PRIME Minister Gordon Brown visited Flintshire yesterday to support the area’s “brilliant” MPs.

He took tough questions from an audience at Flint Town Hall of students, pensioners and councillors.

But Mr Brown, accompanied by wife Sarah, praised the good work of Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami, Delyn MP and Police Minister David Hanson and Wrexham MP and Business Minister Ian Lucas.

In an exclusive interview with the Leader he said: “We are fighting every inch of the way and every second of the day.”

He said North East Wales was represented by “brilliant ministers”. “Here we have two national ministers that have made a huge impact to this area. I am here to support them. They do a great job for their constituencies.”

Questioned about recent job losses affecting Flintshire, most recently at Toyota in Deeside, Mr Brown said creating jobs was his priority.

“It is true to say that since we came into power there are 8,000 more jobs in Wales,” he said.

“That is largely thanks to the Future Jobs Fund.

“We want to make this our first priority. The other parties do not have the same support as we do.

“For example, we have invested in the electric car at the Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port. We are also fighting very hard for the Airbus industry, for the number of jobs and the number of apprentices that they are taking on.

“If the Conservatives come in, Airbus are in danger of losing a very important grant.”

Mr Brown also spoke out about small businesses, university education, tax and the NHS.