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has certainly breathed life into this election campaign, but what could a Liberal Democrat surge mean in our region?

If it's sustained, it would unquestionably lead to Nick Clegg's party winning seats here.

Assuming the current rise in support was reflected in all our constituencies, Labour would certainly lose the to them.

And they could also face a battle to hold onto seats in Newcastle and , a seat which was probably not in play before.

But it's possible that the surge might only translate into one or two gains from Labour.

In fact, as in other parts of the country, it's the Conservatives that would suffer the most.

The corresponding fall in the Tory poll rating could rob them of the chance to beat Labour in their crucial target seats of , , and - all of which they need to win to get a Commons majority.

To add to their woes, their hopes in Lib Dem-held , , and would also fade away.

In fact if most current polls were reflected in each of our constituencies they might not win a single extra seat in the North East and Cumbria.

Clearly with more than a fortnight of campaigning to go, and two TV debates left all this could change again.

And it's possible the polling is still just reflecting people's perceptions of who won the first debate, rather than any permanent shift in opinion.

But if the polls don't shift, the Conservatives are bound to be concerned that years of work in the region could have been undone in just 90 minutes of TV.

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