AN ASSEMBLY Member has called an emergency meeting in the Senedd following an announcement which could see Airbus leaving the UK.

Airbus, which employs 14,000 people at 25 sites across the country, has warned it could pull out of the UK in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.

Jack Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside has said he has continuously pushed for assurances and clarity from the UK Government on the issue, but this has not been forthcoming.

He added: “Workers urgently require reassurance. I can confirm that I have today requested an emergency statement in the Senedd.

“We’re at such an important stage in the Brexit negotiations. It isn’t too late for the UK Government to show some leaderships and provide the clarity that business needs.

“I am already in liaison with decision makers and Unite the Union about this issue. I would reiterate that on every visit I make to a workplace in Alyn and Deeside, the lack of clarity is always on management lips when we discuss Brexit.”

A spokesman for Jack Sargeant said: “The request has to be considered by the Assembly’s Presiding Officer.

“We’ll find out next week if the request has been accepted.

“An emergency statement likely to take place either Tuesday or Wednesday.”

The firm published a risk assessment on its website and it 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.

Mark Tami MP said: “Airbus have continually asked this Government for assurances since the referendum result. A global company such as Airbus needs certain commitments before planning its future. It therefore comes as no surprise that Airbus have made this announcement, given the lack of clarity we currently have regarding Brexit.

"We are supposedly meant to be leaving the EU in March 2019, and the lack of progress this Government has made is incredibly worrying.

"I will continue to work closely with Airbus, and other local companies, to ensure they get the sort of assurances they need before committing to invest in the U.K.

"Airbus is a massive company but it’s just one of the many voices who are growing increasingly worried about the prospect of a no deal Brexit.”

Ian Lucas, MP for Wrexham, said the announcement by Airbus is extremely serious but it is not a surprise.

"In a Commons debate on the subject of Brexit well over a year ago, I told the Government that it was essential we put in place a system for working with other European Union countries that is as close as possible to the one we have now," he said.

"We must take the best parts of our relationship with the EU and preserve it as consistently as we possibly can. 

"But not only is the prime minister incapable of reaching out to other parties on this issue, she also cannot secure agreement from her own cabinet about what Britain’s future relationship with the EU is going to be.

"The year since the last General Election has been wasted by the Conservative Party fundamentally disagreeing over the future that it sees for the UK.

"It is now urgent that this disagreement is set aside because Airbus will not be the last business to announce that it is reconsidering its business model. If we do not act now, we will hear of many other UK-based businesses who will be thinking it would be much easier for them to operate from a different country, meaning jobs, livelihoods and futures in the UK would be lost."

Plaid Cymru’s North Wales AM Llyr Gruffydd said: "This is the most explicit statement yet from the largest manufacturing employer in the North that the options currently on the table will be bad for the Welsh economy. Those options – which both involve leaving the Single Market and Customs Union – would make it more difficult for Airbus and the many other companies in its supply chain to operate.

"Plaid Cymru has been clear for the past two years that the best option for Wales and our economy is to remain in the Single Market. This is the best way to prevent the kind of economic meltdown that could happen if companies like Airbus decide to cease investment and ultimately relocate manufacturing."

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "The announcement from Airbus is extremely worrying.

“We have repeatedly warned that the UK cannot take the huge economic risk of cutting ourselves adrift from the Single Market and Customs Union. Particularly in the case of manufacturing sectors, which in Wales are so important in providing high-paid, high-skilled jobs.

“We have again today called on the UK Government in its forthcoming White Paper to commit to staying inside the Single Market and Customs Union.” 

Tory MP Stephen Crabb said the warning from Airbus should be a "wake-up call".

The former Secretary of State for Wales, who represents Preseli Pembrokeshire, tweeted: "The enormous Airbus factory in North Wales is one of the jewels in the crown of UK manufacturing. This is a wake-up call. A pragmatic, sensible Brexit that protects trade & jobs is vital."

Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: "If proof was needed that the PM's Brexit red lines need to be abandoned (and fast), this is it."

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said that Airbus was engaged in lobbying for its interests.

He told Sky News: "Twenty years ago I heard car manufacturers saying if Britain didn't join the euro they may well consider pulling out of Britain - Nissan, others like that.

"We build the wings in this country. If they close down production it would take them at least two years to put that back in place somewhere in France or Germany.

"Big business will always lobby for their interests, of course they will. I understand that."

He added that he agreed with Airbus that there should be greater clarity over the UK's post-Brexit plans.