11/05/2017 North West Tonight

Hello, good evening, and welcome to North West Tonight. I'm live in

Barrow where the first leg of the election tour has arrived on the day

that Labour's leaked manifesto has concerned there commitment to

Labour's nuclear deterrent. On a place that depends on it, that is

sure to be welcome news. 90 years in jail for the drugs gang

caught after an international The Europa League clash that

Mourinho claims is the "most And out of this world -

the British astronaut whose story's being turned into a Hollywood film,

shares his space adventures There are a few nicer places to be

on a glorious evening like this one beside the seaside in Barrow. On a

day that Labour's leet manifesto commitment confirmed their

commitment to Britain's nuclear commitment, the submarine is built

over there and employs 8000 people, it's likely to be a town perhaps

with slightly more of a spring in its step 29 - totally for those of

Labour persuasion. There is -- the latest nuclear sub rolls off the

production line just a few weeks ago. Barrow is a Klee N'Diaye key

marginal targeted by the Conservatives. -- Barrow is a key

marginal. Perhaps it will help to persuade those that were wavering to

vote for Labour. We'll be commitment to the ?200 million programme help

to shore ?200 million programme helps ensure a devoted?

In a moment we'll be finding out how strong the Labour vote is in Barrow,

but first Stuart Flinders looks at why defence is so

It looks calm enough on the surface, but there is something

A decision last year to renew the Trident missile system should

secure the jobs here of those who build the submarines

But which party would you trust to see it through?

Tony Keen runs an engineering services company company that

I would have to dramatically change the strategy of the business.

It wouldn't be fatal, but it would be bad.

About half of your work is with BAE Systems, isn't it?

You can tell by the shops in the town, the hairdressers

in the town, whatever industry or sector you're in in the town,

the size of BAE to Barrow, it affects every part

There is not enough work on a Trident submarine in Barrow

Labour's Dennis Healey meeting shipyard workers in Barrow in 1983.

His party lost the seat that year, the Conservatives

Labour then, under Michael Foot, supported unilateral

Now it supports Trident - a policy confirmed in

Its last MP, John Woodcock, was firmly behind it.

And yet, some voters are wary of party leader Jeremy Corbyn's

lifelong links with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

You don't know what Jeremy Corbyn's going to do regarding

So nobody knows what's going on in his mind.

The Labour Party, especially their leader, seems to be very

negative for the future of the submarines.

Rarely is one issue so prominent in politics,

One false move by a candidate and his or her party can cost them

That's because here, defences and just about

It's about jobs and the very future of this town.

Lets talk to Phil Collier, he is from the Federation of Small

Businesses. Thanks for coming out this evening. That manifesto

commitment from Labour today, will that make any difference here, do

you think? I don't think it's going to make a material difference. The

key thing at the main Mint is here and we have a successor programme.

It is how we benefit from it that is critical. Stuart was talking about

the importance of defence and of this place. But in real terms for

real people living their lives in Barrow, just how crucial is the

defence sector? It's massive. We saw back in the early 19s when the

shipyard hit the wall, and the impact on the town then. -- early

1990s. It's about creating legacy for the future and using what we

have here to grow that legacy and build it. We are talking about 8000

people employed in the yard at the moment. That will peak at just over

9000. You can almost double that in terms of the number of people that

are effective in the supply chain and potential supply chains, whether

we're talking industrial manufacturing companies, the

hospitality sector, the retail sector, the growth of the

regeneration of the town centre. When it comes to a Northern

Powerhouse, you don't get much more powerful than what is built in

there. But does Barrow feel like part of that Northern Powerhouse

project that we have heard so much about? No, we don't. That is one of

the big concerns. It is massively important that whoever is elected in

on the 8th of June really gets to grips with this and make sure that

we don't become the forgotten corner of the Northern Powerhouse. There's

a lot going on here because it is unjust defence. There is wind farm,

pharmaceutical. We have what will be the biggest wind farm development in

the world just off the coast behind us. Glaxo Smith Kline are building a

new biopharmaceutical plant. Very same massive amount around here. --

there is a massive amount around here. It is a highly skilled

technical area and we can't be left out on the edge. Thank you very much

indeed, we appreciate your input. Phil Collier here in Barrow. Trident

is not the only issue for people here. It is a marginal, as we said.

The Conservatives have targeted it, Labour narrowly won it last time

round. John Woodcock, the sitting Labour MP who has served this place

in recent years, a vociferous opponent or critic of Jeremy Corbyn.

But can he and Labour hang on? That is a question for our Political

Editor. In Barrow town centre,

a statue stands tall to the welders, the gaffers, the men and women

who made the shipyard great. But like Labour towns

across the north-west, industry's not the only issue

at play in the selection. I'm not racist or nothing,

but they're thinking more about the foreigners

than they are us lot Do you feel they get better

protection and more help than you? The Furniss Railway Pub sits close

to the terraced houses, which have been homes to shipyard

workers for generations. Here, party loyalty

is being questioned. I've always voted Labour,

but I'm not going to vote Labour this time because Theresa May

is doing a wonderful job. I think she's very

articulate, very genuine. Are you surprised that your

voting Conservative? But on the big issues,

it's Labour that Andy and Barry turn Free car parking for

patients, obviously. And I think over a period of time

they will bring in more Sadly, at the moment,

they're lacking. Said you trust Labour more

when it comes to the NHS? I will always be a Labour man,

particularly here in Barrow. It's a Labour town, it's

the working man's town. And that's damn well

how it should be. To say that the Labour Party is well

supported in the north-west is a bit There are more than twice

as many Labour MPs here But here in Barrow, the candidate

won by fewer than 800 votes in 2015. It's on a list of nine

constituencies where, if 5% of voters switch from Labour

to the Conservatives, And this is where the

Corbyn factor comes in. Can Barrow connect with a man

described as Marmite, Terry has been a Labour Party member

for more than 50 years, We don't live in some suburb

of London where you go in a cafe and everyone agrees with you,

or something like that. This is downtown Barrow in Furness,

and we hear what he says Do you think that could

lose you the seat? Four weeks is a long

time in politics. A week is a long time, four weeks is

a really long time. Nina is here. That is this constituency. Should

Labour be worried in the broader north-west? There is lots of talk of

Labour being annihilated at this general election. But don't forget

there are more than 30 seats in the Northwest where Labour has a

majority of more than 20%. That would take a political earthquake to

unseat them. Just look at Andy Burnham and Steve Robert. That is

not to say the Labour Party should be worried. I've been speaking to

people all week and they have been telling me they voted Labour for 20

or 30 years, but are thinking about something different at the ballot

box. There are two reasons - the first is that they trust Theresa May

Brexit. Lots of parts voted to leave the EU. And the second is Jeremy

Corbyn, he's just not connecting with voters in the left. Hence John

Woodcock distancing himself as much as he can. Has Jeremy Corbyn been

protected? Theresa May hasn't been out meeting real people, but Jeremy

Corbyn has been criticised. Theresa May likes to know exactly what is

happening, and don't forget this is a much shorter campaign. Perhaps

that is why we're not been as much of the party leaders. But this is a

two-way street. The Conservative Party are defending seven seats,

which also marginal. A 5% swing see them losing. We might not have seen

as much of the party leaders in the north-west. But there for weeks to

go. Forward to very long time in politics. It is! Nina, thank you

very much indeed. We will have some final thoughts from here at the end

of the programme but it is high time we got back to the studio for the

rest of the news with Annabel Roger, thank you very much.

Rochdale's former Labour MP Simon Danczuk says

he will stand as an Independent against Labour's Tony Lloyd

Mr Danczuk was suspended by the Labour Party while it

investigated allegations he sent explicit texts

Chester Zoo, which fell victim to a ?1.26 million fraud,

The Zoo was duped into handing over the money in 2013 to a man claiming

to represent a construction company it had been working with.

Four men have been convicted of their involvement.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has promised a radical

overhaul of controversial plans to build houses on green belt land.

Thousands of people have protested against the Greater Manchester

spatial framework, which includes sites in all ten boroughs.

The new proposals would see more development on land

I still have high ambitions for the homes and the jobs

that we will need to bring to Greater Manchester.

We just need to make sure they're the right homes

It doesn't mean every single piece of green land is safe, you know?

There will still need to be difficult decisions.

But I am listening to what people said.

I do understand that these green spaces are precious to them,

and as mayor I will work to protect them.

Members of a drug smuggling gang have been sentenced to a total

of almost 90 years after police found a stash of Class A

drugs hidden in secret compartments in a van.

And international police operation stopped the group getting heroin and

cocaine into the UK. The ringleader of the group,

a 64-year-old from Liverpool, has been described by police

as a career criminal. He'd been jailed in the past

for a similar plot. Our Social Affairs Correspondent,

Clare Fallon, was in This was a real international

conspiracy. It was an international plot with a gang of drug smugglers

from Merseyside running the operation. At the helm of all this

was a man could Edward Avis, in his 60s from the Aigburth area of

Liverpool. Here's a man who thought he had learned from his mistakes. He

had been jailed in the past for drug smuggling. He made a point of

holding his meetings in places like parks. Even in a cemetery! Trying to

make sure the authorities weren't listening in to him. That is him,

the chap on the left, having a meeting in a park to try and avoid

the authorities monitoring what you are saying. But of course they could

see him, follow him and film him. He and his accomplices were the subject

of a covert surveillance operation. That operation ended with a sting

out in Belgium. When officers in Antwerp moved in to make their own

rest and search the refrigerated van that the bank had been using, at

first they couldn't find any drugs. But then they realised there were

heeding compartments underneath a fake flaw in the back of the van.

That is where they found 13 kilograms of class a drugs, heroin

and cocaine, with a street value of about ?1.4 million. According to the

National Crime Agency which was behind this operation, that was a

significant find and Edward Avis is a significant drug smugglers.

He is a career criminal who hasn't learned from his past misdemeanours.

He has previously served a lengthy sentence for this type of crime.

It was quite clear that he gave no thought to the harm and misery that

would have occurred had these drugs flooded the streets

And, equally, the harm it causes in the communities overseas

Edward Avis was today handed a 12 year sentence. He was jailed along

with nine other people, most of them from Merseyside. Some of them were

eastern Europeans who had been drafted in to transport the drugs.

In total, those ten people were jailed for almost 90 years. The

judge said theirs was a carefully planned and audacious plot might

thank you very much. Still to come on

North West Tonight... Out of this world -

the British astronaut whose story's being turned into a Hollywood film

shares his space adventures I was thinking for a second or two,

is this the day I die? We're live at Old Trafford

for the Europa League clash that Mourinho claims is the "most

important in the club's history". A brand new cultural centre

officially opens in Chester tonight. It's called Storyhouse,

and it means that for the first time in a decade there's a theatre

and a cinema in the city centre. But there's more to the project

than films and plays. It's also about literature

and a new place to meet and relax, Rehearsals at Storyhouse

Chesterfield tonight's show It is an adapted John Gay

's 18th-century play to put in references

to Chester and Merseyside. Storyhouse is on this site

of the old Odeon cinema, but a modern extension means it can

offer much more than movie. I hope this project, Storyhouse,

can be something that puts Chester What we're doing here

is I think of national This innovation of the integration,

bringing together the library services, the theatre

and the cinema, is genuinely culturally innovative and has

covered a lot of attention It's ten years since Chester city

centre had a cinema or theatre. Judging from the number of people

who turned up today, it will assuage It's been a long time coming

and it's well worth the wait. I was an usher here when I was

at school in the 70s. We have waited a long time

for it, and it's lovely. It cost ?37 million with cash mainly

from the local authority, One of the key things

about Storyhouse is the range of cultural activities

which will go on here. It's not only Chester's Central

library, it's also a theatre, Simon is the architect

who had to fit it all in. I mean, there were a lot

of challenges on this project. A big cultural project

in a Chester historic city. I suppose the first challenge

was to think about how you design a building that is a library,

a cinema and a theatre. How you bring all those things

together in a completely new way. And really we've tried to make

the library the glue that joins There's a bar, a cafe,

and a cinema that will show Storyhouse is open from 8am

until the last performance ends. Football now, and Manchester United

can book their place in the Europa League final

for the first time tonight. It's a competition that has taken

on extra significance for United because the winners qualify for

next season's Champions League. The reds take a 1-0 lead

into the second leg of their semi-final against

Celta Vigo at Old Trafford. There's a lot resting

on this, Richard? I'm not sure everyone would agree

with Mourinho's statement, but it is really significant, isn't it? I

think you're right, as you say, particularly in terms of Champions

League qualification, that's why it's important. It looks very

unlikely that United can do that by finishing in the top four in the

Premier League. It's all about this competition for par United. I think

you can see that from Mourinho's selection against Arsenal in the

last much. We can see key players like Paul Pogba and Eric by Ewa

turning for United. The have been complications in the news. Paul

Pogba's record transfer fee from Juventus, Fifa saying they will look

into that after reports that his agent will earn ?41 million from

that deal. And also perhaps the him from Wayne Rooney that maybe he's

going to consider leaving Old Trafford in the summer. He spent a

lot of time on the bench. As you would expect for this match tonight,

he is playing a very straight bat. This is on trying to

help us win this final. I think, you know, it's

a massive opportunity for us, as a group of players,

to win a European title. And my focus is to help us

try and win this one. How good Celta Vigo? I think on the

evidence of the first leg, not very good at all! They looked completely

tired out by Manchester United. They have been talking a little tougher

in the run-up to this game. Not pulling up any trees in La Liga, but

they have beaten both Barcelona and Real Madrid. So on this day they are

pretty decent. Having said that, all of these Manchester united fans go

into the Day today and they expect Manchester United to sail through.

Anything can happen in a football game, of course. But it will be a

big surprise if after this came United aren't in the Europa League.

Thanks very much indeed. British astronaut Mike Foale

is a real life hero who's story is to be made

into a Hollywood movie. He flew on six space shuttle

missions, helped to save the Russian space station Mir from disaster

and was the first Briton Today he was in Manchester speaking

to hundreds of school children. I knocked on the door of Nasa

in the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, and I said,

"Can I be an astronaut?" And they said, well,

not so fast, Michael. Plunged into darkness,

and into space, Mike Fole took hundreds of students on

a journey through his career. It's almost 20 years since he

helped to save the Russian space It's almost 20 years since he helped

to save the Russian space station Mir after it collided

with a supply vessel. I'm pretty sure this

may be my last breath. When the collision of the progress

on the station occurred, I was thinking for a second or two,

is this the day I die? And then I thought, no,

I guess it's not happening. And then you just press on and try

and solve your difficulty. And conquering adversity was one

of the themes of his talk. Some might want to be

a football player. They might want to be

a classical pianist. They've already got

an idea in their mind. My story probably does help

because I told them how I got around If you don't have a way to stop it

floating, it is horrible. He was really funny,

I like the videos. Because there's no gravity

you would think how would people be able to move properly

and things like that. It's an inspirational story that

if you keep on trying, That's the message we want

our children to have - never give in, always try your best

and you everything you can A Hollywood movie is now

being made about his life. Enough time has passed to make that

movie bearable for me to be made. Do you have any wishes for anyone

in particular to play you? That will be a good film. Let's get

the weather now with Diane. Another fabulous day, but it's not hanging

around? No, it's the end of it. For the next

couple of days, at least. Summer hasn't started yet, but it has been

very, very nice indeed. 21 degrees we've got this afternoon at

Blackpool, just outside of Chester. Manchester City centre got 19. We've

all done very well and there has been an awful lot of sunshine. If we

look at our satellite picture, here it comes. The cloud is pushed in and

embedded within our thunderstorms. The cloud really is the future for

us right now. It's all about this weather system that works its way

into. It comes in in the overnight period and is making its presence

felt when you get up tomorrow, a much more showery day. Through the

weekend it is much more mobile with westerly winds forcing the weather

fronts. From time to time there will be outbreaks of rain. This was a

picture of the sun going down night. Some places will have clear skies

around and you could see this again. But for many of us, a much more

cloudy affair. The next couple of days it will be cloudier, cooler

with showery rain at times. Our picture outside shows quite a bit of

low cloud at times. Temperatures tonight are very, very good. There

will be quite a bit of cloud. The show was working their way in. You

can see them working through parts of North Wales, but they are not

near us just yet. The thinking as they will stay near North Wales and

most of us will just see cloud increasing from time to time. Take a

look at the numbers - they are really very good. Warm and humid

first thing tomorrow morning. Aside from that, quite a bit of cloud

cover from the word go. It come the show was that push into wards asked

from the morning. Not everywhere will get them. Where they turn up,

they could be heavy with a rumble of thunder. If you dodge them, in the

sunshine temperatures will reach around 18Celsius. But it's not what

they have been. It's not!

Before we go, let's go back to Roger who is in a barrow. It still

beautifully sunny behind you. Glorious, it is. A lovely evening to

be by the Cumbrian coast. Nina is still here as well. Four weeks to

go, we will all be voting. What can we expect from the Northwest

campaign? There are still many people yet to make up their minds.

People aren't wedded to the political party that they have been

for generations before in the same way that they used to be. Brexit has

changed all four weeks is plenty of time for people to swap one way,

then the other, then back again. The weather has been glorious. Nina,

thank you very much indeed. We have worked out that the car horns in

Barrow all work pretty well also. It's a glorious blue sky, as Nina

said. And as Annabel mentioned, whether run not Barrow turns blue in

four weeks' time is far from certain. We will watch from

interest. From all of us, thanks for watching. Goodbye.