Last week the local news was dominated by events at Coryton refinery. I am sure we are all hopeful that a long-term solution can be found to a problem which has nothing to do with the business of the refinery and everything to do with continued turbulence in the financial markets.

The management has been working around the clock for weeks to address these issues. The conduct of the workers and their representatives in Unite has been exemplary, the Energy Minister Charles Hendry and my East Thurrock colleague Stephen Metcalfe are in close touch with the situation and everyone is pulling together to find a solution.

On these occasions, the Government and political leaders need to show due discretion in how they support the business. In business, confidence is all. Rumour can feed a frenzy which becomes self-fulfilling. It was therefore irresponsible for some politicians to be talking of imminent disaster, proving once again that empty vessels make the most noise. Those who don’t know the facts should keep their mouth shut and stop playing politics with people’s jobs.

They were of course aided and abetted by the media in the search for a good story, the BBC adopting a particularly sensationalist approach. Thankfully the panic-buying of petrol seems to have petered out, reassuring us that people are clever enough to work out the real story beyond the hype.

But there is a lesson in all of this. We need to start having a different sort of conversation. Not everything is doom, gloom and disaster.

The situation at Coryton is very difficult, but it isn’t without hope. People should stop talking Thurrock down.

Whether we are in media, politics or business, when we are privileged to hold positions of leadership we should do so in the spirit of supporting the community and acting as local champions. That is what the people of Thurrock deserve.