The Teesside Evening Gazette has secured a meeting with Patricia Hewitt as a result of its campaign to save two steel plants.
Editor Steve Dyson and political correspondent Bill Doult were due to meet the Trade Secretary at her offices on Thursday.
The Gazette’s “Save Our Steel” campaign has drawn attention to the plight of 2,900 workers employed at Redcar and Lackenby.
Corus, which owns the plants, has announced that it will no longer use steel from them in two years time. It means they could be forced to close unless the steel can be sold elsewhere.
Earlier this month, the Gazette organised a Steel Summit in Redcar which drew a 300-strong audience to hear speeches about the crisis.
Dyson said: “The Government feels that the steel crisis is of such magnitude that it wants the Gazette to help them understand the issue.
“We will make sure that Hewitt and her department are given every cough and spit of what is happening on Teesside regarding steel during the meeting. Most importantly we shall highlight the strength of feeling on Teesside that the Government needs to be proactive and influential in what happens now.
“Far too often the London media and therefore the Government itself ignores the plight of the North East -especially Teesside. It’s vital that this newspaper acts to correct this bias.”
Following her briefing with the Gazette, Hewitt was due to travel to Teesside to meet management, union leaders and workers.
By Dominic Ponsford
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