Press Release

Tories and Lib Dem defence plans betray thousands of workers

20 June 2008

The Confederation of Engineering & Shipbuilding Unions (CSEU), today reacted angrily at statements by the UK’s main opposition parties, which if implemented would result in the slashing of the UK’s defence manufacturing capability.

According to the CSEU, the Tory and Lib Dem strategies would cost the UK billions in lost export orders and result in the loss of tens of thousands of highly skilled manufacturing jobs.

Earlier this week, Liam Fox, Conservative Defence Minister, stated that a Tory government would scrap the UK's defence manufacturing base and instead buy equipment off the shelf from the United States.

This follows on from questions in the Commons on Tuesday 10th June, by Lib Dem Defence spokesperson Nick Harvey who asked whether the UK government had considered buying French-built Raffele Fighters for the new Aircraft Carriers as an alternative to the Joint Strike Fighter (Lightning), set to be built throughout the UK.

John Wall, general secretary of the CSEU said: "Now both the Tories and the Liberal Democrats have lined up behind astonishing anti-UK approaches to defence procurement.

“In recent weeks, the Lib Dems have tabled questions in the House of Commons which suggest they would hasten the demise of the UK’s defence industrial base, costing this country billions in export orders and result in the loss of tens of thousands of highly skilled manufacturing jobs."

Bernie Hamilton Chair of the CSEU Aerospace committee said: "The Tories have never changed their spots on the UK defence manufacturing sector. What they have in store for it will destroy it.

“To suggest that foreign-built and owned equipment should be supplied to our armed forces as an alternative to UK-built equipment is a betrayal of the tens of thousands of UK workers who produce world class equipment. This procurement strategy, if it were adopted would destroy what is left of the UK defence manufacturing base and lead to the loss of tens of thousands of UK workers’ jobs across the nation.

“Both of these strategies would destroy the UK's sovereign capability to supply our armed forces with the equipment they need and want and would at a stroke leave the UK dependent on other nations.”