MPs have been invited to BAE Systems' plant at Warton for talks.

The meeting, set for Friday, is being staged to address job fears which have been prompted by a Ministry of Defence delay in signing up to the next stage of the Eurofighter Typhoon project.

The engineering union Amicus is stepping up its fight to protect the thousands of jobs at BAE Systems in Samlesbury and Warton it believes under threat because of the Government indecision.

Works convenor Barry Culshaw today revealed the MPs had been invited to Warton for talks.

He was speaking after Amicus General Secretary Derek Simpson visited Lancashire yesterday to talk to management and workers about the multi-billion-pound programme which is vital to the company's future.

"It was good that the new General Secretary took time to come to Warton and listen to the very clear concerns our members have," he said.

"His visit and that of North West MPs on Friday will help to raise the profile of the issues we have with the Government over the Typhoon.

"Although the Government has agreed in principle to go ahead with the next tranche of the Eurofighter project, they and their European allies have not formally signed the order to commission the next batch of planes.

"We are lobbying Government at the highest levels to try and resolve the contract issue before this becomes critical for the 9,000 highly skilled workers at Warton and Samlesbury and thousands more jobs in the North West that depend upon these sites," added Mr Simpson.