UK risks losing key role in European space industry over satellite contract, says Airbus boss

Guillaume Faury writes to Andy Burnham warning him against choosing US firm Lockheed Martin to build Skynet satellites

The boss of Airbus has told Andy Burnham that choosing its US rival Lockheed Martin to manufacture military satellites could cost the UK a key role in the European space industry, intensifying a last-minute lobbying effort for the 2.4bn contract.

It is understood that Guillaume Faury, the chief executive of France-headquartered Airbus, has written to the prime minister suggesting that the choice of provider of the Skynet system could have effects for decades to come on the UK's strength in military satellites in Europe, in an effort to tip the contract away from its US rival.