:00:14. > :00:18.It could be an indication of what's to come over the next 49 days.
:00:19. > :00:20.As the general election got the go-ahead today,
:00:21. > :00:23.the North West was thrust firmly into centre stage.
:00:24. > :00:26.First with a high-profile resignation and then the person
:00:27. > :00:29.who started it all came here to begin the campaign.
:00:30. > :00:36.He said he would carry on until the election
:00:37. > :00:38.but he just didn't think it would happen quite yet.
:00:39. > :00:42.George Osborne, the soon-to-be ex-MP for Tatton, calling time
:00:43. > :00:47.It has been a great privilege being the member of Parliament
:00:48. > :00:53.I love this country, its diversity and optimism and those
:00:54. > :00:56.are the values I espouses as a member of the parliament
:00:57. > :01:00.and as Chancellor but now I'm going to promote those values
:01:01. > :01:07.as editor of the great British newspaper.
:01:08. > :01:11.They are getting ready to say goodbye, but is it a fond farwell?
:01:12. > :01:19.So I can understand why he would want to do it.
:01:20. > :01:22.Elected in 2001, he became the youngest Tory MP in the Commons
:01:23. > :01:25.with an affluent constituency in Cheshire but he became the face
:01:26. > :01:43.The self-styled founder of the Northern Powerhouse,
:01:44. > :01:46.and a fan of high-vis and hard hats, he was demoted from the cabinet
:01:47. > :01:49.last year but kept busy with several highly paid jobs.
:01:50. > :01:51.Some questioned his commitment to Tatton and wanted him out
:01:52. > :01:58.I don't want him to go but I do understand his reasoning and I do
:01:59. > :02:01.respect the decision that he's come to.
:02:02. > :02:05.The woman who put him out of the job, to May,
:02:06. > :02:10.chose Bolton to launch her general election campaign.
:02:11. > :02:15.Bolton West is a Tory marginal while Labour's majority
:02:16. > :02:16.in neighbouring constituency Bolton North East is less
:02:17. > :02:19.than 5000, a real target for the Conservatives
:02:20. > :02:23.Until we sort Brexit out, you can't really sort much else out.
:02:24. > :02:25.I think Labour will be better for me.
:02:26. > :02:28.People have said there is no continuity around this Brexit thing,
:02:29. > :02:31.so keeping that clear and concise, really.
:02:32. > :02:41.The main issue, for me, is how awful the Tory party
:02:42. > :02:43.is and however we get rid of them and their crazy,
:02:44. > :02:50.Theresa May was in town Askin for voters for a mandate
:02:51. > :02:53.for proposed Brexit Britain as she rallied Tory troops
:02:54. > :03:06.The Prime Minister gave a short speech to the Parish Hall in that
:03:07. > :03:08.crucial Bolton North East constituency.
:03:09. > :03:10.It's about providing be strong and stable leadership this country
:03:11. > :03:12.needs to take Britain through Brexit and beyond.
:03:13. > :03:14.It's about strengthening our hand in the negotiations that lie ahead.
:03:15. > :03:17.Expect to hear those words, strong and stable, repeatedly
:03:18. > :03:21.For if they swing from red to blue in Bolton North East
:03:22. > :03:23.were repeated across the country, it could see the Conservatives
:03:24. > :03:26.achieve a majority in the House of Commons of around 100.
:03:27. > :03:29.So Steve, our region's in the spotlight on Day One
:03:30. > :03:38.And George Osborne not the only North West MP to announce
:03:39. > :03:44.That's right, today we learned that John Pugh, the Southport MP and one
:03:45. > :03:46.of the few Liberal Democrats in the North West announced
:03:47. > :03:49.he was going to stand down after 16 years in politics.
:03:50. > :03:52.He says he doesn't want to work through what he says will be
:03:53. > :03:56.The Liberal Democrats, are the most pro-remain party.
:03:57. > :04:00.All this happened on the day that MP's voted to go ahead
:04:01. > :04:04.with the general election by 522 votes to 13, there were two
:04:05. > :04:09.rebels in the North West, Labours Graham Stringer in Blackley
:04:10. > :04:13.and Broughton and Liz McInnes, the Heywood and Middleton MP.
:04:14. > :04:19.Graham Stringer said he couldn't back the the election as Therea May
:04:20. > :04:34.Those two rebellions are not the biggest of his worlds.
:04:35. > :04:36.Yes, John Woodcock who's the Labour MP for Barrow in Furness
:04:37. > :04:39.has released a statement saying he wants to stand for the party
:04:40. > :04:41.again but says he cannot endorse Jeremey Corbyn,
:04:42. > :04:44.he says he thinks he's not up to the job and believes
:04:45. > :04:46.Jeremy Corbyn doesnt believe he's up to the job.
:04:47. > :04:52.He say it's time for him to stand down before the General Election.
:04:53. > :04:56.There was an update on the Manchester Gorton by-election.
:04:57. > :04:58.That's right, confusion yesterday but today the Cabinet Office
:04:59. > :05:03.It should now take place on general election day,
:05:04. > :05:07.Prison inspectors have branded HMP Garth in Lancashire very unsafe
:05:08. > :05:10.in their latest report with violence among inmates having
:05:11. > :05:14.increased substantially since the last inspection.
:05:15. > :05:16.According to The Chief Inspector of Prisons,
:05:17. > :05:19.the jail near Leyland has gone into a steep decline
:05:20. > :05:23.The Prison service says the new governor is making improvements,
:05:24. > :05:30.but the Prison Officers' Association says drugs are a real problem there.
:05:31. > :05:32.Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise.
:05:33. > :05:36.This is another example of another inspector's report
:05:37. > :05:41.The very same concerns that we've been highlighting to our employer
:05:42. > :05:55.Homeowners who say their properties are riddled
:05:56. > :05:57.with damp because of botched cavity wall insulation took their case
:05:58. > :06:01.Thousands of homes in the north west are now having
:06:02. > :06:02.the insulation removed because it was wrongly installed
:06:03. > :06:12.Abbie Jones has this exclusive report.
:06:13. > :06:14.We've had cracks, we've had plaster falling off.
:06:15. > :06:16.We haven't been able to have people at home.
:06:17. > :06:23.A single mum from Crumpsall in Manchester, Jeanette jumped
:06:24. > :06:25.at the chance to save money with cavity wall insulation.
:06:26. > :06:28.But the damp got so bad, Jeanette's insulation had to be removed.
:06:29. > :06:34.In Ashton-under-Lyne, Gillian's bedroom is riddled with mould.
:06:35. > :06:49.To meet government targets, some installers
:06:50. > :06:52.putting it in wrongly and pushing it on homeowners where it was
:06:53. > :06:57.Blackpool, Southport, Fleetwood, Lancaster,
:06:58. > :07:00.are exposed to driving rain which can seep into bricks and
:07:01. > :07:05.But that's where extraction expert Damian Mercer
:07:06. > :07:12.He takes out failed insulation and says the cost
:07:13. > :07:17.It is a massive problem in the Northwest.
:07:18. > :07:26.I know of 1200 homes right now that have the problem.
:07:27. > :07:27.The scale of the problem is horrendous.
:07:28. > :07:30.In Poulton-le-Fylde, Grace has damp - but her installer
:07:31. > :07:43.We have construction rubble causing damp on the inside.
:07:44. > :07:45.You should never have had cavity wall insulation in
:07:46. > :07:56.The real irony is this insulation is supposed to make our
:07:57. > :08:00.homes greener but when it has to be removed, where does it end up?
:08:01. > :08:03.Dyson says it is satisfied it examined her property and doesn't
:08:04. > :08:05.believe her dad is due to installation.
:08:06. > :08:07.The government says it is committed to insuring consumers
:08:08. > :08:09.up protected and it has strict standards.
:08:10. > :08:19.But those who believe their homes have been ruined
:08:20. > :08:26.Earlier I asked Nigel Donoghue from the Cavity Insulation Guarantee
:08:27. > :08:30.Agency why his members had treated properties which weren't suitable.
:08:31. > :08:32.I'm incredibly sympathetic for the home owners
:08:33. > :08:37.that have been affected by the cavity wall insulation.
:08:38. > :08:39.The homes are a major investment and it's something
:08:40. > :08:45.In the cases, I am aware of them tonight.
:08:46. > :08:48.It seems like everyone who expressed an interest had it pumped
:08:49. > :08:53.in when obviously in some properties, it is not appropriate.
:08:54. > :08:56.In terms of the actual failure rate of cavity
:08:57. > :08:59.insulation as a product, to put it into context,
:09:00. > :09:02.as the largest provider, we have issued 6 million guarantees.
:09:03. > :09:06.Out of those 6 million guarantees, we've only ever had a claim rate
:09:07. > :09:11.We've made a lot of changes in terms of our whole approach to customer
:09:12. > :09:14.services and if somebody has got a problem with the cavity wall
:09:15. > :09:15.insulation, they should immediately contact us.
:09:16. > :09:19.On a whole, it's a very effective product and it has really had
:09:20. > :09:24.a significant financial and beneficial impact to homeowners.
:09:25. > :09:26.The BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness has been
:09:27. > :09:29.awarded a ?1.4 billion contract to build
:09:30. > :09:35.It's the sixth of seven Astute class nuclear
:09:36. > :09:37.vessels to be built at the site which employs around
:09:38. > :09:50.8,000 people on its submarine building programme.
:09:51. > :09:53.Travel services between the North West and London have faced major
:09:54. > :09:54.disruption tonight after a fire damaged signal
:09:55. > :09:58.Repair work is ongoing and it's hoped services will return
:09:59. > :10:15.Good evening. Sunshine was in short supply and it would be like that as
:10:16. > :10:24.we go into the weekend. First thing in the morning, we saw a glimpse of
:10:25. > :10:28.sunshine. We will hang on to the cloud cover and we will add to the
:10:29. > :10:35.clouds. Sprinkles of drizzle from time to time. For most of us, it is
:10:36. > :10:39.not a big deal. Hardly touches the ground for some places. Misty and
:10:40. > :10:46.murky first thing in the morning however the temperatures will be
:10:47. > :10:50.good. Seven to 10 Celsius. Much milder first thing tomorrow morning.
:10:51. > :10:55.Tomorrow, it is a carbon copy of today. We have a lot of cloud cover.
:10:56. > :11:01.Cloud Mayfair man break as we go into the afternoon. Temperatures
:11:02. > :11:03.will be better at 12 Celsius. The outlook for the next couple of days,
:11:04. > :11:04.more of the similar story across the UK. Thomas
:11:05. > :11:16.matter has that story. Good evening, before we get to the
:11:17. > :11:22.forecast, I want to show you a map which depicts how dry it has been
:11:23. > :11:27.during the course of April. Brown is below average rainfall, blue is
:11:28. > :11:31.above average. You can see how Brown the map is. Some areas in the south,
:11:32. > :11:34.some counties have only seen a few percent so far in April. Not
:11:35. > :11:36.necessarily a