Nigel Evans, Member of Parliament for the RibbleValley has today expressed his disappointment at BAE Systems' announcement that they have entered into a consultation process for a programme of 1116 potential job losses, including a potential 205 job losses in manufacturing at the Samlesbury plant in the RibbleValley.

Mr Evans said,

“Job losses at any time are disappointing but they are particularly felt during periods of economic difficulty. I sincerely hope that there will be no compulsory redundancies at BAE and that the company looks seriously at other job options on site or in other parts of the company so that any losses are minimised.

“In terms of Samlesbury, it seems that a large number of the jobs are going because Spirit Aerosystems, for whom BAE have worked on the airbus, are relocating their labour abroad.

“This should send a warning signal to the Government that more work needs to be done to keep manufacturing in the UK. These are difficult times for many companies and the Government must ensure that we retain British industry.”