Airbus boss says UK government is heading in right direction

The chief executive of aeroplane maker Airbus has said the government is “going in the right direction” on Brexit.

Tom Enders has backed Theresa May’s plan for a soft Brexit which was agreed at Friday’s crunch meeting of the cabinet at Chequers.

The aeroplane manufacturer has repeatedly warned it could leave the UK if the country exits the European Union single market and customs union without a transition deal.

The company employs 14,000 in the UK and around 6,000 people at its Broughton site in Chester.

And even though the deal has led to the resignations of Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson it has been welcomed by big business.

Mr Enders tweeted: “The Chequers statement appears to show that HM Government are going in the right direction. We are not shy to request that Brussels & our other home countries are similarly pragmatic & fair.”

The executive has said in the past Airbus had a duty to its shareholders to voice its concerns about Brexit.

In a press briefing ahead of the Farnborough Airshow was openly critical of the Government.

He said: “The sun is shining brightly on the UK, the English team is progressing towards the final, the RAF is preparing to celebrate its centenary and HMG (Her Majesty’s Government) still has no clue, no consensus on how to execute Brexit without severe harm.”

Jaguar and BMW have both warned about the impact on the UK of leaving the EU without a trade deal in place.