16/01/2017 Look East (West)

Gove and Labour's Brexit Secretary Kier Starmer as well. Join me now on

BBC Two. Some campaigners say they're

disappointed a popular female MP is off the list of candidates

for Cambridgeshire Mayor. Should scientists be allowed

to experiment with embryos And after the trial of last week,

I'll have a fairly settled forecast for the week ahead.

One of the region's most high-profile MPs has failed

in her attempt to run for the new role of

Heidi Allen hasn't made the short list to be Conservative candidate.

Meanwhile, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has told BBC Look East

he is not in favour of even having a mayor.

Mousumi Bakshi reports on the latest devolution developments.

Felled at the first hurdle - Heidi Allen, thought by many to be

the most high-profile Conservative candidate in a five-horse race,

will not be Cambridge's first elected mayor.

Securing just four votes, the MP crashed out of the short list

process along with former leader of Peterborough City

The decision here has been met with disbelief.

It looks like the selection process for the Conservatives was done

She was the only woman in the room, basically, as far as I'm told.

So you think, well, maybe that's something to do with it.

I think it is down to Heidi Allen being someone who is not afraid

Possibly, that is why she would have made such a good mayor.

In a statement, a senior member of the Southeast

I've heard it said, pale, male and stale.

Three Tory candidates will now go forward

Steve Count, the leader of Cambridgeshire County Council.

James Palmer, who leads up East Cambridgeshire.

And district councillor Roger Harrison.

The Green Party will announce its candidate this Thursday,

while both Ukip and the Lib Dems have already made their selections.

Paul Bullen representing Ukip, with city councillor Rod Cantrill

Businessman Peter Dawe is so far the only independant

Labour has yet to select a candidate.

Its leader decidedly lukewarm at the prospect.

I'm not totally wedded to the idea of mayors that are underfunded

and given huge responsibility to deliver central

What we need is proper funding of local government.

The new mayor will take control of planning and transport budgets

But without its most recognisable candidate, will anyone notice?

to become the first elected mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Waseem Mirza has been gauging the political reaction

Well, with the elections for a Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

coming every closer, there is still fierce debate about

Following Jeremy Corbyn's comments at the weekend,

the group leader of the Liberal Democrats for Cambridehsire -

Councillor Lucy Nethsingha - said that she was in agreement

with him over the issue, felt "frustrated".

I don't think we need a Maher. I don't think there is a desire for

the post, and I think it was imposed by central Government. It is

frustrating that Jeremy Corbyn should say that at this stage, when

it might not have happened had they not been supportive earlier.

Well, Heidi Allen of course, had insisted

that she could have served as Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

and continue her job as MP for the south of the county, too.

But some were tonight critical of that insistence, and that

if followed through, both roles would have

I think that was a bit of arrogance. Quite frankly. It demeans both

roles. To be a member of Parliament, to have to give your life to it.

Has there been any reaction from Heidi Allen herself?

She said she was naturally disappointed in the outcome.

She did though say she fully respects the decision

The jury in the Helen Bailey murder trial has been told her fiance,

Ian Stewart, tried to push through the sale of her flat

The children's author went missing from her home in Royston in April.

Her body was found there three months later.

The court was told that, on Monday the 11th of April,

Helen Bailey was due to meet a solicitor to arrange the sale

But instead, Ian Stewart turned up, claiming she was unwell.

Later on, after she was reported missing, he began to push

for the sale to go through in her absence.

And even mentioned invoking a power of attorney.

The solicitor, Timothy Penn, said that, by July, Ian shows became

very anxious and not at all pleased to hear the sale couldn't go ahead.

We heard, too, from Ian Stewart's sons.

Jamie, seen here on the right, said his father suffered from ill-health

and had undergone surgery to remove a cancerous lump.

He said, he couldn't even reach a dinner tray.

We heard he told police, I don't know how my dad

I couldn't imagine him wanting to do her any harm.

The court also heard how Ian Stewart's other son, Oliver,

told police in December last year that his father told him two

men came to the house wanting Helen's paperwork.

He said, on one occasion, they punched Ian Stewart in the stomach.

He said his father had implied the men were connected

The prosecution claim Ian Stewart drugged Helen Bailey

with sleeping pills before killing her and putting her body

He denies murder, perverting the course of justice,

fraud and preventing a lawful burial.

While Jamie was giving evidence today, Ian Stewart was seen

We heard from a nurse who treated him on the 11th of April,

describing him as distant and matter of fact.

Later this week, we are expected to hear from Helen Bailey's mother,

and this trial could last another six weeks.

A Cambridge scientist says allowing embryos to be studied

beyond the legal limit of two weeks could shed light on why

But the idea of changing the law has raised ethical questions,

A human embryo, and how it develops in its very first hours.

But nearly half of fertilised eggs die even before a mother

And around 20% of pregnancies fail within seven weeks.

One of the world's leading embryologists now believes

14 days, the legal limit, could shed light on why

That's the time when three layers of cells come together

So that's the process of development that very often goes wrong.

Dee from Cambridge has two healthy sons.

But after they were born, heartbreak.

And two that were a bit later and did have an explanation for.

When you go through miscarriage, and it is very devastating,

You want to research to be done to prevent

If it is something that can be prevented by looking

in that time period, doing research, it has to be

Father Mark Langham is a Catholic chaplain.

The law shouldn't be relaxed, he says.

Experimentation on embryos shouldn't happen at all.

It is how important we attach protecting

the most vulnerable and most defenceless forms of life

We understand people's pain and hurt.

But life in all its forms, even the most defenceless

and the earliest stages of life, is precious and must be protected.

Now, at the moment, scientists only know how to keep embryos growing

So even if there was a change in the law, limits were lifted,

embryologists would have do find new techniques to

I strongly promote the opening of this debate by involving

not only scientists, but also the public

To reach a consensus for how long. Should we go beyond day 14 one day?

And if so, what should be our next time point?

That's the late news from Look East -

let's get the weather for the week ahead.

It is a fairly unsettled week of weather ahead.

Tonight, some long, clear spells, and under clear skies temperatures

We will see a frost, and with light winds,

we can't rule out some patchy fog as well.

So, tomorrow morning, some of us will have a cold start.

And then, a lot of dry weather with some sunshine.

The further north and west you are, the more likely you will hold

Even here, we can see the cloud thinning and breaking.

Temperatures struggling only up to three or four Celsius.

A chilly day and we hold onto the wind.

And also hold onto dry conditions through tomorrow evening

We could see minus four or minus five.

Wednesday, this weather front should stay to the north.

A very cold and frosty start, and then it should be

The further south you are, the more likely you are to hold

The further north, cloudier skies, with perhaps

On Thursday, that weather front steps southwards

Although there is still quite a lot of uncertainty.

But a cloudier day on Thursday, it looks like, with temperatures

And it's almost a repeat performance for Friday.

In a moment, Nick will have the national forecast,

perhaps a little milder. If you like the mild weather, you'll have to

head elsewhere in the country. Find out more in the national weather

forecast. Our weather is going against normal expectations this

week. In Highland Scotland some snow to be seen on the hills.

Temperatures as high as 12 Celsius today. Over the next few days the

coldest air is in the far south-east of England where there is sunshine

to be had. Four or five Celsius in Kent. Differences remain over the

next few days and here is why. I pressure in control of the weather.

Some clear a continental air, but coming into Scotland from the

Atlantic plenty of clouds