The announcement on Monday that a deal to rescue British Steel had been secured was a fantastic day for Teesside. Having worked flat out for nearly a year to get the deal over the line, I was delighted that the day we had all been waiting for finally arrived. Thanks to Jingye we have been able to save hundreds of Teesside jobs and open the door to a brighter future.

The last few months must have been a horrible time for workers who have carried on working so incredibly hard and professionally during all the uncertainty, and I want to thank them for their help in getting this deal over the line, along with the Government and trade unions. For the 70 employees affected by redundancy we have put in place direct support for them via the Grangetown Hub. So while the announcement of a rescue is of course good news, there are some Teesside families who will be badly affected, and it is important we work with them so they get all the support they need at this difficult time.