Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said his party is not complacent about the chances of hanging on to a key marginal seat in the North East, as the party begins its annual conference.
Lib Dems will be battling in Berwick-upon-Tweed at the next election, the only seat they currently hold in the North East.
Veteran MP Sir Alan Beith held the seat with a majority of 2,690 in 2010 but Sir Alan is retiring after representing the area since 1973.
Conservatives have named the seat one of their official targets for the general election due in May next year, and hope that the loss of Sir Alans loyal personal supporters might cost the Lib Dems the seat.
Mother-of-two Julie Prksen, a former international development worker, will be standing for the Lib Dems this time.
Mr Clegg said: The Liberal Democrats have never been complacent about any constituency and have never taken any vote for granted.
I know that Alans hopeful successor in Parliament, Julie Porksen, is campaigning extremely hard.
And shes doing it hand in glove with Alan. I find it remarkable that after his long years of public service Alan still has the appetite, even though hes not standing himself, to get out on the doorstep.
Hes hugely popular and Julie is quite rightly working hand in glove with him so that people know locally that everything they valued in Alan is what they would also get from Julie as their local MP.
Other than Berwick, the only Lib Dem seat near the North East region is Redcar, in North Yorkshire.
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Nick Clegg: We're not complacent about our North East seat