LABOUR vowed yesterday it would not take its North-East heartlands for granted and outlined how people in the region face a real choice on June 7.

In an attempt to galvanise activists and prevent apathy being the only winner at the election, Minister for the Regions Hilary Armstrong unveiled a document entitled Choices for the North, at Nissan, Washington Wearside.

She said: "The North-East has been very loyal to Labour, but we do not accept that simply because of that tradition it will vote Labour again.

"There will be a choice in the North-East. It is the region that suffered most under 18 years of Tory rule, in which unemployment soared and communities fractured.

"People here had huge expectations of a Labour government in 1997, and they wanted a quick turnaround. Now unemployment in the region is down by 12,000 and we have reduced youth unemployment by 68 per cent."

Ashok Kumar, the MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, which has been hit by the imminent Corus closure, said: "In our constituency, unemployment was 14 per cent and now is barely six per cent, which is a great achievement, and the Government set up a Corus taskforce last year, so it has done its best to help people retrain."

Ms Armstrong, the MP for Durham North-West, said the biggest issue facing the region was its skills shortage. "Increasing people's skills is the greatest challenge we face," she said. "We have had great success at primary level, and now we have to move on to secondary so we ensure we get a better educated workforce."

Dari Taylor, MP for Stockton South, enthused about the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) which, after a successful trial in Middlesbrough, will be included in Labour's manifesto.

EMAs pay 16 to 18 year olds between £5 and £40 a week to stay on at school, depending on their parents' incomes.

Ms Taylor said: "The EMA gives them a sense of independence and the self-belief to help them develop."

Perhaps the biggest choice between Labour and Conservative in the North-East is regional government.

Labour's manifesto, to be launched on Wednesday, will commit the party to holding local referendums on setting up an elected regional chamber to oversee the running of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) of One NorthEast and Yorkshire Forward.

Ms Armstrong said: "I believe the region can play a leading economic role in the country because our people have the potential and we have to get the organisations that support them.

"If I am given the chance I will vote for a regional assembly."

In the Conservative manifesto, William Hague pledged to scrap the RDAs.