Jack Sargeant Column: Support from Keir Starmer on calls for an aviation sector specific bailout to help save local jobs

Alyn and Deeside MS Jack Sargeant writes a regular column on Deeside.com with updates on his work in the Welsh Parliament and closer to home.

Jack writes: This week  I welcomed Keir Starmer to Alyn and Deeside, we visited the AMRC Cymru in Broughton to speak about the future of the aviation industry and keeping skilled jobs in Flintshire.

I spoke to Keir about how the UK and Wales recovers from COVID and the need to maintain our high skilled manufacturing base, so that we can compete with the rest of the world. 

As I have said before, it is not realistic for recovery to be based solely on the service sector, we will need to make things after COVID and in order to do so we need to protect jobs and skills.

The job losses at Airbus in Broughton are devastating.

To avoid a jobs squeeze across the UK we need to see better targeted support from the chancellor.

The Labour Party will always fight for jobs across the whole country. pic.twitter.com/Uywh9bFsoS

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) August 6, 2020

I have previously called for a sector specific bailout to achieve this and am glad to have the support of Keir Starmer, First Minister Mark Drakeford, Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds and my colleague Mark Tami MP. 

As reported by Deeside.com recently the UK Government are starting to make the right noises but we now need action. 

Already jobs have been lost because of a failure to intervene. 

Guidant workers and others have every right to be angry at the slow pace of intervention and this cannot continue.

The alternative is to see the industry grow elsewhere, once the crisis is over, that cannot be sensible. 

Keir Starmer is a powerful advocate for supporting our industry and our communities, I will continue to work with him to make the case for Alyn and Deeside.