I really welcome the way that local people used May’s local elections to vote for positive change. I will be meeting new Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston soon, and sat down last week with the new Leader of Redcar and Cleveland, Councillor Mary Lanigan.

While new ownership is sought for British Steel, the overwhelming priority of everyone is to keep its plants open and people in work, and that was my message in Parliament this afternoon.

The announcement that British Steel has placed itself into insolvency is an absolute hammer-blow for steel workers and their families. My number one priority is to ensure a sustainable future for the operations at Skinningrove and Lackenby.

We've become so used to really strong jobs data over the last few years that there's a danger of taking it for granted. But this is happening for a reason, because Conservatives are making the right choices supporting businesses and lowering taxes:

Yesterday's meeting of the Treasury Select Committee focused on business rates and provided chance to feed back some experiences of business owners I have spoken to across Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland - you can see how I am able to feedback your thoughts during these meetings in the vid

Over the last couple of years, we’ve become used to the drumbeat of good news stories about our local economy. Government backing for this giant new power station is another really important example.

It’s the first working day of the new financial year, and you’ll pay less income tax thanks to Conservatives. If you run a small business, you’ll pay lower business rates.

It’s a really proud day for Middlesbrough to have won the right to service and maintain HMS Enterprise, Echo and Protector. Shipbuilding and repair is one of our region’s historic strengths and this is a tribute to the skills of U.K. Docks.

The ONS’s summary of today’s brilliant UK jobs market news shows:

?‍? Employment at an all-time high
? Unemployment below 4% for first time in 44 years
?‍♂️ Fewest people economically inactive ever
? Wages up 3.4% - almost twice the rate of inflation

No story has captured our imagination more than the heroic work of Ben Houchen, our Tees Valley Mayor to rescue our airport.

That new future began this week. The Airport is now under our ownership, run by an excellent and ambitious commercial partner in Stobart.