:00:11. > :00:14.So it could be the fourth election in four years
:00:15. > :00:19.And, as the Copeland by-election in Februray proved,
:00:20. > :00:21.previously safe Labour seats are not safe any more.
:00:22. > :00:24.Could the Conservatives make further gains
:00:25. > :00:29.Already, one Labour MP - Tom Blenkinsop - has refused
:00:30. > :00:33.to stand again while Jeremy Corbyn remains party leader.
:00:34. > :00:36.Our correspondent, Mark Denten, is in Mr Blenkinsop's constituency
:00:37. > :00:44.of Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.
:00:45. > :00:53.This is Guisborough, and the Priory is behind me. A historical landmark
:00:54. > :01:00.of this particular area. A bid of more recent history here, Tom
:01:01. > :01:07.Blenkinsop, the local MP here has said he will not fight the election
:01:08. > :01:16.which was announced today. He will not fight it because he has
:01:17. > :01:21.irreconcilable differences with the Corbin leadership of the Labour
:01:22. > :01:24.Party. -- with Jeremy Corbyn's dealership.
:01:25. > :01:40.Mr Blank and SOP was not available for interview today. The Labour MP
:01:41. > :01:43.for Middlesbrough wished Tom Blenkinsop well, but said this was
:01:44. > :01:45.about wider issues. Policies subsist long after any
:01:46. > :01:47.individuals, in any event, so we are about the collective
:01:48. > :01:49.and saying, and that is what we are putting
:01:50. > :01:52.to the British people. And they think they'll find
:01:53. > :01:55.a man with Jeremy Corbyn He is consistent, he is honest,
:01:56. > :02:10.he's decent, and he is principled. So what do Tom Blenkinsop's
:02:11. > :02:12.constituents think of his decision today? We got their reaction.
:02:13. > :02:15.He's been an excellent MP for this area.
:02:16. > :02:17.I can understand why he's going to do that,
:02:18. > :02:19.and I think a lot more will do the same.
:02:20. > :02:21.I think that's where the problems will be.
:02:22. > :02:24.I think it might swing to Conservative, possibly.
:02:25. > :02:38.One thing that unites all other parties in every constituency is
:02:39. > :02:42.they were all thinking they had three years before the next
:02:43. > :02:44.election. As of tomorrow, they will have 50 days.
:02:45. > :02:45.Theresa May's snap General Election follows
:02:46. > :02:49.the 2014 Scottish Referendum, the 2015 General Election
:02:50. > :02:54.The politicians certainly haven't lost their appetite for elections,
:02:55. > :02:59.Gerry Jackson sent this report from Whitehaven,
:03:00. > :03:01.where the Conservatives tasted by-election success
:03:02. > :03:06.It isn't yet eight weeks since the Conservative candidate,
:03:07. > :03:11.Trudy Harrison, came here and turned a 2,500-vote Labour majority
:03:12. > :03:15.into a 2,000-vote Tory by-election triumph.
:03:16. > :03:18.Theresa May had been here during the by-election campaign,
:03:19. > :03:23.and she was back hours after the result was announced.
:03:24. > :03:28.I'm absolutely delighted to be able to be here with the new member
:03:29. > :03:35.of Parliament for Copeland, Trudy Harrison.
:03:36. > :03:38.This is an astounding victory for the Conservative party,
:03:39. > :03:46.So, 3.5 months after they turned out here,
:03:47. > :03:48.the voters are being asked to do it all again.
:03:49. > :03:53.Do they think now is the right time for a general election?
:03:54. > :03:57.I think the Prime Minister has got better things
:03:58. > :04:00.Concentrate on getting us out of Europe.
:04:01. > :04:04.Well, in some ways, I'm probably quite happy
:04:05. > :04:08.At least it might give us some opposition afterwards!
:04:09. > :04:16.If they're going to do one, we will go down and vote.
:04:17. > :04:19.But I'd be in a quandary over who I'm going to vote for.
:04:20. > :04:22.I work for the NHS, and that says it all, doesn't it?
:04:23. > :04:28.So how much might voter fatigue be an issue here?
:04:29. > :04:31.Well, the new MP, Trudy Harrison, said she was looking forward
:04:32. > :04:33.to campaigning again and that her party was making
:04:34. > :04:37.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he'd take the Labour message
:04:38. > :04:40.and we know the NHS has been an issue here.
:04:41. > :04:43.Maybe the Lib Dems and Ukip will fancy their chances
:04:44. > :04:47.As journalists here in Whitehaven are fond of saying,
:04:48. > :04:54.we could be sailing into uncharted waters this June.
:04:55. > :04:57.Both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have seats in South East England,
:04:58. > :04:59.but Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron
:05:00. > :05:05.Jeff Brown spoke to the Cumbrian MP and asked if he was relishing
:05:06. > :05:09.the opportunity to hit the election trail
:05:10. > :05:13.in a region where, he says, Labour is vulnerable.
:05:14. > :05:15.Well, it's a fantastic opportunity for the British people to change
:05:16. > :05:18.the direction of our country, and that especially applies
:05:19. > :05:21.for those of us in the north-east and Cumbria, who have the chance
:05:22. > :05:24.to say now that whatever we think about the result
:05:25. > :05:27.of the referendum last June, a hard Brexit that takes us out
:05:28. > :05:30.of the single market is very wrong for our country.
:05:31. > :05:32.Only the Liberal Democrats are saying that,
:05:33. > :05:38.More broadly, Great Britain needs a strong and decent opposition.
:05:39. > :05:40.It seems that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn have decided
:05:41. > :05:43.that not only do they not want to be an alternative government,
:05:44. > :05:46.seriously, they also don't want to be a serious opposition.
:05:47. > :05:50.Britain desperately needs a strong and serious, decent opposition.
:05:51. > :05:52.This is the moment for the Liberal Democrats to step up
:05:53. > :05:54.into that position and present the British people
:05:55. > :05:58.And yet our region voted overwhelmingly for Brexit,
:05:59. > :06:02.so surely your message is going to fall on deaf ears?
:06:03. > :06:04.Well, look, if you seen the local by-elections
:06:05. > :06:08.over the last weeks and months, we've seen against the Liberal
:06:09. > :06:11.Democrats in places like Sunderland and indeed over in places
:06:12. > :06:13.like Allston in the North of Carlisle.
:06:14. > :06:17.So what is clearly happening is the Liberal Democrats
:06:18. > :06:21.where a decent, strong opposition should be.
:06:22. > :06:24.That will mean people voting for us who voted to leave last June,
:06:25. > :06:36.as well as the many people who voted to remain as well.
:06:37. > :06:39.Other news now, and an inquest has heard how a four-year-old girl
:06:40. > :06:43.who was using her mobile phone at the time.
:06:44. > :06:47.Ava Henderson was playing in a compound in South Shields last May.
:06:48. > :06:50.The girl was trying to stop the family's bulldog from running
:06:51. > :06:53.into the path of her mother's pick-up truck
:06:54. > :06:59.The coroner recorded a verdict of "accidental death."
:07:00. > :07:02.It's one of the region's most popular tourist destinations
:07:03. > :07:05.but people living and working on Holy Island
:07:06. > :07:08.off the Northumberland coast say plans to sell off a car park
:07:09. > :07:12.will seriously damage businesses and the environment.
:07:13. > :07:14.The county council is selling the land
:07:15. > :07:16.as it tries to make savings of ?2 million.
:07:17. > :07:19.It says any development will be sympathetic
:07:20. > :07:27.Tens of thousands of visitors come here every year.
:07:28. > :07:30.Pilgrims or sightseers, they all need somewhere to park,
:07:31. > :07:36.There's people looking for room, eyeing up our space
:07:37. > :07:41.people come at the optimum time, don't they?
:07:42. > :07:43.So it does all funnel people in together.
:07:44. > :07:47.this is where coaches and blue badge holders park.
:07:48. > :07:50.Just under half of this site has been put up for sale
:07:51. > :07:57.At some times in the year, yes, it isn't quite so full,
:07:58. > :08:00.but at other times of the year it is absolutely stowed out.
:08:01. > :08:04.And that loss of access for visitors
:08:05. > :08:08.to this part of the world will be huge.
:08:09. > :08:10.In a statement, Northumberland County Council told us
:08:11. > :08:13.that car parking on this side of the site, and the toilet block,
:08:14. > :08:17.will still be maintained, and any developer buying land
:08:18. > :08:19.on this side and the overspill behind it, will be governed
:08:20. > :08:24.by strict conservation rules, but still people here are concerned.
:08:25. > :08:28.The biggest worry is the identity of the village would be lost.
:08:29. > :08:32.If they allow development on that land,
:08:33. > :08:35.how can they stop development on the next bit of land?
:08:36. > :08:38.Kyle Luke was born on the island, and makes his living here.
:08:39. > :08:41.He fears creeping development is changing the home he loves.
:08:42. > :08:43.I don't think anything should be put there,
:08:44. > :08:46.but if they are going to build something, let it be social housing.
:08:47. > :08:48.Let's keep the community going, rather than more holiday homes.
:08:49. > :08:57.Northumberland County Council says a full marketing exercise
:08:58. > :08:59.will be completed before the land is sold.
:09:00. > :09:01.The islanders hope that will protect the area's beauty,
:09:02. > :09:12.Northumbria Police say 37 victims have now come forward
:09:13. > :09:27.Time now to take a look at the weather with Jen Bartram.
:09:28. > :09:33.and although tonight will be a little bit milder,
:09:34. > :09:36.we are still expecting a frost in places.
:09:37. > :09:39.Through tomorrow, another cloudy day in the forecast.
:09:40. > :09:42.We are going to see some outbreaks of light, drizzly rain at times.
:09:43. > :09:45.Now, this is the map through the night tonight.
:09:46. > :09:49.but we're going to see the cloud rolling in from the North,
:09:50. > :09:52.and that will help to keep the temperatures from falling
:09:53. > :09:57.we are expecting a minimum of around 6 degrees.
:09:58. > :10:01.we could well see a touch of frost once again.
:10:02. > :10:04.That is something for the gardeners amongst you to take note of.
:10:05. > :10:06.Tomorrow morning dawns on a fairly cloudy note.
:10:07. > :10:10.There will be a weather front sinking down from the north
:10:11. > :10:14.That will bring some dribs and drabs of rain here and there,
:10:15. > :10:20.I think by the afternoon we will start to see
:10:21. > :10:22.particularly across parts of North Northumberland,
:10:23. > :10:25.Temperatures tomorrow getting up to a high
:10:26. > :10:28.of around 10 or 11 degrees, so feeling quite similar to today.
:10:29. > :10:33.it's a fairly cloudy, misty start to the morning.
:10:34. > :10:35.Some outbreaks of rain across Cumbria,
:10:36. > :10:37.some brightness for the north-east for a time,
:10:38. > :10:39.and it's gradually going to be turning a little bit breezy
:10:40. > :10:41.as we head through Thursday afternoon.
:10:42. > :10:44.Generally a cloudy, dry-ish sort of day.
:10:45. > :10:49.Temperatures reaching a high of around 14 Celsius.
:10:50. > :10:50.As we head through Friday towards the weekend,
:10:51. > :10:55.we keep that cloud, and highs of 13 degrees.
:10:56. > :10:59.and Tomasz Schafernaker has the national forecast.