Deputy Labour Party leader Angela Rayner says Hartlepool can be at 'forefront' of green energy ambitions

Ms Rayner was shown around the EDF site, in Brenda Road, which earlier this month celebrated 40 years of generating electricity for the national grid.

She said Labour’s £28bn Green Prosperity Plan and 500m capital investment would benefit places like Hartlepool.

A British Jobs Bonus (BJB) would also give incentives to firms to invest in Britain’s industrial heartlands to create high-quality jobs for Britain’s construction workers, engineers, electricians, and the wider energy industry.

Ms Rayner also gave her backing for the future of nuclear in Hartlepool.

She said: “It’s been fantastic to visit Hartlepool Power Station and to see the sense of community as well as the economic footprint that this industry has here.

"You can see the different generations that work here, the skills that people have and the contribution it’s making to our energy requirements for the whole of the UK. It was inspiring to see that.

"As someone from the north of England, the sense of that industry that we had once, you can see that alive really well here and how it contributes to the local economy and the depth of history.

"I want to see this industry thriving and we want to see as we move towards a clean energy superpower by 2030 I want to see Hartlepool as a key component in that because we’re uniquely placed here to be able to deliver on that.”

With its infrastructure, skills base and location, Ms Rayner said Hartlepool is a “prime location” to help Labour meet its 2030 net zero targets and for the country to become more self reliant for energy supplies.

She was accompanied at the power station by Labour official candidate for Hartlepool Jonathan Brash.

He said: “Nuclear power is absolutely vital to Hartlepool. We want to make nuclear a part of Hartlepool’s future.

“It’s so important that once the life of this station comes to an end there’s new nuclear, new investment here so we can partner with our local colleges and schools to create the jobs of the future so we can ensure our economy grows going forward.”

Labour are keen to retake Hartlepool after the “kicking” of the Conservatives winning for the first time in over 50 years in a high-profile by-election in 2019.

Ms Rayner said: “It is key for Labour to get Hartlepool back. It’s always been close to Labour.

"It was painful to be in a situation where we lost and we had to reflect on that.

"We have changed as a party, we’re putting forward a credible plan for Hartlepool and for the rest of the United Kingdom.”

She added they were working to earn back voters’ trust, adding: “We’ve got to prove to people that the next Labour government is going to deliver in places like Hartlepool.”

Mr Brash said he would “fight every day” for the town if elected, adding: “It’s my future too, my kids’ future, it’s my family’s future.”