“WE will not play fast and loose with North-East jobs.”

That was the vow of Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls in a visit to the North-East yesterday (Thursday, February 19).

Mr Balls made the commitment as he unveiled Labour’s General Election economic battle plan.

The party says it will pour billions into the region and hand local officials more power to shape its future.

It also sets out proposals to make the UK a leader in the EU to protect the region’s strong export market, and promises to create thousands of apprentices every year, cut small business tax and raise the minimum wage to £8 before 2020.

His comments come after Chancellor George Osborne last year accused the party of being chaotic and too focused on London.

Speaking to The Northern Echo while touring door maker Cotswold Manufacturing, based in Thornaby, near Stockton, Mr Balls said Labour would help hard-hit working families.

He said: “It’s not enough to have more jobs, we need more good jobs.

“The number of apprenticeships in the North-East has gone down and part of our plan is to increase that number and get the skills we need.

“We will not play fast and loose with North-East jobs; the Tories are saying that.

“We will guarantee every school leaver that gets the right grades gets a high quality apprenticeship, just as people with good A-levels have a right to go to university.

“Also, when the Conservatives say their plan is working, most people say who is it working for?

“That’s why we will put small businesses first with lower taxes, because cashflow holds them back more than other firms.

“This would cut and freeze rates for 71,000 companies in the North-East.

“Increasing the minimum wage would lift wages for 76,200 low paid roles in this region too.”

Mr Balls walked around Cotswold’s factory and spoke to staff before lending a hand on the production line.

He said it was important the next Government looked closely at the EU, but said Labour would ensure the UK remained part of Brussels to prolong the North-East’s status as the only British region with an export trade surplus.

He added: “We must make sure we support our smaller companies, as well as our larger ones, because they are very important to us.

“I’m really glad we did not join the Euro.

“If you look at it now, you see it’s having a really hard time.

“Nissan is a major employer in this region and it is not going to stay in the UK if we are out of the EU.

“It would be a big risk to long-term investment if we left.

“We are not going to do that.”

However, late last year, Mr Osborne, also speaking to The Northern Echo, warned Labour would deliver a chaotic term in office.

While acknowledging the North-East must brace itself for more austerity to nurse the economy back to full health, he said: “The region’s economy is creating jobs faster than almost any other part of the country.

“But we have got to do more to re-balance the economy and make sure we don’t put the bets on London, as the last lot (Labour) did.

“People must ask if they want to go with the long-term plan that has created jobs or go back to square one and the chaos of the past?”

Founded in 2005, Cotswold previously spent £750,000 to build a centre to make timber doors and screens for schools, hospitals and offices, saying it would help lift turnover towards £10m.