Portsmouth council leader urges business secretary to visit city amid Airbus Brexit concerns

Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson has sent a letter to the MP, formally inviting him to visit Portsmouth and speak to Airbus staff.

The news comes after Airbus warned it could leave the UK in a deal with the EU was not reached.

In his letter to the business secretary, Cllr Vernon-Jackson said: ‘Here in Portsmouth we host Airbus Space with 1400 well paid engineering jobs at the home of the UK satellite industry.

‘We are already suffering from the effects of the UK being excluded from the Galileo project because we are no longer going to be part of the EU, but now the real prospect of losing all the jobs at Airbus if a sensible deal is not available to allow Airbus to move parts, components, people and products between the UK and the EU without encountering tariffs or red tape, is really concerning and there now appears to be a real prospect that no deal will be done.

‘I would like to invite you to Portsmouth to meet people working at Airbus so that you can update them on what the government is doing to reach a full comprehensive agreement which allows products and components manufactured in the UK free, open and unfettered access to European markets so that jobs here in Portsmouth can be sustained.’

The letter was posted to Greg Clark MP earlier this afternoon.