MP goes to Italy for Corus talks

There are 1,920 employees at the Teesside plant

The MP for Redcar is to fly to Italy to hold talks about the future of under-threat steelworks Corus.

Earlier this month a consortium of firms, led by Italian steel specialists Marcegaglia, pulled out of a 10-year deal, threatening nearly 2,000 jobs.

But Vera Baird said she was hopeful of saving the plant, after being invited by Marcegaglia for a summit.

She also said the talks in Mantua offered a "chink of light" for the Corus site, Teesside Cast Products.

The agreement which has fallen through was signed in 2004 and committed the consortium of Marcegaglia SpA, Dongkuk Steel Mills Co Ltd, Duferco Participations Holding Ltd and Alvory SA, to buying just under 78% of the plant's production for 10 years.

'Level-headed'

Ms Baird said: "My aim is to get consortium leader Antonio Marcegaglia to agree to come back to talks with Teesside Cast Products.

"I am pleased that he wrote back so quickly and asked me to go there.

"I think that as a matter of common sense, such a businessman would not be wasting his time and mine if he had turned his back on Teesside irreversibly, once and for all."

Last week government representatives including Business Secretary Lord Mandelson met with industry and union figures to discuss the situation at Corus, which is a subsidiary of Tata Steel.

Ms Baird added: "I am hopeful before these talks but I know my Redcar constituents are level-headed and realistic.

"I don't want to raise false expectations, but I see this meeting as a first chink of light."