AN MP stood in the commons chamber to ask for a 'cast iron guarantee' that no Thomas Cook worker would be stranded abroad.

Chris Ruane, Vale of Clwyd MP, asked for every single worker to be paid in full for the hours they had worked since the company was declared bankrupt.

Grant Shapps, minister for Secretary of State for Transport, replied: "I have been as clear as I can about Thomas Cook workers. It is urgently a matter that I have asked the CAA to work on.

"The first priority is getting the 150,000 people home. Getting the employees home is obviously something, we are not going to leave people stranded.

"On the issue of pay, it is very tightly set out under legislation and insolvency situation and that is exactly what we followed."

Speaking to the Journal, Mr Ruane said: "This is a hugely troubling time for staff and customers of Thomas Cook.

“We have heard so many stories about how Thomas Cook staff went out of their way to help customers either abroad or at home despite being out of a job and I would like to thank them for doing so and the government should look at ways of ensuring they are paid for this.

“We really need to address a situation whereby bonuses of £4.6 million were still being paid out to individuals or the collective £47 million in pay and bonuses to directors in the last 10 years while the company was struggling and still taking money from customers.

“In the meantime, I hope the government does all it can to support staff and customers who have lost out because of this.”