Casinos ditched
Apr 6 2005 By Ross Smith, The Journal
Defection hits Labour
A labour hopeful defected to the Liberal Democrats just as Tony Blair announced he was sending the country to the polls on May 5.
Parliamentary candidate Stephen Wilkinson, who was due to contest the safe Tory seat of Ribble Valley for Labour , blamed an "increasingly authoritarian" party for his decision.
Mr Wilkinson said he was angry at Labour's failure to safeguard civil liberties and the decision to send troops into Iraq.
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said: "When Labour cannot even retain the support of their own candidates, it is surely a sign of things to come."
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Rose-tinted
About 80 MPs are set to leave at the forthcoming general election - with four Labour MPs preparing to stand down in the North-East.
John McWilliam (Blaydon) and Derek Foster (Bishop Auckland) both retire from their constituencies with 26 years experience in Parliament, while Durham City's Gerry Steinberg stands down after 18 years and Joyce Quin (Gateshead East and Washington West) after eight years.
Mr McWilliam, a deputy speaker in the Commons, said he was looking forward to spending time walking and in his garden, but admitted: "It's impossible to give up politics. It's in your mind, it's in the way you live. However, I do have a big garden."
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On the margins
Tony Blair kicked off Labour's election campaign in his party's most marginal seat.
He was whisked by helicopter to a sailing academy in South Dorset after revealing the date of the election. Jim Knight holds the seat with a majority of 153.
Mr Blair said: "All the time we have got to keep moving the country forward."
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TV date
The leaders of the three main political parties are set to appear on the same television stage for a pre-election grilling, it was announced last night.
Charles Kennedy, Michael Howard and Tony Blair will not discuss issues with each other on a special edition of Question Time on April 28, but will answer questions consecutively.
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Mugging up
Labour bosses last night issued their handbook for the May 5 election - all 533 pages of it.
It details the party line on everything from the economy, health, education and crime to world affairs and also provides rebuttals to Tory attacks, with ready-to-use quotes, answers to difficult questions and statements on "Tory lies".
The Journal: Today's Voice of the North
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