Richard Exell

This morning BAE Systems, the defence, security and aerospace company, announced that it has started consultations with unions about 1,400 job losses in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Moray, Ayrshire, Hampshire, Rutland and Somerset. The company said that the decision was made after “a detailed review of the implications of the UK Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review.” The company had just been notified that the Harrier and Nimrod programmes are being cancelled. Prospect has argued that this is another illustration of the impact of the cuts and pointed to “the loss of valuable skills.” Unite called the news “a tragedy for British manufacturing;” national officer Bernie Hamilton said: “the country that gave the world the revolutionary Harrier jump jet will lose the know-how to build an aircraft like this.”