BRIGHTON, England _ Prime Minister Theresa May hinted that Boeing Co. risks future contracts with the U.K. if it continues to press its case against Bombardier Inc., which employs more than 4,000 people in Northern Ireland.
Speaking after a preliminary U.S. Department of Commerce ruling placed punitive import duties on Bombardier aircraft after a dispute over state subsidies, May said she is working with the Canadian government and leaders from across the political divide in Northern Ireland for a solution.
"We have a long-term partnership with Boeing, in various aspects of government, and this is not the kind of behavior we expect from a long-term partner and it undermines that partnership," May said after a speech at the Bank of England in London on Thursday. Her focus is on "how we can work together to impress on the American government the importance of Bombardier to Northern Ireland."
May's intervention echoes comments by British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon and reflect growing frustration in government over the failure to broker a solution.
The dispute is potentially highly damaging to May, who relies on the support of 10 lawmakers from Northern Ireland to keep her Conservatives in power. And the fact that her lobbying of Donald Trump brought no obvious results has raised questions about the post-Brexit free-trade deal with the U.S. that both countries say they are keen to secure.
