BELEAGUERED Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith came to the North-East yesterday to launch a pre-emptive strike against Labour's plans for a regional assembly.

It is almost certain that the Parliamentary path towards a North-East assembly will begin in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday when the Government's proposed legislation for the year ahead will be outlined.

Mr Duncan Smith hopes, after a tumultuous week of back-bench rebellion, that the new Parliamentary term will mark a fresh start.

"We had been doing very well for 11 or 12 months," he said. "We've had a bit of a flurry over the last week but have sought to bring that to a close.

"We have to present clear opposition to the Government and make sure we get off to a good start in the new Parliament against things like regional assemblies.

"I am not persuaded that the North-East as a whole will benefit. Certain parts, such as Newcastle, might benefit simply because it would be the hub of the regional assembly.

"But other parts of the North-East, such as Middlesbrough and the south of the region, don't feel like that."

Mr Duncan Smith acknowledged there was a problem with the region feeling too distant from Westminster power, but said the best solution was to give more power to headteachers, parents and hospitals.

With the reorganisation of county and borough councils, Mr Duncan Smith predicted that local power would be lost to a regional body.

He said: "How many people understand that the county councils, such as Durham, will be abolished? Do people feel comfortable with that?

"A regional assembly will strip powers away from people. It will ultimately make life more difficult for schools and hospitals, because they will be operating within another tier of government, and it will make the costs on the North-East even higher.

"Somebody needs to put forward a real sense of what the alternatives are."