:00:10. > :00:13.The North West will be a key battleground in the General
:00:14. > :00:21.Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party is expected to face a tough fight
:00:22. > :00:24.to hang on to some of its most marginal seats in this region.
:00:25. > :00:26.But the Conservatives will also be under pressure in areas
:00:27. > :00:28.where they only just won two years ago.
:00:29. > :00:35.Our political editor Nina Warhurst has been looking at the marginals.
:00:36. > :00:38.If we define a marginal as one that requires a 5% swing
:00:39. > :00:44.from one party to another, there are 11 in our patch.
:00:45. > :00:48.The closest is Chester snatched by labour in 2015
:00:49. > :00:51.where the Conservatives would need fewer than 100 votes
:00:52. > :00:56.The Tories held on to Bury north last time, only just,
:00:57. > :00:59.and Labour will be working hard to win it.
:01:00. > :01:01.Remember that surprise when Esther McvVey lost her
:01:02. > :01:05.The Tories will be determined to take it.
:01:06. > :01:08.Labour held on to Barrow Furness but lost 5% of their vote.
:01:09. > :01:13.If they lost any more this time it could turn Blue.
:01:14. > :01:15.And Bolton West will be a Labour target,
:01:16. > :01:32.I spent the day in that most marginal of marginals, Chester.
:01:33. > :01:43.Chester doesn't turn out the same old results, its wings. In 2015 to
:01:44. > :01:47.Labour, who won by just 93 votes. Constituency like Mark often don't
:01:48. > :01:54.have lifelong loyalty to the party, though this time his mind is made
:01:55. > :01:57.up. Theresa May. Why? Besides Jeremy Corbyn has some very admirable
:01:58. > :02:03.qualities about him, we need someone who is strong enough to carry us
:02:04. > :02:08.forward in these challenging times. It is because you think she can
:02:09. > :02:15.deliver a good Brexit? I think she can, yes. Could be called in fact
:02:16. > :02:18.Labour MPs across the Northwest? I have been there two years but I like
:02:19. > :02:22.to think I have a reputation for hard work and proper representation
:02:23. > :02:25.and treating all of my constituents with respect. I have a good record
:02:26. > :02:30.and the Conservatives have a shocking record, and I am up for the
:02:31. > :02:35.fight. Gesture's population is socially diverse, move outside the
:02:36. > :02:39.pretty centre and the pockets of poverty and deprivation. Beyond that
:02:40. > :02:43.other rolling hills of Cheshire housing millionaires and it is that
:02:44. > :02:48.makes demographic that makes Chester one of the key marginals in the
:02:49. > :02:52.Northwest. In many ways tester and other seat in the Northwest will
:02:53. > :02:56.decide the election outcome, whoever wins those seats will win the
:02:57. > :02:59.election. Turns out to Cheadle and the Lib Dems are already
:03:00. > :03:04.campaigning, here in nearby Hazel Grove they went from them to the
:03:05. > :03:08.Tories but here people voted to remain in the EU and the Lib Dems
:03:09. > :03:15.believe that this will see seats swing back the way. Theresa May has
:03:16. > :03:19.gone the route of a hard Brexit, that is not the people voted for.
:03:20. > :03:24.The selection gives people the opportunity to say to Theresa May
:03:25. > :03:30.you are going down the wrong road and we need to do things
:03:31. > :03:34.differently. Into wider region of 53% of voters backed league
:03:35. > :03:39.campaign, you could say they are the only party who will deliver. The
:03:40. > :03:43.Northwest for the two leaves last year, 17.4 million people across the
:03:44. > :03:47.UK voted to leave. The only party they can trust to deliver Brexit
:03:48. > :03:51.either in government or by putting pressure on the government is Ukip.
:03:52. > :03:55.If you live in Cheshire Cheadle or most parts the Northwest the coming
:03:56. > :03:59.for you and your vote. The clock is ticking.
:04:00. > :04:08.Nina Warhurst is with me now. What impact is this going to have on the
:04:09. > :04:13.elections for mayor in the Liverpool city region, greater Manchester and
:04:14. > :04:15.the by-election? As I understand the mayoral contest
:04:16. > :04:19.in Manchester will go ahead as planned on the 4th of May but it is
:04:20. > :04:22.the by-election that has everybody scratching their heads, a
:04:23. > :04:26.by-election when Parliament has been by-election when Parliament has been
:04:27. > :04:29.dissolved. That decision will come to Manchester City Council where the
:04:30. > :04:31.returning officer is based. They told me they are seeking legal
:04:32. > :04:36.advice that will make a decision tomorrow.
:04:37. > :04:40.We had breaking news about Andy Burnham tonight.
:04:41. > :04:43.He has been MP for release since 2001 but has told BBC radio
:04:44. > :04:47.Manchester tonight that it is his intention not to stand for the
:04:48. > :04:51.Labour Party if there is an election that goes ahead, that is because he
:04:52. > :04:54.on the upcoming mayoral race for on the upcoming mayoral race for
:04:55. > :05:00.greater Manchester which as we said will definitely go ahead on the 4th
:05:01. > :05:03.of May. Following this bulletin there is a
:05:04. > :05:06.debate with the candidates for mayor of Manchester, that is on BBC One at
:05:07. > :05:07.around 11 o'clock. A friend of an unarmed man shot dead
:05:08. > :05:11.by Greater Manchester Police has denied they were about to commit
:05:12. > :05:13.an armed robbery. David Totton also told the public
:05:14. > :05:15.inquiry into Anthony Grainger's death that there was no warning
:05:16. > :05:30.before officers opened fire Over the last few weeks we have
:05:31. > :05:34.heard many versions of how this man died, today at the enquiry into
:05:35. > :05:40.Anthony Granger 's death we heard this man's version. David Tartan was
:05:41. > :05:44.in the same car sitting next to as a Granger when police opened fire.
:05:45. > :05:48.Asked about why they were in this car park in March 2012 Little --
:05:49. > :05:53.rolled up balaclavas on their heads. Insisted to the police that the
:05:54. > :05:59.theory that they were there to carry out an armed raid was wrong. He was
:06:00. > :06:04.also asked about his history. In 2060 was the intended target --
:06:05. > :06:06.target of a shooting at a pub in Salford. He was injured but
:06:07. > :06:12.survived. The gunmen themselves were shot dead. Giving his evidence David
:06:13. > :06:17.Tartan was quietly spoken often asked to repeat himself or speak
:06:18. > :06:21.more loudly. He told the enquiry that he had been friends with
:06:22. > :06:24.Anthony Granger since they were children. Asked about the evening
:06:25. > :06:29.when his friend were shot he said they were in a stolen car together
:06:30. > :06:35.parked in culture. He described another car screeching end and said
:06:36. > :06:40.Hazard stopped or before it stopped I heard a bang, feeling shards of
:06:41. > :06:44.glass in my face. He was asked by the lawyer for the Granger family
:06:45. > :06:47.before the shards of glass did you raise your hands so they were
:06:48. > :06:52.visible? The answer was no. Did anybody shed show me your hands
:06:53. > :06:56.before the shards of glass? No. That is at odds with the evidence of the
:06:57. > :06:59.police officer who shot to insist seizure today warning and said he
:07:00. > :07:05.was convinced Anthony Granger was reaching the weapon when he fired.
:07:06. > :07:08.In fact Anthony Granger was unarmed. The enquiry continues.
:07:09. > :07:11.The funeral has been held of a four year old girl -
:07:12. > :07:13.who died after being knocked down in St Helens.
:07:14. > :07:15.Violet-Grace Youens was killed - and her grandmother
:07:16. > :07:17.seriously injured - when they were struck by a car
:07:18. > :07:23.Family and friends attending the funeral wore the colour violet -
:07:24. > :07:32.The HS2 high-speed rail link could destroy some of our region's
:07:33. > :07:34.most beautiful ancient woodlands, it was claimed today.
:07:35. > :07:36.The warning's come from the Woodland Trust,
:07:37. > :07:38.which wants changes to the proposed route between the Midlands
:07:39. > :07:48.Here's our Chief Reporter, Dave Guest.
:07:49. > :07:54.Callers would as a true hidden gem, an oasis of rural tranquillity that
:07:55. > :08:02.is bordered by a housing estate in Partington. This is officially
:08:03. > :08:07.classed as ancient woodland. We know it is ancient woodland because it
:08:08. > :08:11.has been an absence of 1600 A.D.. The peace of this place could be
:08:12. > :08:15.shattered with news that the HS2 high-speed rail line could cut
:08:16. > :08:21.across the Western fringes. This is one of five Northwest ancient
:08:22. > :08:23.woodlands which could be affected by the project. The possibility of a
:08:24. > :08:31.test to passing through here has divided local opinion. It has been
:08:32. > :08:35.there since I was a kid, I played the kids play on it and I don't
:08:36. > :08:42.think it is right. Go forward with technology and to the future, the
:08:43. > :08:48.wood is lovely but you have to do for the time. HS2 Ltd say that there
:08:49. > :08:51.responsible infrastructure project responsible infrastructure project
:08:52. > :08:54.the UK has ever seen. They say they do their best to avoid into
:08:55. > :08:57.woodlands where possible and if it proves to be impossible they will do
:08:58. > :09:03.their best to replace trees that are lost. Even though they plan to treat
:09:04. > :09:07.you cannot recreate ancient woodland, you can add thousands of
:09:08. > :09:11.trees but we can't replace this unique habitat. HS2 serial
:09:12. > :09:13.continuing getting with the Woodland Trust and no final decisions about
:09:14. > :09:23.roads have yet been taken. Football in the League 1 game
:09:24. > :09:29.between Bolton and Berry ended in a goalless draw. Others are pushing
:09:30. > :09:32.for promotion and two points ahead of place which would. Barrier
:09:33. > :09:37.fighting to avoid relegation and tonight result leaves them two
:09:38. > :09:41.points above the drop zone. That's all the news, let's get a look at
:09:42. > :09:48.the weather. It was a frosty start for some
:09:49. > :09:53.places, HLA staff are all others but the sun came out and it was a pretty
:09:54. > :09:56.day. Here it is looking glorious in Fleetwood, I don't think you'll see
:09:57. > :09:59.too much in the way of sunshine as we had the next couple of days. We
:10:00. > :10:02.have an area of high-pressure influencing the weather but for the
:10:03. > :10:06.most part the wind comes towards from the west and north-west, and
:10:07. > :10:10.that drags up quite a bit of cloud cover. You can see the line of rain
:10:11. > :10:14.working its way through the Isle of Man, there's nothing showing up
:10:15. > :10:21.Rhino and that is how we stay through night. As we said it was a
:10:22. > :10:24.chilly one, no problems with temperatures with a template wind
:10:25. > :10:27.direction when cloud cover coming in through the early hours of the
:10:28. > :10:34.morning. Temperatures between six and 8 degrees. It is a while and it
:10:35. > :10:37.is not like today, it was work leading picture with light and
:10:38. > :10:40.spotty rain washing M. Generally running then I received from time to
:10:41. > :10:45.time in its weekend and I think existing mainly of the highest
:10:46. > :10:49.level. For most of us it is a fairly cloudy picture, loony but with
:10:50. > :10:54.milder coming towards us so I would not be surprised if the temperatures
:10:55. > :10:57.without the sunshine at the same as today, 11 or 12 degrees. Not too
:10:58. > :10:59.much change in the forecast but I leave duty of the next couple of
:11:00. > :11:16.days you can see that for yourself. The weather hasn't been too dramatic
:11:17. > :11:19.of late. That is not say it's not without problems. One of those could
:11:20. > :11:26.occur as early as tonight. There could be a sharp rural frost around
:11:27. > :11:31.especially so in the southern half of the British isles. I make the
:11:32. > :11:35.distinction between south and north, further north we have a weather
:11:36. > :11:39.front, a weak affair from the Atlantic. It has enough breeze and
:11:40. > :11:40.cloud to help to keep the temperatures up relative to the
:11:41. > :11:42.south.