Emily Thornberry reaches for the Trump playbook and tells Sky that saying Corbyn opposes nuclear power is “fake news”. Anyway, here is a video of Corbyn saying “No nuclear power. Decommission the stations we’ve got”.

Emily needs to consult Guido’s guide…

.@johnmcdonnellMP dismisses claims @jeremycorbyn cost Labour its Copeland seat after it was won by the Tories https://t.co/hsAzR3YEot

— Sky News (@SkyNews) 24 February 2017

McDonnell did the Corbynista media round this morning, the leader’s office is blaming Blair as Guido reported they would. Some other notable quotes from McDonnell: “They weren’t convinced that the party supported the nuclear industry”, “There’s mixed views on Jeremy”. #SaveJez…

Theresa May is visiting Copeland tomorrow – obviously the Tories believe they are going to win. The PM’s 700 mile round-trip comes with just over week left until polling day (23 February). Copeland has been Labour since the seat was created in 1983. She wouldn’t be going up there if the Tories didn’t think it was a cert….

Guido has noticed a recurring theme among Labour’s two by-election candidates: they both seem to be avoiding the press. By Guido’s count Gillian Troughton, Labour’s candidate in Copeland, has so far:

• Declined an invitation to appear on the BBC alongside her rivals
• Refused an interview with Channel 4 News
• Sent a ‘representative’ to a local hustings
• Dodged another public debate altogether

Gareth Snell, the candidate in Stoke-on-Trent Central has so far:

• Blanked a PA reporter, refusing to answer questions while out and about with Jeremy Corbyn (Guido revealed Snell had previously called Corbyn an “IRA supporting friend of Hamas” – watch them run here)
• On the same occasion refused to give an interview to ITV
• Even refused to give an interview to the New Statesman

It’s certainly getting up the nose of Michael Crick, who has been wistfully tweeting about the degree of access he had during the 1997 Wirral South by-election. Almost as if Labour are trying to hide the woeful lack of talent among their by-election candidates…

There will be no ‘progressive alliance’ to help Labour in Copeland: the Greens have gone kamikaze by selecting a loudly anti-nuclear candidate in a constituency where more than 10,000 people are employed in the nuclear industry, with thousands more working in its supply chain. Green Party candidate Jack Lenox says “no to nuclear”:

“All candidates except Greens are pro-nuclear… All three potential Labour candidates are pro-nuclear. We can’t let it go unchallenged… We will be campaigning against future nuclear development at Moorside… I remain entirely unconvinced that we need to build more nuclear power stations.”

A Green suicide mission likely to pick up a few hundred votes, could they end up costing Labour?

Labour have made much of their Copeland candidate Gill Troughton’s NHS links, billing her as a doctor and surgeon. Well, sort of. According to her LinkedIn profile Troughton was a junior doctor at Kent and Canturbury Hospital for eight months in 1991, then a junior surgical doctor at Frimley Park Hospital for another seven months until February 1992. After that she gave up the medical profession for a career as a school governor and councillor, though she has been a St John’s Ambulance volunteer since 2012. There is no Gillian Troughton in the General Medical Council’s list of Registered Medical Practitioners. Not quite the lifelong NHS career they’d have you think.

UKIP have trumped Troughton with their own candidate Fiona Mills, who has worked for the NHS for 24 years, most recently as an accountant where she “worked closely with clinicians to try to deliver quality services for patients and value for money for taxpayers”. Not exactly a nurse, though at least she’s worked in the NHS for more than a few months. Obvious why both parties are claiming strong NHS credentials, the local Keswick Hospital is a key issue for Copeland voters…