IT comes as absolutely no surprise, of course, that Gordon Brown's latest Budget contains its vote-winning goodies, notably help for first-time buyers and free bus passes coupled with council tax refunds for pensioners.

The Chancellor has probably done enough to seal a third term in power, although the kind of Labour Party complacency we saw during the regional government debate remains a danger.

But on the day Mr Brown was buying votes, new figures underlined the core problem facing our region: the devastating loss of 60,000 manufacturing jobs in the North-East since Labour came to power.

It must be acknowledged that the overall unemployment figures in the region dropped by 5,000 in the last quarter, but lower-value jobs in supermarkets and call centres are no long-term replacement for the skilled trades which are leaking with depressing regularity to other countries.

We appreciate the global economic challenges, and we endorse the investment in education which is ultimately aimed at generating higher-calibre jobs.

But, in the meantime, the North-East has a clear case for special measures to cope with the repeated blows it has had to take as a result of the decline in manufacturing.

Our biggest disappointment in yesterday's Budget was that not enough is being done to speed up the promised transfer of high-grade civil service jobs from the South to the North.

And, with the manufacturing industry warning that losses will continue, the need for action becomes more pressing.

If Labour does win its coveted third term, it cannot go on ignoring the urgency of the case for the North-East.