Blair stays home to boost tourism

The Blairs will holiday in Cumbria and France

Tourism and farmers' leaders have welcomed news that Prime Minister Tony Blair is to spend a long weekend in Cumbria.

He is expected to arrive in the county - which was ravaged by the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic last year - on Thursday.

Farmers in Cumbria are still bound by restrictions on the movement of livestock while the county's tourist industry lost an estimatedf £400m as a result of the outbreak.

Speculation is rife the Blairs will stay at an unnamed hotel in west Cumbria, before flying to the south of France for their main summer holiday.

Mr Blair will find that problems faced by the tourism industry are magnified in an area like this

Charles Garsight, hotelier

Tourism and agriculture leaders have called on Mr Blair to do more to help them following the crises of last year.

Hotelier Charles Garsight said it was "helpful" for Mr Blair to spend some of his holiday in his own country.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said a prime ministerial visit to Cumbria would be "particularly welcome".

It is thought Mr Blair and his family will be greeted in the county by arts broadcaster Lord Bragg.

The Prime Minister will also meet local farmers and tourism chiefs before visiting a livestock auction.

The Lake District suffered a downturn in tourist numbers

Downing Street has refused to confirm the plans.

Mr Garsight said: "Mr Blair will find that problems faced by the tourism industry are magnified in an area like this.

"It might concentrate his mind as to how important the industry is in Britain.

An NFU spokeswoman said any meeting with farmers would be particularly welcome as they anticipated the announcement that movement restrictions were to remain in place.

She said: "It is good news that Mr Blair is coming back now that foot-and-mouth has gone but Cumbria still has a lot of problems resulting from the disease.

"Farmers at the moment are facing quite a lot of difficulties with the expected announcement that the 20-day livestock standstill rule will remain in place."