Sir Keir Starmer has said he “does not accept” the notion that a contract extension for Aycliffe train builder Hitachi is not possible as hundreds of jobs at the factory hang in the balance.

Speaking during a visit to The Northern Echo office in Darlington today (April 26), the Labour leader said Transport Secretary Mark Harper should go back to the table to figure out “options” for Hitachi before it is set to run out of work in the coming months.

Workers are currently making trains as part of a deal with Avanti West Coast, and there have been suggestions that an extension of this contract would keep the 750 jobs at the site secure until work begins on the joint HS2 contract with Derby-based Alstom.

The Northern Echo: Keir Starmer visits The Northern Echo office.Keir Starmer visits The Northern Echo office. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

However, Mr Harper said yesterday during a visit to Darlington that an extension “isn’t feasible” and instead said “the ball is in (Hitachi’s) court” to approach the government with options to solve an impending crisis.

Responding to the comments, Mr Starmer said: “I don’t accept what he (Mark Harper) says.

“I think he’s got a duty to save those jobs at Hitachi. It’s a fantastic success, those skills that are there, if they are lost it will be very hard to get them back.

“Hitachi is a really fantastic company to have on your patch as part of the badge of pride so he has to do something about it.

“I think there are options, he says there aren’t. I don’t agree with that.”

The Northern Echo: Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh visit the Hitachi plant in Newton Aycliffe.Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh visit the Hitachi plant in Newton Aycliffe. (Image: CHRIS BOOTH)

 

On Thursday, the Labour leader was joined by Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh at Hitachi, where he launched a new policy set to end the ‘boom-and-bust’ cycle for manufacturers.

During the visit, the leader said the party will “fix Britain’s broken railways” should they come into power and noted the “real anxiety” of Hitachi workers.

“In Hitachi there’s this real concern about the contract, you can feel the anxiety,” said Mr Starmer.

“I was talking to them yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, the anxiety of people there who’ve put a huge amount into what is a very successful business.”

“The immediate thing which is I do think there are options under the current West Coast contract that should be used, and I think it’s time to trigger those.

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“The longer term is we’ve got to have a better strategy for our railways. Yesterday we set out our strategy for the railways which is to take the franchises into public ownership as they expire. That will provide a much better train service because privatisation hasn’t worked.”

“(Mark Harper) needs to go back to the table on that. In all likelihood we will still be in opposition when this becomes a crunch point because it’s likely to be in the next few weeks or months.

“I will work with any political party or anyone to save those jobs. What the workforce I met yesterday didn’t want from me was a party-political broadcast, what they wanted to know was do you understand how anxious we are.”