18/04/2017 Spotlight

The Liberal Democrat leader welcomes the prospect of a general election.

The Liberal Democrats have been calling for an early election

and we'll be ready for an early election so we say bring it on.

Tim Farron was on a visit to Cornwall when he heard

the Prime Minister had announced the vote on June the 8th.

We'll also be at Westminster to get reaction from two

It's thought an online oversupply of accommodation may be affecting

And I'll be reporting from here where there is business is still

booming. We're on board as the ship comes

home after three years at sea. And a magnificent rendezvous of tall

ships as Torbay hosts the start Voters in the south-west

are being told the snap general election in June

will be their chance to change The Lib Dem leader Tim

Farron made the comment The party is hoping to make

a come-back here after being wiped off the political map

by the Conservatives in 2015. But while the party's pro-EU message

may prove popular in those areas who voted to remain,

how will it play out in a region We'll be hearing from our political

editor Martyn Oates, who's at Westminster in a moment,

but first Tamsin Melville He was flying into Newquay

when the snap election was called and, for Lib Dem leader Tim Farron,

along with all the other politicians, it has certainly thrown

things up in the air. In Truro to promote his party's

local election campaign, the message very quickly took

on a national tone. We say, "Bring it on," because this

is the opportunity for Britain to change its direction,

for us to say, "The government is taking us in a direction

that we as a country There is a possible hitch

to Mr Farron's positioning as the pro-EU choice in a place

like Cornwall, where the majority And his party lost all its MPs

across its traditional south-west heartland back in 2015,

so have the wounds caused by the Coalition had

a long enough to heal? The reality is that there

desperately needs to be a strong, It will begin here

in the West Country. This is the opportunity

for the people of the West Country to say to the rest of the country,

a good democracy is How excited the voters might

be by the proposition of another trip to the polls,

though, could be Difficult to know who to vote for,

to be honest with you. I found Brexit so disheartening

and the whole process so disheartening and,

yeah, anything that would reverse that, from my point of view,

would be really good but I can't see that the general

election will do that. But with MPs set to approve

the election tomorrow, We can now go live to our political

editor Martyn Oates in Westminster. An unexpectedly busy day

there today, Martyn? As we saw, the Southwest played a

pivotal and dramatic role in the last general election in 2015. Will

that be the case again if the Commons approves the request for a

general election on June eight? I'm joined by two MPs, George Eustace

and Ben Bradshaw. George, is this about the Conservative Party? No, it

is about leaving the EU. The country made a decision year ago and the

country is united behind it. But we have people in Westminster, the

Liberal Democrats and Tim Farron, playing games. They are now

threatening not to vote for the final deal. You can't have a Prime

Minister going into a negotiation with the EU with so many people

saying they will undermine it and second-guess what she comes back

with so it is time to clear their and we need a strong leader, which

we have in Theresa May. People have the choice between Jeremy Corbyn and

Theresa May. Jeremy Corbyn has welcomed this announcement. It is

difficult for you as a persistent critic of him. This is nothing to do

with the national interest. The reason Theresa May has changed her

mind on a general election is solely in the party interest. This will be

about the type of Brexit the country moves towards. The Conservatives

have made it clear they want the most and hardest Brexit. We will be

fighting for a Brexit that defends living standards, jobs and trade and

investment in the West Country and elsewhere and I will be fighting on

my local record in Exeter if Parliament approves the election. We

will know by this time tomorrow whether we will have a general

election on genetic. -- June eight. Easter is often seen as the litmus

test as to how well the south-west's tourism industry is doing,

and with the good holiday weather you might expect it's

been a bumper start. And while for some that's certainly

the case, it hasn't been Our reporter Heidi Davey

is at Crealy Adventure Park On a beautiful evening like this, it

is easy to see why Crealy has been so popular over the Easter weekend.

The sun is shining and we are here in the glamping area. They also have

lodges and a campsite. That is all solidly booked up ready much. They

attribute that to the fact the school holidays have been staggered.

Devon and Cornwall are back at school but elsewhere schools are

enjoying the whole week off. Business leaders are hopeful it will

bring in a lot of extra revenue to the south-west. On tourism boss says

it is not the same across the entire sector and one of the main reasons

is overcapacity due to online services such as Airbnb. Our

Cornwall reporter has investigated. It has been lovely Easter weather,

a good deal of sunshine and very little rain meant it was very

pleasant for these visitors But even so, there has been

a feeling it hasn't been as busy as expected,

or as usual. The feedback from the industry,

certainly from hotels and holiday parks, it has been a good Easter,

but I think there are some B and some other people who actually

haven't seen the same level of business, so overall we are happy

but we are not delighted. And he partly blames

the online room rental Airbnb. Airbnb have actually brought

in a lot of new hosts in Cornwall. That is a lot of extra accommodation

and I think in a way they are in danger of swamping

the market for that type of product. So, we have tea and coffee

making facilities. This guesthouse has done well

but it is not as busy Like many in the industry,

is concerned that people doing Airbnb are not aware

of the rules and regulations. One of the biggest issues

is fire risk assessment. There are a huge amount of things

we have to go through on that. That includes fire extinguisher

tests and evacuation plans, fire doors and signage,

fire drills, and then there is public liability insurance,

food safety and hygiene qualifications, testing

of electrical appliances, and so it goes on -

around 145 pieces of legislation I mean, there is no doubt

that Airbnb have got people talking about how

the tourism industry works. But I think the tourist associations

need to play their part in making sure people are kept safe whilst

they are enjoying their holidays because that is the biggest fear

that we have, that standards are going to drop if organisations

like Airbnb are going to be allowed to operate in the way

they are operating at the moment. In a statement this afternoon,

Airbnb said it is keen to work with Visit Cornwall to promote

responsible sharing. It says Airbnb allows families to share their arms

and welcome more visitors to Cornwall. One man who welcomes

visitors to Devon is Josh, the manager here. How busy have you been

over the Easter weekend? It has been great, really busy. With the

staggered Easter holidays, we have seen tens of thousands of people

staying here. We have had a bumper time and beaten targets and set a

new record for us. Has been staggered made that real difference?

Yes, more people over a longer period of time, people from out of

the county, Midlands, South Wales, all over the UK, after we invested a

lot of money in accommodation we have seen more people having their

holidays at Crealy and in Devon. Ayew hopeful looking ahead to the

May bank holidays and the summer? It is always difficult looking at the

May bank holiday after a good Easter but hopefully. You couldn't ask for

a better advert with this weather. We are invested heavily in new

rights, attractions, accommodation. It is hopefully going to be a bumper

May bank holiday and into the summer season.

She's covered 150,000 nautical miles and visited 20 countries,

but today the survey ship HMS Enterprise sailed back

into Devonport after nearly three years at sea.

She left in June 2014, heading to the Mediterranean

In the months following, she conducted survey operations

in the Gulf and Red Sea, and helped to refurbish

In 2015, Enterprise and her crew returned to the Mediterranean

where they rescued more than 9,000 migrants from the sea,

the highest number ever recovered by a Royal Navy ship.

Finally she headed to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia,

Our defence reporter Scott Bingham has been onboard.

Arriving back in Plymouth Sound, the final leg of the journey

which has seen her sail a distance almost seven times around the world.

HMS Enterprise left Plymouth on the 4th of June 2014.

That means she has been on deployment nearly three years.

During her deployment, she rescued over 9,000 migrants

in the Mediterranean, more than any other

I have seen my sailors reach over and pull a man from the sea

who was going down for the last time, just his hand above the water.

Professionalism, bravery, cool nerve.

Absolutely humbling to watch them do it.

My ship's company have been absolutely magnificent.

Whilst the ship may have been away three years, Enterprise's crew,

including the captain, works on a rotation with 15 weeks

It means you can plan ahead and you're not away at sea

You can come back, see your family, and then go back out again.

These twins have been waiting since January to see Daddy again.

Enterprise will now undergo a period of maintenance and sea trials

before heading back out on deployment in July.

And the maritime theme continues later in the programme as some

of the world's largest sailing vessels gather in South Devon.

Here in Torquay, the tall ships are arriving for the start

of tomorrow's transatlantic race, the first leg heading

And this time last year, most of our reservoirs

They're not like that at the moment and we haven't had a lot of rain.

All the details with me later in the programme.

It's been an amazing weekend of sport, topped off

by Plymouth Argyle clinching automatic promotion

They did it in style, beating Newport 6-1 at Home Park.

For Chief Executive Martyn Starnes it's now three promotions

As he told Natalie earlier, he's still delighted.

I am feeling very good, thank you, Natalie.

It was a fantastic performance yesterday and to get over the line

and get promotion to League 1 means that we are all extremely

If you're going to clinch promotion early then it is good

to do it convincingly, but six goals!

Could you believe what you were seeing?

No, you couldn't make it up, could you?

Probably the best performance I have seen at Home Park

The goals were quality as well and it was magnificent for the fans

to see us get promoted in such a convincing fashion.

What inspired the players to play like that, do you think?

I think Matt Kennedy's goal settled everybody down.

You could sense the relief amongst the fans and the players,

and they just played with a lot of freedom and produced

It was just one after the other, wasn't it?

I don't know who was more excited at the final whistle,

Was it the fans or was it the players?

I think you've hit the nail on the head.

I think they were both equally excited.

The players have been under a lot of pressure to achieve

And, of course, the fans have been through some tough times at Argyle,

and over the last three seasons we have managed to improve

on and off the pitch and there must be a sense of relief amongst

the fans that we've finally got back to League 1.

It's great to see the players so excited.

What does League 1 mean for them and the club now?

I don't think they will change too much.

The players will go away for a break after we've finished the season,

hopefully top of the league, cos we are still chasing Doncaster.

But they will go and refresh and come back for the new season

and they will want to challenge themselves in League 1.

Do you think Exeter City are going to be joining

They've got every chance, haven't they?

They're still involved in the play-off fight.

Slipped up yesterday 1-0 to Cambridge but, like you say,

But we know how difficult getting through the play-offs is.

We have experienced it twice ourselves in the last two seasons,

and it's going to be on the day, if Exeter can perform on the day,

if they finally qualify then, yeah, they could be joining us.

Do you keep an eye on each other when you're playing?

They look like they are safe now after a great victory yesterday.

Yeah, I certainly keep an eye on what Yeovil are doing.

I was there six years so I've got a soft spot for the club, obviously.

The chairman actually text me earlier in the day to say,

"Do us a favour tonight," because obviously Newport

were beginning to catch Yeovil from a relegation position in League

2, as I said we'd do our best and of course he was delighted

we won and delighted that Yeovil got a 3-0 victory as well.

Lets leave League 2, but what do you think of Torquay?

Do you think they're going to survive?

They're in a very difficult position.

I think they have got a couple of games left,

I'm sure that Kevin Nicholson will get players motivated

I think they're probably going to have to win

And for Argyle, the rest of the season, you say

going to be champions, is that the aim?

Yeah, I mean, Graham Carey wants the championship,

Derek Adams will want to motivate the players towards the title, so

Thanks so much for coming in and well done to everyone at Argyle.

Let's head to Torbay now where a fleet of tall ships has arrived.

In a spectacular show of sailing prowess, they're here to prepare

for the start of tomorrow's Rendez Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta.

It's an international transatlantic race featuring some of the world's

largest sailing vessels, and they'll cross the ocean twice.

Our South Devon reporter John Ayres in Torquay for us tonight.

Some of these sailors have never sailed before but they made their

way here and will sail to Portugal tomorrow.

It's a glorious sight as these magnificent vessels arrive

It was here in Torbay back in 1956 that tall ships racing started.

ARCHIVE: So, the race to Lisbon is on.

How long it's going to take is anybody's guess.

These trainees are getting ready for their voyage.

Sometimes there is a bit of improvised sewing as well.

But are they worried about their trip?

The Bay of Biscay is kind of renowned for being a bit

rough at points but, I mean, going so far,

It can be challenging at times but, I mean, there's enough well-trained

staff on board who can deal with it and make sure they learn fast

enough so they can get the most out of the trip

Staging these races raises the profile of Torbay, brings

We are used to doing it, we have the space,

we have the capacity and we welcome this kind of event because it's

part of the culture, it's part of Torbay's heritage.

Visitors will be able to see the ships close-up

in Torquay Harbour until they sail off to Portugal tomorrow.

I'm joined by the grace chairman James Stevens. What does it involve?

This is a long race, starting from here, going to Portugal on the first

leg, across to Bermuda, then Boston USA, Qu bec, Halifax Nova Scotia and

back to France. Two transatlantics. A huge number of people are trainees

and had never done it before. Does it worry you? It will be a huge

challenge and adventure and that is one of the reasons we do it. What is

a typical day like on-board? You have to do everything on board,

steer, trim the sales, cook, clean-up. These young trainees, it

is a big learning curve and they have to learn how to do it before

they reach the Atlantic, only a few days away. Lots of places would love

to have this race so what is it about Torbay? It is to read expect a

call and this is a great place for the ships, nice sheltered bay and

natural amphitheatre. The starters tomorrow at five o'clock, so you get

a very good review here. The race is tomorrow, starting just off Berry

head at 5pm. It looks like a glorious evening in

Torquay. We thought we would put David on the

roof again tonight. It is looking glorious up there as well.

It is a smashing view. I have also noticed there is a chill in the air

and I think that will be the case tonight. Last night we saw

temperatures down to 3-4. Tonight it could be colder. The forecast for

tomorrow is potentially to see some frost, not unusual to see frost in

April but temperatures down as low as -2, -3 is pretty nippy. The rest

of the day is fine and dry and we should get sunshine with generally

like winds, mainly easterly for the start of the tall ships race. We are

still under the influence of high-pressure, a lot of clear sky,

but there is a weather front drifting down from the North, pretty

weak by the time it gets towards us but it introduces a little more

cloud. But Thursday could be rather cloudy but still effectively dry. By

Friday, another cold front coming from the north but by the time it

gets to us it is weak, little if any rain in the forecast. That is the

story as we head through the week and I'm to the weekend, no

appreciable rain to fall across the south-west. Sky is largely clear

tonight, a chilly night, a few shallow mist and fog patches could

form here and there. Temperatures could get as low as -2, minus three.

A chilly start to the day, some frost, particularly in the

countryside away from the coast. But another fine day, lots of sunshine,

some patchy cloud drifting in from the north later in the day, but a

lot of fine and dry weather. Not particularly warm even with light

winds. 12, 13, 14 degrees. For the Isles of Scilly, plenty of sunshine

and light winds. Here are the times of high water. With easterly winds,

or will not be huge waves. A generally fair coastal waters

forecast. Good visibility. Here is the outlook to the end of the week.

More cloud on Thursday and potentially briefly on Friday

morning but a lot of dry weather and the question must be asked, when

will we see some rain? I can't see any over the next five or six days.

Our late news is that 10:50pm tonight but we leave you with some

lovely sunshine in Torbay.