The Conservatives have accused Stormont of "failing East Belfast and forcing the manufacturing industry to face the world with one hand tied behind its back"
Reacting to the loss of 580 jobs at Bombardier today, with another possible 500 jobs to go next year, Neil Wilson said: "Stormont is failing East Belfast because it fails to understand how to run an economy.
"The world is changing rapidly and demand is shifting daily because of fast evolving technology. Punitive levels of taxation and huge energy costs create a perfect storm for job losses when what businesses need is the wriggle room to adapt.
"Failure to understand the basics of the market ensures that the manufacturing industry here is forced to face the world with one hand tied behind its back, with the result being redundancies like today's.
"These losses have been on the cards for a long time. Unless something changes, and quickly, East Belfast will continue to haemorrhage jobs for years to come."