QinetiQ jobs toll to rise by another 325

Government cuts today led to a further 325 likely job cuts at the QinetiQ defence firm on top of the 391 posts it announced would be cut only last month.

The company said it followed a "detailed review" of its UK assets. Most of the cuts will
be at its Boscombe Down operation near Salisbury, which provides technical evaluation and testing of the armed forces' fighter jets and helicopters, under contract to the MoD.

The cuts are being made on the orders of new chief executive Leo Quinn, who said today: "In today's challenging business environment we need to ensure that QinetiQ is focused on its strengths and is fully aligned with the needs of its customers.

"Whilst we must reset our cost base in line with demand, we will continue to maintain a full capability for our customers through our unique understanding of the global aerospace, defence and security markets."

Union leaders expressed "alarm" at the scale of the cuts.

Prospect union national officer David Luxton said: "QinetiQ now has a quarter of its 6,000 employees at risk of redundancy over the coming months, which is both alarming and distressing for over 1,500 highly skilled scientists, engineers and project managers working at the cutting edge of defence technology and future capabilities for the armed forces.

"The scale of the redundancies, which are attributable to Ministry of Defence spending cuts, sharply exposes the vulnerability of private sector jobs to public expenditure cuts.

"Redundancies on this scale will have a devastating impact on many individuals and their families, and reinforces the bleak economic outlook across the defence sector - directly attributable to the spending decisions now being made by Government."