I did an interview at lunchtime with BBC regional television about Alan Milburn's decision to stand down as Darlington MP.

It struck me afterwards that when I first became editor of The Northern Echo ten years ago, most of the Cabinet were North-East MPs.

It was fantastic for a North-East regional paper like the Echo. Not only were we the local paper of the Prime Minister but we had Alan Milburn, Stephen Byers, Mo Mowlam, Peter Mandelson, Nick Brown, David Clark, and Hilary Armstrong at the heart of Government.

In the 2001 election, The Northern Echo was the local paper for the leaders of the two main parties - Tony Blair in Sedgefield and William Hague in Richmond.

Their constituencies met half way across the bridge at Croft-on-Tees, on the outskirts of Darlington.

The chances of something like that happening again are very remote indeed.

Alan Milburn's departure from the Commons signals the end of that era.

Although the region still has David Miliband as Foreign Secretary, gone are the days when The Northern Echo could bask in the glory of being the local paper for half the Government.

It's not going to be the same - there'll certainly be fewer requests to appear on TV and radio.