LONDON,11 Jul (ANA) - Boeing and the UK government have announced a deal involving the creation of 2,000 jobs and an aircraft contract. Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled the details on Monday at the start of the Farnborough Airshow. It involves buying nine new Boeing P8 maritime patrol aircraft and expanding the US giant's UK research operations. Mr Cameron said the news underlined that the UK was open for business, despite the country's referendum vote to leave the EU. He said: "Whatever uncertainties our country faces, I want the message to go out loud and clear: the UK will continue to lead the world in both civil and defence aerospace." In addition to buying the aircraft, Boeing will invest about £100m in an operational support and training base at RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland, creating more than 100 new jobs. "Boeing is committed to the UK government's prosperity agenda and we share the goals of enhanced economic growth that the prime minister has set out to us," said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing's chairman, president and chief executive officer. Boeing has doubled its UK workforce and more than doubled its annual spending with the UK supply chain over the last five years, to more than 2,000 people and £1.8bn respectively in 2015, the company said in a statement. The 2,000 new Boeing jobs in the UK are part of the firm's long-term strategy, Boeing said. Separately, the government announced a further £365m worth of aerospace research and development, to be jointly funded with industry. A government statement said: "These are part of the work of the Aerospace Growth Partnership, which will publish a new strategy at Farnborough setting out plans to maintain the UK aerospace sector's leading position. "This includes a new supply chain competitiveness charter signed by 11 major companies across the aerospace sector." (ANA)

FA/ANA/11 July 2016------