THE TUC’s general secretary will warn that 100,000 North-East jobs are under threat from Brexit in a major speech in the region.

Frances O’Grady is to due to address the Northern TUC’s annual conference in Newcastle on Saturday.

She will say: “The Government’s own analysis shows that 100,000 jobs in this region are linked to trade with the EU. That’s one in twelve.

“But with just a year to go until Brexit, the people doing those jobs are in the dark about what’s going to happen.

“Ministers are so unprepared that we’re still facing a real risk of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal.

“And if that happens, the North-East will be hit harder than any other part of the UK, losing a massive 16 per cent of regional growth.

“Real wages in this region are still £15 a week lower than they were in 2008.

“Working people bore the costs of the financial crash. They must not pay the price of an extreme Brexit as well.”

Earlier this year a leaked Government report stated the economy of the North-East will shrink by 11 per cent even if there is a comprehensive trade deal.

Without it - a hard Brexit - GDP could be hit by 16 per cent, the analysis said.

However the analysis was later played down by Government sources.

Despite the doom mongering, Prime Minister Theresa May has predicted a bright future for the country outside the EU and claimed “our best days lie ahead of us” following Brexit.