TRADE unionists and Labour politicians warned of a “cliff edge” Brexit under the Tories today after Airbus threatened to pull out of Britain, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

The government is in ongoing negotiations with the aerospace giant over increasing assertiveness by businesses that any deal must protect their profits.

Airbus, which employs 14,000 people at 25 sites across the country, said it would “reconsider its investments in the UK” if Britain leaves the EU without a deal.

In response to Airbus’s risk assessment projections, Unite has expressed its concerns that Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plans were making disaster likely in Brexit negotiations.

Accusing Ms May of prioritising “Tory infighting” ahead of the welfare of working class communities, the union’s leadership has urged the government to take Airbus’s concerns seriously and to prioritise the safeguarding of jobs.

Pointing out the vitality of manufacturing and aviation production to the British economy — and specifically of Airbus, whose operations support 110,000 jobs — Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner warned the government against “dismissing” the concerns of industry.

He said: “The realities of a ‘cliff edge’ Brexit and its impact on jobs in manufacturing communities across the four nations of the UK are becoming closer by the day.

“It would be a betrayal of Airbus workers, their families and the tens of thousands of workers in the wider supply chain if the government failed to secure frictionless trade and access to the customs union and single market.”

British workers, Mr Turner said, need “certainty” that Britain will remain a “world leader in aerospace.”

He added: “People voted to leave the European Union, but they didn’t back ‘leave’ to lose their jobs and see their livelihoods smashed on the cliff face of a ‘hard Brexit’.”

Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer held Airbus’s worries as “proof” that the PM should abandon her “reckless decision” to keep a “no” deal with Brussels on the table.

“It’s imperative we get a deal with the EU that provides the reassurance necessary to keep skilled jobs in Britain — for workers today and for future generations,” he said.

“Ministers need to start listening to the legitimate concerns of businesses and get a grip on the Brexit negotiations.”