THE Secretary of State for Defence Michael Portillo joined Ministerial colleage Tom Sackville on the campaign trail yesterday.

Mr Portillo and the Bolton West MP spent more than an hour at the Westhoughton aircraft engineering works of Bellhouse Hartwell and Co Ltd touring the factory and chatting to staff.

Mr Portillo's visit follows hot on the heels of Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary David Clark, who gave an assurance that jobs in the defence industry would be secure under a Labour Government and pledged to go ahead with the Eurofighter aircraft programme last week.

But yesterday Mr Portillo said that Labour was full of people keen to find spending cuts in defence to pay for their other plans, and hit out at the Party's aim to establish a defence review.

"There is no need for a defence review. We've gone through the changes and there is no need to go ahead with any further changes," said Mr Portillo.

And he warned that under such a review Euro fighter would be affected.

He added that people in the North West remembered Labour in the past for the TSR2s. Mr Portillo said that the Conservatives have set their spending plans for defence for the next three years and gave an assurance that it was a very stable defence budget, and that the North West would feature in those plans.

"This is the home of British Aerospace and the many suppliers to British Aerospace," he said.

Mr Sackville said that Bellhouse Hartwell, who he has visited on many occasions during his 14 years as Bolton West MP, are a major contractor to the Ministry of Defence and the Westhoughton plant is involved with the service and maintenance of aircraft structures including the Tornado and Nimrod.

He said the company had a skill base which can never be replaced.

"I am delighted that the Secretary of State has agreed to visit such a dynamic company. The defence industry is an integral part of the North West economy."

Mr Portillo said that he was confident that Mr Sackville would retain the Bolton West seat for the Conservatives.

He was asked if the condemnation of the European Monetary Union by two of his colleagues, Health Minister John Horam and Employment Minister James Paice, would be damaging to the Tory Election Campaign.

" I do not think it is damaging. The most damaging is that Labour will try to distract people's attention from their plans to sell Britain out at the European Summit in Amsterdam in June, which is just as important as Maastricht."

Earlier in the day Mr Portillo toured Francis Searchlights on Union Road with Bolton North East Conservative candidate Robert Wilson. The local employer carries out defence work and management were looking for assurances over future contracts.

Mr Wilson said: "Mr Portillo pledged that defence spending would be maintained in real terms over the next three years.

"He also said there would be a major recruitment drive for the army and navy. The way to guarantee defence for the next three years is to vote Conservative."

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