NORTH Wiltshire Conservative MP James Gray has criticised comments made by a Government minister about redundancies at Dyson as "ludicrous and disgraceful".

Treasury Minister Paul Boetang said the job cuts at the vacuum manufacturer's Malmesbury headquarters said by the company to be 590 was "good news".

In a Commons debate about manufacturing in the South West last week, Mr Boetang said people should "get real about job the losses" after the firm decided to switch manufacturing from Swindon to Malaysia.

Mr Gray said: "I expected Mr Boetang to sympathise in some way, but he actually said we should get real, it was a very strange.

"There is a cold wind blowing through the high-tec hindustry in the South West at the moment illustrated by the Dyson redundancies."

In 1997 Dyson was heralded as the bastion of UK manufacturing and was the fastest growing business in Europe.

Junior minister Mr Boetang blamed tax, the strength of the pound, regulations, bureaucracy and a synchronised international downturn in the manufacturing industry post September 11 for the job losses.

He added: "Mr Gray needs to understand, in relation to his specific example, that Dyson is upping its research and development investment in our country."

Dyson spokeswoman Susi Burke said: "Research and development is at the heart of Dyson and will remain in Malmesbury this is critical to Dyson's future and we must increase this to continue developing new technology products.

"Many companies are being forced to to move manufacturing away from the UK in order to remain competitive and be near their main suppliers - Dyson is subject to the same pressures ."

n The names of staff affected by the first wave of Dyson redundancies will be announced on Monday, with those taking voluntary redundancy the first to go.