Playing politics in the weeks leading up to a General Election is nothing new. You could go back decades and consistently find exaggerated or misleading promises by future Prime Ministers or senior Government figures that would fail to become reality.

Some of these statements can matter more than others. Commitments to lower taxes are often broken in future Budgets as economic circumstances change; vows to build new schools or hospitals are kicked into the long grass; major reforms usually cannot be achieved in one election cycle and are often shelved for more short-term, realistic ambitions.

But last summer, in the weeks before Labour secured a landslide election victory, their most senior figures made a very firm commitment for our region. Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe train building factory could be saved – and it could be done so quite easily in fact.

Hitachi’s demise, they said, was the fault of a tired Conservative administration that were too busy making soundbites and had abandoned any long-term serious plan for our railways and manufacturing. The company had been forced to review all remaining options after final attempts to plug a looming 18-month production gap were not approved by Tory Ministers. Hopes of an upcoming order of West Coast Railway rolling stock had been rejected by officials at the Department of Transport.

We were told it didn’t have to be this way. We were told our rail industry could thrive and lead the world once again. We were told there was just one major obstacle in its way: the failure and inaction of a Conservative Government.

In fact we were even told by Louise Haigh, the Transport Secretary could vary the existing contracts and give the manufacturers the flexibility and certainty to keep rail manufacturers open and safeguard jobs with a ‘simple stroke of a pen’.

Why does this ultimately matter? In the middle of all this are more than 700 Hitachi workers, with mortgages to pay, bills to navigate and food to put on the table. There are also many more businesses and thousands more workers in the supply chain who need Hitachi to succeed for their livelihoods to be secure also. They all deserve certainty and clarity for the future.

So if Hitachi could be saved so easily, why, already three-and-a-half months into office, has she not done this? Has the Government already run out of ink?

It should be pointed out that the mood music from all sides remains positive. The Government maintain they are working at pace with Hitachi to safeguard jobs and the future of the site at Newton Aycliffe. Rail insiders also appear to remain relatively upbeat a solution can be found.

These discussions will understandably be complex. The Business Secretary hinted earlier this month a number of options were being discussed – some of which had proven not to be suitable. Despite this, there remains genuine hope on both sides of a solution.

As the clocks went forward in the spring, we were told time was of the essence. Hitachi’s order book was running out and there were serious fears of job losses if a breakthrough could not be found. Now, just days before the hour hand jumps back and the darkness of winter approaches, it could appear there is no longer light at the end of the tunnel.

In just 10 days, Rachel Reeves will step up to the dispatch box and deliver her Budget for the first time as Chancellor. With the festive season not far away. there could be no better time for Labour to deliver on the promise they made to North East voters and give Hitachi workers the ultimate early Christmas present.

Labour strolled to election victory in July on a mandate of change from the broken promises of recent years. They have been given a chance to show they are different from their predecessors. They cannot let us down.

Prime Minister, you made Northern Echo readers a promise on Hitachi. Please stick to it.