UNITE has demanded the Tory government stop dithering over its pledges to protect manufacturing in Britain as arms giant BAE yesterday announced it was to axe up to 371 jobs.

BAE said the vast majority of the job losses would be among its 13,000-strong workforce in Samlesbury, Lancashire, though some other positions would also be hit.

The firm said the decision was due to a slowing-down in production of its Typhoon fighter programme.

The group also warned that the move to slow jet production would hit its 2015 financial results and would see Typhoon production sales drop from about £1.3 billion in 2015 to £1.1bn in 2016.

BAE, which receives substantial backing and financial subsidies from the government, secured a deal to supply 28 Typhoons for the Kuwait air force in September.

The Typhoon is produced by a consortium including BAE, Italy’s Finmeccanica and Airbus of Toulouse in France.

The group is also in talks with Saudi Arabia to try to secure further Typhoon purchases, despite the kingdom’s atrocious human-rights record.

The news is a further blow to Britain’s struggling manufacturing sector following the loss of thousands of jobs in the steel industry in recent weeks.

And yesterday aerospace engine-maker Rolls-Royce announced it would be “streamlining” its senior management next year, but did not reveal how many of its 2,000 staff in that category are at risk.

Unite union national officer Ian Waddell said: “The government needs to stop dithering and act urgently to stop the haemorrhage of skilled UK manufacturing jobs.”