The Prime minister has responded to The Northern Echo's plea for action to ensure the future of rail manufacturer Hitachi. 

In March, bosses at the Newton Aycliffe based Hitachi factory raised concerns for its future, with large orders of trains staying on the books.

Hitachi stated that they needed a new order to fill its books to avoid a devastating crisis which could result in job losses or factory closure.

It was dubbed as a “fantastic example of world-class manufacturing” in 2023 by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - but the factory could crumble without orders. 

In an exclusive interview whilst on the campaign trail this weekend, Rishi Sunak told The Northern Echo that his government is taking action to save Hitachi by "being committed to a really robust rail manufacturing supply chain, because that's important to our country."

Over the past few months, suggestions of how to keep the factory afloat have been put on the table - yet none have so far succeeded.

Read our Northern Echo manifesto piece about the factory here. 

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Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh previously urged the government to secure the site’s future “with the stroke of a pen” and extend its current order - this cannot be done, responded Transport Minister Mark Harper.

On Saturday, Mr Sunak told The Northern Echo: "The investment that we're making in rail across the country is evidence of that, including in the North East, specifically on the Hitachi factory. 

"The Transport Secretary has been in regular dialogue with the company, the unions and representatives to work through the options and do everything we can to make sure that the supply chain is robust and the factory can have a sustainable future."