‘Red wall’ Tory MPs demand support for aerospace amid fears for 30,000 jobs

Tory MPs are demanding more support for the stricken aerospace industry to prevent mass redundancies, as new figures show more than half of jobs in the sector are in “red wall” seats won by Conservatives off Labour at the last general election.

The future of aerospace jobs is fast becoming a major political headache for the government, with ADS, the main representative body for UK companies in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, warning this weekend that a total of 30,000 jobs across the UK are now potentially at risk.

Analysis conducted by the Labour party and approved by the House of Commons library shows that of 100,000 aerospace jobs in England and Wales in manufacturing, repairs and maintenance, more than 52,000 are in red wall areas in north Wales, the Midlands and the north, including the north-west, Yorkshire and the Humber.

Tory successes in dozens of these seats last December allowed Boris Johnson to storm to victory in the general election as Labour heartlands fell to the Conservatives, leaving the party suffering its worst defeat since 1935.

Last week in the House of Commons the Tory MP for Wolverhampton North East, Jane Stevenson, who won her seat off Labour’s Emma Reynolds at the election, told ministers her constituency was “home to aerospace companies that have seen an unprecedented and sudden collapse of demand”. She added that “Collins Aerospace is now sadly considering mass redundancies” and asked what more could be done to help save jobs.

Nadhim Zahawi, parliamentary under-secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, said the government had already provided the industry with more than £8.5bn of support, including through ​UK Export Finance, the Covid-19 corporate financing facility, research grants and the job retention scheme, and was discussing further help.

Other Tory MPs, including Andrew Stephenson in Pendle and Antony Higginbotham in Burnley, have also been lobbying ministers for additional support after hundreds of aerospace jobs were lost recently in their areas. Tory MPs in north Wales have also called for additional measures.

Last night Mark Menzies, the Conservative MP for Fylde, said he was asking whether more could be done for military aerospace, including Team Tempest – the project for the next-generation fighter aircraft to replace Tornado. “There are things that can be done on the military side of things that could really help, including on procurement and research and development,” he said.

Labour accused ministers of betraying communities. “Ministers have left our world-leading aerospace sector in a downward spiral,” said Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretary. “High-quality, well-paid jobs are being lost in communities that simply cannot afford to lose them because of government inaction.

“The government must bring forward a support package for aerospace which protects jobs in our world-leading sector and helps it to lead the low-carbon future. The failure to act is a betrayal of so many people who were promised this government would be on their side.”

Airbus has already announced it will cut 1,700 jobs in the UK, while Rolls-Royce has revealed the locations of an initial 3,000 redundancies in the UK. About 1,500 jobs are to go at the company’s manufacturing headquarters in Derby and surrounding sites in the east Midlands. Approximately 700 redundancies will be in Inchinnan, near Glasgow, with another 200 at its Barnoldswick site in Lancashire, and 175 in Solihull, Warwickshire. There will be smaller cuts at Rotherham, Washington, Denby, Bristol, Ansty near Coventry and London Heathrow.

General Electric is to cut 369 jobs at its aircraft engine maintenance plant in south Wales. The announcement comes on top of 180 posts already lost at the site since the coronavirus crisis began through voluntary redundancies.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of ADS, said: “The UK aerospace sector is facing a serious challenge as a result of the pandemic, with up to 30,000 jobs at risk. We expect the industry to experience a slow recovery before demand fully returns.

“Since the start of the crisis the government put welcome measures in place to limit the loss of the high-value jobs provided by this industry. In the weeks and months ahead our companies will need further specific support to protect their long-term competitiveness.

“We are urging the government to boost support for industry to develop low-carbon aerospace technology in the UK, make sure small firms have the financial support they need, and use the power of public procurement.”

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