A top executive overseeing the development of the Tempest fighter jet yesterday brushed off any doubts regarding its future under Andy Burnham.

Tempest is part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a collaboration between the UK, Italy and Japan. Reports suggest that Canada will today become the latest country to join the project.

But doubts have swirled about Britain’s commitment in the past and the Prime Minister looks set to swerve the Farnborough Airshow this week where previous PMs have given their backing.

However, Masami Oka, chief executive of GCAP, said: ‘My personal view is that the Government has already committed to this programme.’

Tempest was one of the winners of funding announced in Labour’s recent £15billion Defence Investment Plan (DIP). But Burnham has been left with a £5billion gap to pay for the plan.

Marco Zoff, boss of Edgewing, the industrial joint venture that is behind GCAP, said there had never been any doubt over Britain’s commitment.