A HOUSE of Commons Early Day Motion has been tabled by one of the regions MPs as part of the fight to retain the Corus steel plant on Teesside.

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar said the EDM, which calls on Corus to look for a long term future for the Teesside Cast Products plant (TCP), had already attracted support from other MPs.

Mr Kumar said he called on the Government to do far more than it had up to now to see that iron and steel making did not die forever in the region.

He added: "The world is coming out of recession and the window of opportunity is open. We cannot afford to lose something so precious to our area for ever."

Meanwhile, there has been further criticism of the Governments £60m funding package for Teesside, unveiled earlier this week in the wake of the closure announcement.

Bob Bolam, a regional organiser with Unite, said the cash was not enough, adding: "What we need is a serious plan to be put in place to protect the manufacturing base across Teesside."

Clare Williams, a regional convenor with Unison, said the decision to mothball the Redcar plant could make already high rates of child poverty on Teesside even worse.

She added: "We have more than 10,000 members living in the area whose families and communities will feel the impact of this appalling decision. The fight for jobs is a fight for the whole community".

Rosie Winterton, minister for regional economic and co-ordination, said the money would help Corus workers find new jobs and skills, while at the same time allowing companies to invest in new opportunities.