Commenting on the news that Airbus have threatened to quit the UK Janet Finch-Saunders AM said:

“Airbus is a vital employer to the region, but they need to think carefully before issuing threats of this kind – not least because it’s their UK workers who’ve helped the company to become the success it is.

“Talking so casually about de-camping to China does those workers a disservice, and you’d think that Airbus was the first company to entertain slashing costs and by extension standards - and it doesn’t usually end well. It’s also interesting to see that they’ve yet to comment on the French, German and Spanish governments which own 26% of the company.

“They could flex their muscles in a more balanced way by reminding those governments just how damaging they feel a no-deal Brexit would be for their investments here in the UK. 

“The UK Government is committed to getting a deal that works for both the European Union and the United Kingdom, and it’s in no-one’s interests to make trade more difficult after Brexit.

“We are getting to the business end of the negotiations, and there is a lot of hyperbole flying around.

“However, it’s in everyone’s interest to ensure that trade remains as free and frictionless as possible once we have left the European Union – and that applies as much to the German car manufacturer and the French wine producer as it does to the aerospace sector here in the UK.”