UNION leaders representing thousands of aerospace workers in Lancashire today voiced serious concerns over delays in announcing a vital defence contract.

And Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans is also to urge the Government to award billions of pounds worth of contracts as soon as possible.

A total of £4 billion worth of contracts, including a replacement for the RAF's Maritime Patrol Aircraft and two missile orders, are thought to be imminent.

But union leaders at British Aerospace, which is bidding for the MPA contract, said they were concerned that the Government was "playing politics with people's jobs by creating uncertainty amongthe workforce".

"This contract is crucial to maintain British Aerospace's prime contracting and systems integrating skills," said John Deans, works convenor for the AEEU.

And defence ministers will be told next week to "buy British and buy soon" to ensure that the North West's defence industry does not hit the rocks.

Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans will highlight the importance of military production to East Lancashire and the region in general in a special debate on Wednesday morning.

As well as BAe firms including Cleveland Guest Engineering, of Colne, Pendle Aeroform, of Burnley and Brookhouse Patterns, of Darwen, are also involved in consortiums bidding for contracts

Mr Evans will tell Defence Secretary Michael Portillo's team that orders like these are vital to the health of not just BAe but many other smaller firms throughout the region.

He will stress the importance of ammunition orders to Blackburn's Royal Ordnance factory and the need for other contracts such as the Future Large Aircraft and the tornado replacement to be awarded to British companies.

Mr Evans said: "I shall tell them to buy British and buy soon.

"We have a vibrant and vital defence industry in the North West and we must not allow it to decline.

"It is not just very important to jobs but it is a high skilled base that once allowed to go cannot be replaced.

"As well as the jobs argument there is a strong strategic case for buying British.

"It is also vital that the orders continue to flow through so that the firms do not suffer. It would be a tragedy if the North West defence industry were to decline because of lack of orders."

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