SOUTH SOMERSET NEWS: Paddy Ashdown calls on Government to take action over GKN job fears

FORMER Yeovil MP Paddy Ashdown has said that the Prime Minister needs to step in and help safeguard jobs at aerospace company GKN.

It was announced earlier today (Friday, October 7, 2016) that bosses at Yeovil-based GKN had sent home 230 workers with warnings that they could be facing redundancy.

GKN makes the airframes for the Royal Navy’s Wildcat helicopter, but now Leonardo – better known as Yeovil-based Westlands - who produce the helicopter want to take the work back in-house.

Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon has been quick to react to the GKN statement on the plans to scale down or close their site in Yeovil.

“This is very worrying news indeed for Yeovil and South Somerset,” he said. “I am waiting to discuss these events with the management in the Yeovil factory.

“Meanwhile, I will be working with my colleague, the Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Daisy Benson to see what action can be taken in Parliament and locally to address the situation.

“It is at present too early to say whether Brexit has had any part to play in these possible job losses which seem primarily to be the consequence of the Government’s foolish to decision to buy helicopters made abroad rather than at Yeovil.”

Lord Ashdown took the opportunity to criticise local MP, Marcus Fysh, of the Conservatives, who won the seat back for the Tories from the Liberal Democrats at last year’s General Election.

“Our community is paying a heavy price for a local MP who has neither the standing or the energy to gain influence nor voice over the decisions made by a short-sighted Government,” said Lord Ashdown.

“Meanwhile this is a challenge for Theresa May (Prime Minister) as well. She declared that her Government would have industrial strategy.

“Now she must come clean – does that include Britain having helicopter industry or not. If so then the Government must take action to address the damage that has been done by their short-sightedness.

“If not then we will know where to look when further damage is done to Britain’s helicopter industry and the Yeovil and South Somerset community.”

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