:00:00. > :00:08.The Liberal Democrat leader welcomes the prospect of a general election.
:00:09. > :00:10.The Liberal Democrats have been calling for an early election
:00:11. > :00:13.and we'll be ready for an early election so we say bring it on.
:00:14. > :00:16.Tim Farron was on a visit to Cornwall when he heard
:00:17. > :00:19.the Prime Minister had announced the vote on June the 8th.
:00:20. > :00:21.We'll also be at Westminster to get reaction from two
:00:22. > :00:27.It's thought an online oversupply of accommodation may be affecting
:00:28. > :00:42.And I'll be reporting from here where there is business is still
:00:43. > :00:45.booming. We're on board as the ship comes
:00:46. > :00:49.home after three years at sea. And a magnificent rendezvous of tall
:00:50. > :00:52.ships as Torbay hosts the start Voters in the south-west
:00:53. > :01:13.are being told the snap general election in June
:01:14. > :01:15.will be their chance to change The Lib Dem leader Tim
:01:16. > :01:19.Farron made the comment The party is hoping to make
:01:20. > :01:25.a come-back here after being wiped off the political map
:01:26. > :01:28.by the Conservatives in 2015. But while the party's pro-EU message
:01:29. > :01:30.may prove popular in those areas who voted to remain,
:01:31. > :01:33.how will it play out in a region We'll be hearing from our political
:01:34. > :01:38.editor Martyn Oates, who's at Westminster in a moment,
:01:39. > :01:43.but first Tamsin Melville He was flying into Newquay
:01:44. > :01:47.when the snap election was called and, for Lib Dem leader Tim Farron,
:01:48. > :01:51.along with all the other politicians, it has certainly thrown
:01:52. > :01:54.things up in the air. In Truro to promote his party's
:01:55. > :02:01.local election campaign, the message very quickly took
:02:02. > :02:04.on a national tone. We say, "Bring it on," because this
:02:05. > :02:07.is the opportunity for Britain to change its direction,
:02:08. > :02:10.for us to say, "The government is taking us in a direction
:02:11. > :02:16.that we as a country There is a possible hitch
:02:17. > :02:19.to Mr Farron's positioning as the pro-EU choice in a place
:02:20. > :02:22.like Cornwall, where the majority And his party lost all its MPs
:02:23. > :02:27.across its traditional south-west heartland back in 2015,
:02:28. > :02:30.so have the wounds caused by the Coalition had
:02:31. > :02:33.a long enough to heal? The reality is that there
:02:34. > :02:37.desperately needs to be a strong, It will begin here
:02:38. > :02:40.in the West Country. This is the opportunity
:02:41. > :02:43.for the people of the West Country to say to the rest of the country,
:02:44. > :02:46.a good democracy is How excited the voters might
:02:47. > :02:50.be by the proposition of another trip to the polls,
:02:51. > :02:52.though, could be Difficult to know who to vote for,
:02:53. > :02:58.to be honest with you. I found Brexit so disheartening
:02:59. > :03:02.and the whole process so disheartening and,
:03:03. > :03:04.yeah, anything that would reverse that, from my point of view,
:03:05. > :03:08.would be really good but I can't see that the general
:03:09. > :03:09.election will do that. But with MPs set to approve
:03:10. > :03:19.the election tomorrow, We can now go live to our political
:03:20. > :03:26.editor Martyn Oates in Westminster. An unexpectedly busy day
:03:27. > :03:39.there today, Martyn? As we saw, the Southwest played a
:03:40. > :03:44.pivotal and dramatic role in the last general election in 2015. Will
:03:45. > :03:49.that be the case again if the Commons approves the request for a
:03:50. > :03:59.general election on June eight? I'm joined by two MPs, George Eustace
:04:00. > :04:06.and Ben Bradshaw. George, is this about the Conservative Party? No, it
:04:07. > :04:13.is about leaving the EU. The country made a decision year ago and the
:04:14. > :04:17.country is united behind it. But we have people in Westminster, the
:04:18. > :04:20.Liberal Democrats and Tim Farron, playing games. They are now
:04:21. > :04:25.threatening not to vote for the final deal. You can't have a Prime
:04:26. > :04:28.Minister going into a negotiation with the EU with so many people
:04:29. > :04:33.saying they will undermine it and second-guess what she comes back
:04:34. > :04:38.with so it is time to clear their and we need a strong leader, which
:04:39. > :04:43.we have in Theresa May. People have the choice between Jeremy Corbyn and
:04:44. > :04:48.Theresa May. Jeremy Corbyn has welcomed this announcement. It is
:04:49. > :04:55.difficult for you as a persistent critic of him. This is nothing to do
:04:56. > :04:59.with the national interest. The reason Theresa May has changed her
:05:00. > :05:03.mind on a general election is solely in the party interest. This will be
:05:04. > :05:08.about the type of Brexit the country moves towards. The Conservatives
:05:09. > :05:16.have made it clear they want the most and hardest Brexit. We will be
:05:17. > :05:20.fighting for a Brexit that defends living standards, jobs and trade and
:05:21. > :05:23.investment in the West Country and elsewhere and I will be fighting on
:05:24. > :05:29.my local record in Exeter if Parliament approves the election. We
:05:30. > :05:30.will know by this time tomorrow whether we will have a general
:05:31. > :05:35.election on genetic. -- June eight. Easter is often seen as the litmus
:05:36. > :05:38.test as to how well the south-west's tourism industry is doing,
:05:39. > :05:41.and with the good holiday weather you might expect it's
:05:42. > :05:42.been a bumper start. And while for some that's certainly
:05:43. > :05:45.the case, it hasn't been Our reporter Heidi Davey
:05:46. > :06:01.is at Crealy Adventure Park On a beautiful evening like this, it
:06:02. > :06:10.is easy to see why Crealy has been so popular over the Easter weekend.
:06:11. > :06:14.The sun is shining and we are here in the glamping area. They also have
:06:15. > :06:20.lodges and a campsite. That is all solidly booked up ready much. They
:06:21. > :06:25.attribute that to the fact the school holidays have been staggered.
:06:26. > :06:28.Devon and Cornwall are back at school but elsewhere schools are
:06:29. > :06:31.enjoying the whole week off. Business leaders are hopeful it will
:06:32. > :06:37.bring in a lot of extra revenue to the south-west. On tourism boss says
:06:38. > :06:41.it is not the same across the entire sector and one of the main reasons
:06:42. > :06:46.is overcapacity due to online services such as Airbnb. Our
:06:47. > :06:51.Cornwall reporter has investigated. It has been lovely Easter weather,
:06:52. > :06:55.a good deal of sunshine and very little rain meant it was very
:06:56. > :06:57.pleasant for these visitors But even so, there has been
:06:58. > :07:01.a feeling it hasn't been as busy as expected,
:07:02. > :07:03.or as usual. The feedback from the industry,
:07:04. > :07:05.certainly from hotels and holiday parks, it has been a good Easter,
:07:06. > :07:08.but I think there are some B and some other people who actually
:07:09. > :07:11.haven't seen the same level of business, so overall we are happy
:07:12. > :07:14.but we are not delighted. And he partly blames
:07:15. > :07:18.the online room rental Airbnb. Airbnb have actually brought
:07:19. > :07:21.in a lot of new hosts in Cornwall. That is a lot of extra accommodation
:07:22. > :07:24.and I think in a way they are in danger of swamping
:07:25. > :07:27.the market for that type of product. So, we have tea and coffee
:07:28. > :07:29.making facilities. This guesthouse has done well
:07:30. > :07:32.but it is not as busy Like many in the industry,
:07:33. > :07:36.is concerned that people doing Airbnb are not aware
:07:37. > :07:41.of the rules and regulations. One of the biggest issues
:07:42. > :07:45.is fire risk assessment. There are a huge amount of things
:07:46. > :07:49.we have to go through on that. That includes fire extinguisher
:07:50. > :07:52.tests and evacuation plans, fire doors and signage,
:07:53. > :07:56.fire drills, and then there is public liability insurance,
:07:57. > :07:58.food safety and hygiene qualifications, testing
:07:59. > :07:59.of electrical appliances, and so it goes on -
:08:00. > :08:05.around 145 pieces of legislation I mean, there is no doubt
:08:06. > :08:16.that Airbnb have got people talking about how
:08:17. > :08:18.the tourism industry works. But I think the tourist associations
:08:19. > :08:21.need to play their part in making sure people are kept safe whilst
:08:22. > :08:24.they are enjoying their holidays because that is the biggest fear
:08:25. > :08:27.that we have, that standards are going to drop if organisations
:08:28. > :08:30.like Airbnb are going to be allowed to operate in the way
:08:31. > :08:44.they are operating at the moment. In a statement this afternoon,
:08:45. > :08:50.Airbnb said it is keen to work with Visit Cornwall to promote
:08:51. > :08:53.responsible sharing. It says Airbnb allows families to share their arms
:08:54. > :08:59.and welcome more visitors to Cornwall. One man who welcomes
:09:00. > :09:05.visitors to Devon is Josh, the manager here. How busy have you been
:09:06. > :09:10.over the Easter weekend? It has been great, really busy. With the
:09:11. > :09:15.staggered Easter holidays, we have seen tens of thousands of people
:09:16. > :09:19.staying here. We have had a bumper time and beaten targets and set a
:09:20. > :09:25.new record for us. Has been staggered made that real difference?
:09:26. > :09:30.Yes, more people over a longer period of time, people from out of
:09:31. > :09:34.the county, Midlands, South Wales, all over the UK, after we invested a
:09:35. > :09:39.lot of money in accommodation we have seen more people having their
:09:40. > :09:46.holidays at Crealy and in Devon. Ayew hopeful looking ahead to the
:09:47. > :09:50.May bank holidays and the summer? It is always difficult looking at the
:09:51. > :09:58.May bank holiday after a good Easter but hopefully. You couldn't ask for
:09:59. > :10:07.a better advert with this weather. We are invested heavily in new
:10:08. > :10:12.rights, attractions, accommodation. It is hopefully going to be a bumper
:10:13. > :10:13.May bank holiday and into the summer season.
:10:14. > :10:15.She's covered 150,000 nautical miles and visited 20 countries,
:10:16. > :10:17.but today the survey ship HMS Enterprise sailed back
:10:18. > :10:19.into Devonport after nearly three years at sea.
:10:20. > :10:22.She left in June 2014, heading to the Mediterranean
:10:23. > :10:28.In the months following, she conducted survey operations
:10:29. > :10:30.in the Gulf and Red Sea, and helped to refurbish
:10:31. > :10:40.In 2015, Enterprise and her crew returned to the Mediterranean
:10:41. > :10:43.where they rescued more than 9,000 migrants from the sea,
:10:44. > :10:45.the highest number ever recovered by a Royal Navy ship.
:10:46. > :10:47.Finally she headed to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia,
:10:48. > :10:53.Our defence reporter Scott Bingham has been onboard.
:10:54. > :11:00.Arriving back in Plymouth Sound, the final leg of the journey
:11:01. > :11:05.which has seen her sail a distance almost seven times around the world.
:11:06. > :11:10.HMS Enterprise left Plymouth on the 4th of June 2014.
:11:11. > :11:14.That means she has been on deployment nearly three years.
:11:15. > :11:16.During her deployment, she rescued over 9,000 migrants
:11:17. > :11:18.in the Mediterranean, more than any other
:11:19. > :11:29.I have seen my sailors reach over and pull a man from the sea
:11:30. > :11:32.who was going down for the last time, just his hand above the water.
:11:33. > :11:33.Professionalism, bravery, cool nerve.
:11:34. > :11:36.Absolutely humbling to watch them do it.
:11:37. > :11:41.My ship's company have been absolutely magnificent.
:11:42. > :11:43.Whilst the ship may have been away three years, Enterprise's crew,
:11:44. > :11:49.including the captain, works on a rotation with 15 weeks
:11:50. > :11:56.It means you can plan ahead and you're not away at sea
:11:57. > :12:04.You can come back, see your family, and then go back out again.
:12:05. > :12:09.These twins have been waiting since January to see Daddy again.
:12:10. > :12:19.Enterprise will now undergo a period of maintenance and sea trials
:12:20. > :12:25.before heading back out on deployment in July.
:12:26. > :12:27.And the maritime theme continues later in the programme as some
:12:28. > :12:32.of the world's largest sailing vessels gather in South Devon.
:12:33. > :12:35.Here in Torquay, the tall ships are arriving for the start
:12:36. > :12:37.of tomorrow's transatlantic race, the first leg heading
:12:38. > :12:43.And this time last year, most of our reservoirs
:12:44. > :12:48.They're not like that at the moment and we haven't had a lot of rain.
:12:49. > :12:57.All the details with me later in the programme.
:12:58. > :12:59.It's been an amazing weekend of sport, topped off
:13:00. > :13:01.by Plymouth Argyle clinching automatic promotion
:13:02. > :13:10.They did it in style, beating Newport 6-1 at Home Park.
:13:11. > :13:12.For Chief Executive Martyn Starnes it's now three promotions
:13:13. > :13:18.As he told Natalie earlier, he's still delighted.
:13:19. > :13:20.I am feeling very good, thank you, Natalie.
:13:21. > :13:25.It was a fantastic performance yesterday and to get over the line
:13:26. > :13:28.and get promotion to League 1 means that we are all extremely
:13:29. > :13:31.If you're going to clinch promotion early then it is good
:13:32. > :13:34.to do it convincingly, but six goals!
:13:35. > :13:35.Could you believe what you were seeing?
:13:36. > :13:37.No, you couldn't make it up, could you?
:13:38. > :13:40.Probably the best performance I have seen at Home Park
:13:41. > :13:45.The goals were quality as well and it was magnificent for the fans
:13:46. > :13:51.to see us get promoted in such a convincing fashion.
:13:52. > :13:54.What inspired the players to play like that, do you think?
:13:55. > :14:00.I think Matt Kennedy's goal settled everybody down.
:14:01. > :14:04.You could sense the relief amongst the fans and the players,
:14:05. > :14:07.and they just played with a lot of freedom and produced
:14:08. > :14:10.It was just one after the other, wasn't it?
:14:11. > :14:14.I don't know who was more excited at the final whistle,
:14:15. > :14:19.Was it the fans or was it the players?
:14:20. > :14:22.I think you've hit the nail on the head.
:14:23. > :14:24.I think they were both equally excited.
:14:25. > :14:27.The players have been under a lot of pressure to achieve
:14:28. > :14:33.And, of course, the fans have been through some tough times at Argyle,
:14:34. > :14:36.and over the last three seasons we have managed to improve
:14:37. > :14:39.on and off the pitch and there must be a sense of relief amongst
:14:40. > :14:44.the fans that we've finally got back to League 1.
:14:45. > :14:46.It's great to see the players so excited.
:14:47. > :14:49.What does League 1 mean for them and the club now?
:14:50. > :14:53.I don't think they will change too much.
:14:54. > :14:56.The players will go away for a break after we've finished the season,
:14:57. > :14:59.hopefully top of the league, cos we are still chasing Doncaster.
:15:00. > :15:03.But they will go and refresh and come back for the new season
:15:04. > :15:06.and they will want to challenge themselves in League 1.
:15:07. > :15:10.Do you think Exeter City are going to be joining
:15:11. > :15:12.They've got every chance, haven't they?
:15:13. > :15:15.They're still involved in the play-off fight.
:15:16. > :15:17.Slipped up yesterday 1-0 to Cambridge but, like you say,
:15:18. > :15:24.But we know how difficult getting through the play-offs is.
:15:25. > :15:26.We have experienced it twice ourselves in the last two seasons,
:15:27. > :15:32.and it's going to be on the day, if Exeter can perform on the day,
:15:33. > :15:35.if they finally qualify then, yeah, they could be joining us.
:15:36. > :15:40.Do you keep an eye on each other when you're playing?
:15:41. > :15:43.They look like they are safe now after a great victory yesterday.
:15:44. > :15:45.Yeah, I certainly keep an eye on what Yeovil are doing.
:15:46. > :15:49.I was there six years so I've got a soft spot for the club, obviously.
:15:50. > :15:52.The chairman actually text me earlier in the day to say,
:15:53. > :15:57."Do us a favour tonight," because obviously Newport
:15:58. > :16:00.were beginning to catch Yeovil from a relegation position in League
:16:01. > :16:05.2, as I said we'd do our best and of course he was delighted
:16:06. > :16:11.we won and delighted that Yeovil got a 3-0 victory as well.
:16:12. > :16:13.Lets leave League 2, but what do you think of Torquay?
:16:14. > :16:15.Do you think they're going to survive?
:16:16. > :16:16.They're in a very difficult position.
:16:17. > :16:19.I think they have got a couple of games left,
:16:20. > :16:22.I'm sure that Kevin Nicholson will get players motivated
:16:23. > :16:26.I think they're probably going to have to win
:16:27. > :16:33.And for Argyle, the rest of the season, you say
:16:34. > :16:35.going to be champions, is that the aim?
:16:36. > :16:37.Yeah, I mean, Graham Carey wants the championship,
:16:38. > :16:42.Derek Adams will want to motivate the players towards the title, so
:16:43. > :16:49.Thanks so much for coming in and well done to everyone at Argyle.
:16:50. > :16:55.Let's head to Torbay now where a fleet of tall ships has arrived.
:16:56. > :16:58.In a spectacular show of sailing prowess, they're here to prepare
:16:59. > :17:01.for the start of tomorrow's Rendez Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta.
:17:02. > :17:03.It's an international transatlantic race featuring some of the world's
:17:04. > :17:06.largest sailing vessels, and they'll cross the ocean twice.
:17:07. > :17:37.Our South Devon reporter John Ayres in Torquay for us tonight.
:17:38. > :17:40.Some of these sailors have never sailed before but they made their
:17:41. > :17:41.way here and will sail to Portugal tomorrow.
:17:42. > :17:43.It's a glorious sight as these magnificent vessels arrive
:17:44. > :17:47.It was here in Torbay back in 1956 that tall ships racing started.
:17:48. > :17:49.ARCHIVE: So, the race to Lisbon is on.
:17:50. > :17:51.How long it's going to take is anybody's guess.
:17:52. > :17:53.These trainees are getting ready for their voyage.
:17:54. > :17:57.Sometimes there is a bit of improvised sewing as well.
:17:58. > :17:59.But are they worried about their trip?
:18:00. > :18:04.The Bay of Biscay is kind of renowned for being a bit
:18:05. > :18:06.rough at points but, I mean, going so far,
:18:07. > :18:10.It can be challenging at times but, I mean, there's enough well-trained
:18:11. > :18:14.staff on board who can deal with it and make sure they learn fast
:18:15. > :18:16.enough so they can get the most out of the trip
:18:17. > :18:19.Staging these races raises the profile of Torbay, brings
:18:20. > :18:25.We are used to doing it, we have the space,
:18:26. > :18:28.we have the capacity and we welcome this kind of event because it's
:18:29. > :18:39.part of the culture, it's part of Torbay's heritage.
:18:40. > :18:41.Visitors will be able to see the ships close-up
:18:42. > :18:52.in Torquay Harbour until they sail off to Portugal tomorrow.
:18:53. > :19:02.I'm joined by the grace chairman James Stevens. What does it involve?
:19:03. > :19:10.This is a long race, starting from here, going to Portugal on the first
:19:11. > :19:16.leg, across to Bermuda, then Boston USA, Qu bec, Halifax Nova Scotia and
:19:17. > :19:20.back to France. Two transatlantics. A huge number of people are trainees
:19:21. > :19:28.and had never done it before. Does it worry you? It will be a huge
:19:29. > :19:34.challenge and adventure and that is one of the reasons we do it. What is
:19:35. > :19:38.a typical day like on-board? You have to do everything on board,
:19:39. > :19:46.steer, trim the sales, cook, clean-up. These young trainees, it
:19:47. > :19:49.is a big learning curve and they have to learn how to do it before
:19:50. > :19:55.they reach the Atlantic, only a few days away. Lots of places would love
:19:56. > :20:01.to have this race so what is it about Torbay? It is to read expect a
:20:02. > :20:09.call and this is a great place for the ships, nice sheltered bay and
:20:10. > :20:13.natural amphitheatre. The starters tomorrow at five o'clock, so you get
:20:14. > :20:18.a very good review here. The race is tomorrow, starting just off Berry
:20:19. > :20:27.head at 5pm. It looks like a glorious evening in
:20:28. > :20:31.Torquay. We thought we would put David on the
:20:32. > :20:34.roof again tonight. It is looking glorious up there as well.
:20:35. > :20:43.It is a smashing view. I have also noticed there is a chill in the air
:20:44. > :20:46.and I think that will be the case tonight. Last night we saw
:20:47. > :20:52.temperatures down to 3-4. Tonight it could be colder. The forecast for
:20:53. > :20:59.tomorrow is potentially to see some frost, not unusual to see frost in
:21:00. > :21:06.April but temperatures down as low as -2, -3 is pretty nippy. The rest
:21:07. > :21:10.of the day is fine and dry and we should get sunshine with generally
:21:11. > :21:15.like winds, mainly easterly for the start of the tall ships race. We are
:21:16. > :21:19.still under the influence of high-pressure, a lot of clear sky,
:21:20. > :21:24.but there is a weather front drifting down from the North, pretty
:21:25. > :21:31.weak by the time it gets towards us but it introduces a little more
:21:32. > :21:37.cloud. But Thursday could be rather cloudy but still effectively dry. By
:21:38. > :21:42.Friday, another cold front coming from the north but by the time it
:21:43. > :21:47.gets to us it is weak, little if any rain in the forecast. That is the
:21:48. > :21:51.story as we head through the week and I'm to the weekend, no
:21:52. > :21:59.appreciable rain to fall across the south-west. Sky is largely clear
:22:00. > :22:02.tonight, a chilly night, a few shallow mist and fog patches could
:22:03. > :22:09.form here and there. Temperatures could get as low as -2, minus three.
:22:10. > :22:13.A chilly start to the day, some frost, particularly in the
:22:14. > :22:19.countryside away from the coast. But another fine day, lots of sunshine,
:22:20. > :22:25.some patchy cloud drifting in from the north later in the day, but a
:22:26. > :22:31.lot of fine and dry weather. Not particularly warm even with light
:22:32. > :22:38.winds. 12, 13, 14 degrees. For the Isles of Scilly, plenty of sunshine
:22:39. > :22:53.and light winds. Here are the times of high water. With easterly winds,
:22:54. > :22:57.or will not be huge waves. A generally fair coastal waters
:22:58. > :23:02.forecast. Good visibility. Here is the outlook to the end of the week.
:23:03. > :23:06.More cloud on Thursday and potentially briefly on Friday
:23:07. > :23:10.morning but a lot of dry weather and the question must be asked, when
:23:11. > :23:17.will we see some rain? I can't see any over the next five or six days.
:23:18. > :23:26.Our late news is that 10:50pm tonight but we leave you with some
:23:27. > :23:29.lovely sunshine in Torbay.