Airbus, which has more than 14,000 employees across the UK including in Portsmouth, has spoken out on the Government’s Brexit plans today.
The strongly worded statement by Tom Enders, the Chief Executive Officer at Airbus, has called on Ministers to “not listen to the Brexiteer’s madness”.
City MP Stephen Morgan has been working with Airbus in the city, listening to the company’s concerns and fighting for a ‘sector deal’ to keep these vital jobs provided by the company in Portsmouth.
The announcement comes at a time that analyse shows the effects of a no-deal Brexit and calls across political parties for Theresa May to rule it out.
Preparations for ‘no deal’ are costing £170,000 per hour and could be easily avoided if the Government were to take this option off the table.
Airbus’ comments clarify what Mr Morgan has previously said that ‘no deal’ would be disastrous for Portsmouth.
Tom Enders, Chief Executive Officer, Airbus has stated:
“The UK’s aerospace sector now stands at the precipice. Brexit is threatening to destroy a century of development based on education, research and human capital. If there is a no-deal Brexit, we at Airbus will have to make potentially very harmful decisions for the UK.
Please don’t listen to the Brexiteers’ madness which asserts that, because we have huge plants here, we will not move, and we will always be here. They are wrong.
In a global economy, the UK no longer as the capability to go it alone. Major aerospace projects are multi-national affairs.
It is a disgrace that more than two years after the result of the 2016 referendum, businesses are still unable to plan properly for the future. And we, along with many of our peers, have repeatedly called for clarity.
But, we still have no idea what is going on here.”
In response to Airbus’ statement, Stephen Morgan MP has stated:
“I welcome Tom Enders’ strong words on the future of Airbus in cities like mine. I have been lobbying the Government for a sector deal for some time, and comments like this from Airbus should hit home the importance of ruling out a ‘no deal’.
When I visited the site with the Shadow Brexit Secretary, we saw the valuable work that they do and the employment opportunities they offer. We cannot jeopardise this.
We must avoid a no-deal Brexit at all costs. When I met with local businesses, we discussed how a ‘no deal’ scenario would cost people jobs, damage the economy and drive businesses from our shores.
I met with the Prime Minister earlier this month to raise these concerns, her refusal to take ‘no-deal’ off the table is a testament to this government’s inability to steer us through these negotiations.
We cannot allow for the narrative of Mrs. May’s deal or ‘no deal’. Too much is at stake, we cannot risk the prosperity of Portsmouth.”
Labour has set out two credible options to break the Brexit impasse and prevent no-deal: negotiating an alternative Brexit deal that delivers a close economic relationship with the EU in order to protect jobs, living standards and workers’ rights; and; legislating to hold a public vote on the UK’s future relationship with the European Union.
Recently, the Portsmouth South MP has been working with Airbus to lobby the government to develop clear proposals for future interaction with EU space programmes.
This is particularly essential as the Europe’s flagship Earth Observation Programme, Copernicus is at stake. If the UK were excluded from the Copernicus programme this would be disastrous for the nations space sector.
