The British prime minister has promised to "impress" on US president Donald Trump how important Bombardier jobs – which could be threatened by a row with rival Boeing – are to Northern Ireland when she meets with him later this week.
Theresa May, who flew to Ottawa on Monday for trade talks with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, said she had previously phoned Mr Trump to stress the key role that Bombardier, which employs around 4,500 people, plays in the Northern Ireland economy.
Bombardier, which is one of the North’s biggest private sector employers, has been accused by Boeing of receiving government subsidies which it claims enabled the Canadian group to sell its C Series aircraft in the US at below production costs.
The allegations have led to the US Department of Commerce launching an anti-dumping and anti-subsidies investigation into Bombardier’s sales of the C Series in the US.
Provisional decision
A provisional decision from this investigation is expected on September 25th.
During a joint press conference with Mr Trudeau at Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, Ms May said she would be impressing on Mr Trump “the significance of Bombardier to the UK and particularly obviously to jobs in Northern Ireland”.
Ms May said she wants to see a resolution to the dispute between Bombardier and Boeing that would “protect” jobs in the North.
Mr Trudeau said “good quality jobs that come directly from the aerospace industry in Canada and Northern Ireland” were not only important to both prime ministers but “to Canadians and to people around the world”.
“We will continue to stand up for jobs and stand up for the excellent airplane that is the Bombardier C Series aircraft,” he said.
