Speaking in the House of Commons this week, Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies made fresh calls for further support for Airbus in Broughton, and “its highly skilled staff”, during these uncertain times.
In July, Airbus revealed plans to make 15,000 redundancies worldwide, with 1,435 of the 1,700 UK redundancies at its site in Broughton, near Chester.
After the UK Government provided £6bn in sector-specific support, James questioned the Government over what further support could be provided.
In the House of Commons on Tuesday he raised Airbus Broughton’s case again, when questioning the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, over support for businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.
He said:
“Many businesses in the Vale of Clwyd welcome the measures that the Chancellor announced last week, but some local and regional employers of all sizes still face significant challenges - none more so than Airbus. Will my right hon. Friend recommit to doing all he can to support Airbus and its highly skilled staff at this particularly uncertain time?”
The Secretary of State told James that the UK Government is currently providing the aerospace and aviation sector with over £8.5 billion of support through the covid corporate financing facility, R&D grants, loan guarantees and export support, and said that they are in regular dialogue with Airbus, to see how they can assist it and its employees.
Speaking afterwards, James, said:
“I very much welcome the UK Government’s commitment to supporting Airbus at this extremely difficult time for the company and its employees, a substantial number of whom are from the Vale of Clwyd.
“The Broughton Airbus site and regional supply chain companies have been a key part of the life and the economy of North East Wales for many years and news in the Summer of these vast redundancies was a devastating blow for workers and their families, as well as the wider community.
“Since the redundancies were announced in July, I have been in regular dialogue with officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Minister for Business, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Airbus management to discuss a way forward that would reduce the number of jobs at risk and I will continue working towards this end.”
