Prime Minister Gordon Brown hits out at Corus

Feb 25 2010 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

AN angry Gordon Brown appears to have attacked Corus for mothballing its Teesside steel works.

The Prime Minister said he was angry at what happened to Teesside Cast Products (TCP) – with the loss of more than 1,600 jobs – and vowed to do everything possible to reopen the site.

He spoke out at Prime Minister’s Questions after being asked about the situation by Labour backbencher Dari Taylor, MP for Stockton South.

She demanded to know what ministers were doing and whether Corus’s parent company Tata was “unprepared” to sell the plant or talk to the Government.

Mr Brown said: “I share her anger about what has happened on Teesside, and the loss of 1,600 jobs in any area is something that is unacceptable.

“The loss of 1,600 jobs in an area which has depended on this industry for years and had a contract which would have been guaranteeing future work for many future years is more unacceptable and something we have to look at very carefully.”

This follows Lord Mandelson’s remarks in nebusiness yesterday when he urged Corus to be more flexible in its dealings with the Government in relation to the ongoing sales talks.

In response to Lord Mandelson’s comments, a spokesman for Corus said: “Corus has made it clear many times that approaches for TCP from all serious and credible sources are welcome and we have proved that by going to considerable extra expense and time in mothballing rather than closing the plant.”

Mr Brown continued: “We are doing everything we can to find a buyer for this plant. I have personally talked to Mr Tata and the chief executive of Corus.

“As we look for a potential buyer, we have also put £60m into the Teesside area so that can create new jobs, new training opportunities for jobs and new developments in the area that will give jobs in the future.”