DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott has ordered plans for a Northwest regional assembly referendum to be scrapped.

It follows overwhelming rejection of a trailblazing assembly scheme in the northeast of England.

Sir David Trippier, leader of the 'Northwest Says No' campaign described the assembly a dead parrot with no squawk left in it.

He said: "The Government spent millions of pounds across the North of England telling people how wonderful elected regional assemblies would be and how the great northern vote could us to make historic decisions.

"Then they realised that people in the Northwest and in Yorkshire and Humber were going to vote 'No'. Suddenly the referendum was postponed. Instead of the great northern vote, we had only the small eastern vote."

Wirral's Labour leader Cllr Steve Foulkes told the Globe the Northeast result had dealt a real blow to any hopes of a regional assembly.

He added: "If the Northeast result had been different and they had got their assembly, then I'm sure we would have gone on and done the same. But they didn't and that's politics."

Conservative group leader Cllr Jeff Green said: "I'm very pleased that the plans have been overturned. Following the Northeast referendum, it must have been clear that it was not going to work.

"My only regret is that the Gover-nment had spent so much money on promoting regional assemblies and had the farcical postal ballot which were also to promote the assembly."

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Stuart Kelly said: "The result was disapp-ointing. It's our position that there is a significant amount of public money being spent by quangos and these should be made accountable to the public."