IN the last two weeks, some of the most high profile Conservative politicians in the country have travelled north to meet with fellow candidates, members of the public and businesses.

Prime Minister Theresa May stopped off in Darlington on a whistle-stop tour of the North-East while Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has visited the region twice.

Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley, Brexit Minister David Davis have all made appearances.

Business Secretary Greg Clarke was the latest to show his face in the region on Friday (May 19), when he claimed the Tories were "very serious" in their bid to win the Darlington seat from Labour.

With an increasingly obvious absence from big-name Tory opponents, The Northern Echo has sought answers from the Labour Party over the shadow cabinet no-shows – and questioned a lack of high profile Liberal Democrats, Greens and UKIP representatives.

A Labour Party spokesman said it wants to assure the public it is hitting the campaign trail hard at grass-roots level and has promised several ministerial visits in the coming weeks – though details are yet to be confirmed.

So far in this General Election campaign, only Shadow Health Minister Jonathan Ashworth has reared his head for the party in the region – joining Jenny Chapman in Darlington and Bishop Auckland's Helen Goodman earlier this month.

However, Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Keir Starmer is expected to land in Darlington today (Monday, May 22).

The spokesman added: "Labour are campaigning hard to win in the North-East and our candidates are out on the doorstep talking to voters every day.

"Members of the Shadow Cabinet have visited the region to showcase Labour's policies and will continue to do so.

"For example, Jonathan Ashworth visited recently to highlight the damaging cuts the Tories are making to the NHS and outlined Labour's approach to making sure our hospitals have the resources they need.”

Councillor Greg Stone, of the North-East Liberal Democrats, said the party was still awaiting confirmation of leader Tim Farron's plans for the election campaign.

The politician said he knew Mr Farron was touring the country and hoped he would make a North-East appearance en-route to Scotland in the coming weeks.

He said he could understand why in this General Election the Tories were trying to build their reputation in the North-East.

Cllr Stone added: "Given that these visits generally involve brief stage-managed appearances behind closed doors, we question whether the Conservatives can really be said to be engaging with North East voters.

"We are prioritising our efforts in regional target seats including Berwick and City of Durham and we anticipate that Tim Farron's battlebus will be visiting the region before June 8.

"The most important work in any election is done by local candidates and activists knocking on doors, as our gains in Durham in May showed."

The Green Party and UK Independence Party did not respond to requests for comments.