A MOTION to create a post-Brexit tariff-free trade hub in the North-East “would rewrite the rulebook” on economic growth, it was today claimed.

Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen’s push for the Tees Valley to gain free port status has been endorsed by 50 companies and individuals.

Free ports operate outside customs territory, meaning manufacturers can import and export goods without the burden of expensive duties.

Mr Houchen says giving the Tees Valley such status, which could see Teesport become a free port, would help re-balance the national economy, create jobs and act as a foundation stone for the planned re-development of SSI UK’s former Redcar steelworks.

Companies including Newton Aycliffe-based trainbuilder Hitachi Rail Europe, Whitby miner Sirius Minerals and Stokesley’s Quorn Foods have all signed Mr Houchen’s letter, which has been sent to Chancellor Philip Hammond, with the Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership regeneration body also adding its support.

The idea of a North-East free port has already secured cross-party political support, with Conservative Middlesbrough south and east Cleveland MP Simon Clarke and Labour’s Redcar MP Anna Turley adding their voices to the campaign.

Richmond Conservative MP Rishi Sunak is another advocate, having written in 2016 about how free ports have the potential to create 86,000 jobs nationally by providing an “engine for growth” in the years following Britain’s EU withdrawal.

Mr Houchen said: “When we leave the EU, Britain will find itself with more freedoms than at any time in almost half a century.

“We need to look to the future and at the opportunities that are ahead.

“Free port status for Tees Valley will be transformational for local people.

“Not only would we become an international magnet for businesses wanting to set up here, it would mean more jobs for local people.

“As we take back control of our trade policy, I want to ensure we capitalise on these new freedoms to ensure we are best placed to benefit from all that Brexit brings.

Paul Booth, Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership chairman, said the prospect of a free port was an exciting one, adding it would dramatically alter the region’s growth model.

He said: “The local business community is eager to see this become a reality. It would re-write the rulebook on what could be achieved in terms of growth.”

Jerry Hopkinson, chief operating officer at Teesport operator PD Ports, added: “It could represent a stepchange in how we do business for the better.”