country's good

economic prospects but at a question`and`answer session the

first topic was UKIP. Two words Nigel Farage. First question, how

worried are you about him and his future? Nigel Farage. Two words I

was thinking of other two words you could have said! His challenge ` to

persuade people he'll keep this referendum pledge. You have made a

pledge to hold a referendum. But you made a pledge before and broken it.

I don't accept that. I made a pledge that while we had a Lisbon Treaty,

we should have a referendum on it. By the time I became a minister it

was no longer a treaty. His day in the West ended with a rally. The

activists' mood was upbeat, but they know UKIP's advance could htrt them

in next year's general election Of course, it hurts me if people don't

vote Conservative. That is the only way in the end you can secure a

continuation of our economic plan and recovery and the only w`y that

you can secure that in out referendum on Europe. Let's fight,

and win. He left, having pepped up his troops for the final two hard

weeks of campaigning. Has Mr Cameron lifted what could be

seen as poor morale amongst his troops here? Mr Cameron was in

unflinching mood. They went down very well. Those activists will go

home feeling that they can campaign with renewed vigour. But will people

listening from outside the hall the liking what they are hearing? Sale

how real is the UKIP threats to the Tories People's vote? The area is

the heartland for the Tory party. `` for the UKIP party. So it is a real

challenge for the Conservathves At the last general election, the

Tories got three and the reckoning that they will lose what `` one of

those on the 22nd of May. Btt more important is what happens ndxt year.

In the general election, thdy need every vote that they can get. They

are where the UKIP will erode their vote.

And you can get full details for the European and local elections by

heading to the BBC News website Onto other news.

There's been a call today for an urgent parliamentary debate over the

future of the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in

Somerset. Bridgwater MP Iain Liddell`Grainger told the Commons

assurances were needed over the ?16 billion deal the government signed

with EDF. It follows warnings from legal experts that the contract

could breach EU rules on st`te subsidies. Hinkley point is

massively important to this country. It can produce a massive amount of

LH is massively important to this country. It can produce a m`ssive

amount of religious team nedded for the security of energy supplies

Could we have time to debatd this? It has to be pushed forward because

if we don't, we will have the lights going out in the future. In

response, the Leader of the Commons, Andrew Lansley, said he would raise

the issue with the Energy Sdcretary Ed Davey.

Bristol Rovers have sacked their director of football, John Ward He

joined the club for the second time as manager in 2012 but handdd over

the reins to Darrell Clarke in March. Rovers managed just two wins

in eight games after the ch`nge and were relegated from the Football

League at the weekend. And Bristol Rovers' manager Darrell

Clarke is on Twentyman Talks Back on BBC Radio Bristol tomorrow night

from 6pm. The pioneering Bristol spacd

scientist Professor Colin Phllinger has died. The 70`year`old stffered a

brain haemorrhage. Born in Kingswood, he worked for NASA and

went on to lead the attempt to land a probe on Mars. He has nevdr been

forgotten by his west country friends. We lit one of his

experimental rockets at the bottom of the garden there. It blew up

Parts of it caught collars hn the eye, hence the sky `` the scar which

he carried for the rest of his life. One of the most important events in

the world equestrian calend`r got under way in Gloucestershird today.

The Badminton Horse Trials sees horses and riders from across the

world ` including former Olxmpic champions ` competing over four

days. It also means a lot to local businesses, with over 100,000

spectators expected to bravd the testing weather conditions.

It has just been announced that Metallica will headline this year's

Glastonbury Festival. It'll be the first time the US band has played at

the event in Somerset and they'll be the only heavy metal band to have

taken top billing. Arcade Fhre and Kasabian have also been confirmed

for the three`day festival held at Worthy Farm in June.

That's it. There is more news on the BBC website. We will be back

tomorrow. Now, the weather. An improved story tomorrow. A great

deal of sunshine and for most of you, a dry day. Having said all of

that, it will be breezy and quite windy. It will remain breezx tonight

but mild. There will be somd further showers, particularly in thd Irving

`` early hours. You can see there are a few showers about tomorrow

morning. They die away. Thex will be replaced with dry weather. Ht will

continue like that with a low chance of a shower. Most areas will remain

dry, sunny. Moderate pollen count and UV levels will be quite high.

Cloud will thicken up after dark. They could be more rain overnight

into Saturday. It should be a very pleasant afternoon. Looking beyond

that, there will be further rain on the way. Quite heavy on Sattrday.

The rest of Saturday, brighter spells and heavy showers. Shmilar

story for the course of tomorrow and through

the weekend as well. The evening. Hello there. Fancy escaping the rain

this weekend? We will be looking at the weather further afield in a

moment. Another area of low pressure out here is lined up to the weekend.

There will be some sunshine in between. Overnight tonight, most of

the