THOUSANDS of local jobs could be in jeopardy if the Government decides to cut a major defence project.

Rumours over the weekend suggested that Labour is considering withdrawing support for the multi-billion pound Eurofighter project which would hit Chorley aerospace workers hard.

The town has already suffered from the peace dividend in recent years with cutbacks at British Aerospace's local plants and Euxton Royal Ordnance.

Now Chorley's Labour MP Lindsay Hoyle is pressing Prime Minister Tony Blair to safeguard Britain's £16 billion commitment to the project.

After a meeting with defence secretary George Robertson and an appeal to Mr Blair in the House of Commons, Mr Hoyle poured cold water on rumours the Government was ready to pull out of the project as part of Labour's effort to control public spending.

He said: "I was reassured by the Prime Minister that Eurofighter has the Government's firm support and we are continuing to pursue German interest in the project.

"There are 60,000 jobs tied up in this scheme and thousands of local livelihoods at stake. But George Robertson said Eurofighter makes up a major part of the defence budget and will be seen through."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence also scotched the rumours, saying: "The situation remains the same - we are committed to purchasing the Eurofighter as the fighter for the RAF in the next century at the same numbers as set out by the last government."

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