North West: Another one bites the dust

Jim Clarke
Politics Show North West

Immigration minister Beverley Hughes, the MP for Trafford, resigned on Thursday 1 April. The reason ... unintentionally misleading parliament.

Beverley Hughes, MP, resigned ... or hounded out?

But was she a victim of her own incompetence, or was she dragged down by a yelping right wing press pack?

In the Parliamentary profiles her hobbies are listed as fell walking and jazz.

This week she must have wished she was 3000 feet up Scafell Pike listening to the Miles Davis Quintet.

On Politics Show North West we look back at a horrible seven days for Beverley Hughes.

A week that began with ringing endorsements from her boss David Blunkett ... and ended with her picking up her political P45.

Jim Hancock will talk to the Cheshire MP, George Osborne; the former Foreign Office Minister Tony Lloyd MP and Gary McKindow, the director of the Immigration Aid Unit.

We ask them whether Beverley Hughes should have gone and whether she was as incompetent as the Tories made out.

... Also is immigration the new poison chalice for ambitious politicians?

With the Mail and the Express on their backs can any Labour minister satisfy both the party and the Middle England voter?

... Also on Politics Show North West

Smokers enjoyed their last puff before the midnight ban

Since Friday 26 March 2004 lighting up and having a cigarette in pubs and restaurants across Ireland could cost you a hefty 3000 euro fine.

New legislation has come into force making it illegal to smoke in any enclosed workspace which includes the world famous Irish bars.

Liverpool will be closely watching how things are going over the water as it wishes to be the first smoking free city in Britain by 2008, the Capital of Culture year.

Nearly a week since the ban came into force our reporter Gill Dummigan is in Dublin to see just how things are going.

She will be joined by Scouse comedian Willie Miller, who has spent his life working in smoky clubs and smokes 40 a day himself.

Join them as they tour Dublin's cafes, pubs and bars talking to managers and drinkers.

We are live from a pub in the region that has already banned smoking.

Alan Jones the landlord of The Ring O'Bells pub in West Kirby made his pub entirely smoke free last year and since then has seen his profits almost double.

... And we speak to Chris Owens from the Smokefree Liverpool organisation who want to rid the city of all cigarette smoke by 2008.

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Let us know what you think. That is the Politics Show Sunday 25 April at Midday.

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