We should fight for the 450 'irreplaceable' Airbus jobs in Newport potentially under threat from a 'no-deal' Brexit, MP for Newport West, Paul Flynn has said.
He was speaking following a warning from aerospace firm Airbus that it could pull out of the UK with the loss of thousands of jobs in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit.
The MP warned that leaving the EU without staying in the customs union would be 'falling off a cliff as far as jobs are concerned'.
He said: “I only wish Airbus had been more vocal during the referendum campaign about their concerns. It’s quite a risk to Newport jobs, and jobs across the UK as a whole."
He said that many people from the area work at the Celtic Springs site and more commute to work at the Airbus base at Filton in Bristol, which would also be under threat if the company went ahead with pulling out of the UK post-Brexit. 
Mr Flynn said: “These are the type of jobs that have a future, but that future is being put in peril by us pulling out of Europe and potentially not staying in the customs union.
“This is now project reality. In the referendum there were two projects, fear and lies. Now we are facing the possible reality.
“The jobs are precious and irreplaceable we need to fight for them.”
Newport West AM Jayne Bryant said: “This announcement is very worrying. I visited the Celtic Springs site immediately after the Brexit vote and we do not want to lose these highly-skilled, good-quality jobs. There would be a significant knock-on effect on the economy and local area.  
"The warning from Airbus must be a reality check for the UK Government. I will be raising it with Welsh Ministers and I urge the UK Government to urgently provide clarification on their plans.” 
And Welsh Labour MEP Derek Vaughan has warned the feared job losses at Airbus would be the first of many as other big employers prepare for Brexit.
He said: “Airbus has given repeated warnings it would reconsider its presence in the UK due to Brexit and this should be a wakeup call for workers, trade unions and politicians. As Airbus makes clear, there is no good scenario outside the EU." 
Airbus employs 14,000 people at 25 sites across the UK. The company said it would 'reconsider its investments in the UK, and its long-term footprint in the country' if Britain crashed out of the single market and customs union without a transition agreement.
Publishing a Brexit 'risk assessment' on its website, the firm also called on the government to extend the planned transition period due to run until December 2020 if a deal is agreed, saying it was too short for the business to reorganise its supply chain.
If there was no extension it would 'carefully monitor any new investments in the UK and refrain from extending the UK suppliers/partners base', it said.
Tom Williams, the chief operating officer of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, said Brexit would have 'severe negative consequences for the UK aerospace industry and Airbus in particular' in any scenario.
He said: "While Airbus understands that the political process must go on, as a responsible business we require immediate details on the pragmatic steps that should be taken to operate competitively.
"Without these, Airbus believes that the impacts on our UK operations could be significant.
"We have sought to highlight our concerns over the past 12 months, without success.
"Far from Project Fear, this is a dawning reality for Airbus.
"Put simply, a no-deal scenario directly threatens Airbus' future in the UK."
A Government spokeswoman said: "We have made significant progress towards agreeing a deep and special partnership with the EU to ensure trade remains as free and frictionless as possible, including in the aerospace sector, and we're confident of getting a good deal that is mutually beneficial. Given the good progress that we are continuing to make in the negotiations we do not expect a no-deal scenario to arise."