Manufacturing Jobs: Lowest Since Records Began

11.07.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 16th Jun 2004

The Government is presiding over the worst ever decline in manufacturing, the Liberal Democrats said today. According to official figures out today, manufacturing jobs have hit the lowest point since records began in 1978. Today's figures from the Office for National Statistics show that manufacturing jobs have halved since 1978. (From 6,892,000 manufacturing jobs in 1978 to 3,371,000 in 2004).

Paul Holmes MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Work, said: "For all the Government's crowing on employment, the manufacturing industry in Britain is collapsing.

"More must be done to help the real economy of our towns and rural areas. Small scale factory closures can have a huge detrimental effect on the local community as the high-profile collapses that make news headlines.

"While manufacturing jobs haemorrhage, Gordon Brown twiddles his thumbs."