Mayor Ferguson's "Rainbow" cabinet

Bristol Mayor George Ferguson has announced his new cabinet, which now features members from four political parties.

Bristol City Council under fire

A survey has shown that Bristol City Council is the second highest user in the country of so-called 'gagging orders' on staff.

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Mayor Ferguson confident about Bristol's green bid

George Ferguson is en route to Brussels hoping to convince judges that Bristol should be named the European Green Capital of 2015.

The Mayor left with other delegates from the city this morning to put forward their final bid. The city is up against three others.

He spoke to us as he was leaving Bristol Temple Meads

Bristol's Mayor heads to Brussels

Bristol's Mayor George Ferguson. Credit: Rod Minchin/PA Archive

Bristol's Mayor, George Ferguson, and his seven-strong team will set off for Brussels today in their quest to make Bristol the European Green Capital of 2015.

They'll present their vision to a judging panel tomorrow morning (Friday). It's the second year in a row that Bristol has made the finals - narrowly missing out to Copenhagen last time.

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UKIP's Executive Chairman rejects Rees-Mogg's idea

Should the Conservatives form an electoral pact with UKIP? That's the suggestion being floated by some at Westminster - most notably Jacob Rees-Mogg, Tory MP for North-East Somerset.

In an interview for ITV West Country, he proposes a deal whereby UKIP would not stand against eurosceptics like him, and in return the Tories would not field candidates where UKIP has a chance of winning.

The idea's hardly likely to go down well with the leadership and on The West Country at Westminster UKIP's Executive Chairman Steve Crowther rejects the idea in any case:

Bristol's new Lord Mayor to be sworn in next week

Faruk Choudhury will be sworn in at a ceremony on Tuesday. Credit: ITV News West Country

Bristol is to get its first Muslim Lord Mayor.

Faruk Choudhury will be sworn in on Tuesday at the City Hall. At the age of 38 he's also the youngest person ever to hold the position.

He'll be Lord Mayor for a year and says one of the issues he wants to champion is organ donation amongst people from ethnic minorities.

The West Country at Westminster

The May edition of The West Country at Westminster, the monthly regional discussion programme hosted by Alastair Stewart.

Guests George Eustice MP (Con, Camborne and Redruth), Dawn Primarolo MP (Lab, Bristol South) and Steve Crowther, from UKIP, debate the impact of the Eurosceptic party's recent performance in the council elections and whether it should form a pact with the Conservatives.

And Dawn Primarolo considers Labour's decision to work with the mayor of Bristol by serving in his cabinet.

West Country MPs vote for 'rebel amendment'

Seven West Country Conservative MPs voted for the so-called 'rebel amendment' calling for an EU referendum last night:

  • James Gray (North Wiltshire)
  • Charlotte Leslie (Bristol North West)
  • Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater)
  • John Penrose (Weston-super-Mare)
  • Jacob Rees-Mogg (North-East Somerset)
  • Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury)
  • Justin Tomlinson (North Swindon)

All seven voted against the Government's failure to include the measure in the Queen's Speech.

And you can see more about that on our political discussion programme, The West Country at Westminster, tonight at 11.35pm on ITV.

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