London — Boeing is the "king of corporate welfare", the UK’s main opposition Labour Party said on Wednesday, accusing the US aerospace company of "egregious hypocrisy" in pursuing an illegal-subsidies claim against Bombardier that threatens thousands of jobs in Northern Ireland. The US slapped 300% of duties on Bombardier’s C Series aircraft after upholding Boeing’s contention that the Canadian company benefited from state support, allowing it to sell the model more cheaply. Labour’s trade spokesman, Barry Gardiner, said on Wednesday that "no aircraft these days comes to market without support from government", including those produced by Boeing. "Boeing has absolutely been sucking at the milk of corporate welfare in America for far too long," Gardiner said on Bloomberg TV. "They need to understand that the way in which they are playing, this does not sit well with UK parliamentarians." The dispute has caused a headache for UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who wants to strike a trade ...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.