Five years ago Boris backed Brexit joining the leave campaign

Prime Minister David Cameron making the case for Britain staying in the EU on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show. Picture: JEFF OVERS/BBC/PA WIRE

The Northern Echo’s report on Boris Johnson’s EU announcement

The then London mayor put an end to months of speculation, saying that David Cameron’s re-negotiation had failed to deliver fundamental change in Britain’s relationship with Brussels.

“I don’t think that anybody can claim that this is fundamental reform of the EU or of Britain’s relationship with the EU,” he said at the time.

His announcement —made outside his London home — was a huge boost for the “out” campaign.

It came as a bitter blow for David Cameron who had long believed his old rival from their days at Eton and Oxford would fall in behind his EU re-negotiation package.

Amid chaotic scenes, Mr Johnson insisted at the time that he had agonised over the decision before declaring his hand.

“The last thing I wanted was to go against David Cameron or the government but after a great deal of heartache I don’t think there is anything else I can do,” he said.

“I will be advocating vote leave ... because I want a better deal for the people of this country to save them money and to take back control.”

Earlier, Mr Cameron issued a last ditch appeal for the London mayor not to align himself with “outers” like Ukip leader Nigel Farage and Respect’s George Galloway.

Also that week, railway history was made as the world’s most famous engine officially returned to mainline running.

Hurtling past Eggborough Power Station, the Flying Scotsman speeds towards York. Picture: North News and Pictures

The Northern Echo’s report on the return of Flying Scotsman

The Flying Scotsman steamed into York watched by thousands of enthusiasts in the wake of its decade-long restoration.

The gleaming locomotive’s progress from King’s Cross was followed by millions through the media, online and in person along the railway itself.

And on two occasions the excitement reached such a point that the train had to stop for safety reasons. At one point up to 60 enthusiasts strayed onto the track - forcing the famous loco to a "shuddering stop" near St Neots, Cambridgeshire

The landmark journey along the East Coast Main Line was the locomotive’s first passenger-carrying outing after its thorough testing and commissioning process.

The engine had been owned by York’s National Railway Museum since 2004 when she was bought for £2.3m following a huge nationwide fund-raising campaign.

Then followed a painstaking programme of restoration that eventually took ten years to complete and cost around £4.2m.

Meanwhile, a last-ditch attempt to save the DLI Museum from closure failed as the North-East’s biggest council backed a budget containing £37m of cuts and a 3.99 per cent tax hike.

Supporters of the Save the DLI Museum campaign protest outside the council HQ in January. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

The Northern Echo’s report on the Durham Light Infantry Musuem

The Conservative group on Durham County Council suggested axing the council’s Durham County News magazine and centralising back office functions in order to give the Durham Light Infantry Museum, which was due to close on April 1, a one-year reprieve, as well as cutting parking charges and spending more on cleaning gullies to prevent flooding.

The council said the museum was heavily subsidised and the DLI collection had outgrown it.