Britain's aerospace and defence industries were facing up to a round of job cuts yesterday with Rolls-Royce leading the way as it revealed plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs next year.

The jet engine maker, which saw a 17 per cent increase in its order book to £53.5bn ($79bn) between January and June, blamed in part delays in development programmes for new aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 for its planned cuts.