Union leaders are to warn the Government that time is running out to avoid a "calamitous" exit from the EU, hitting jobs and communities.

National and local officials of the Unite union will meet Cabinet Minister Michael Gove on Wednesday to spell out their concerns about the impact of a no-deal Brexit,

The delegation of long-serving manufacturing workers say it could be a last-ditch bid to persuade ministers to comprehend the enormity of a no-deal Brexit on working communities.

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The union said previous meetings with ministers have revealed a "desperate lack of understanding" of both modern manufacturing and the ramifications of the policy being pursued by Government.

Ahead of the meeting, Steve Turner, assistant general secretary of Unite, said: "We are really hoping today for a sense that the penny has dropped, that Government now better understands the grave dangers no-deal poses to the jobs of working people.

"Our previous meetings left us with no confidence that the Government was facing the realities of a no- deal on our manufacturing industries and too ready to brush off evidence-based argument as 'project fear'.

"I would ask them not to be so cavalier when we return today with representatives who between them have hundreds of years of experience of this sector, who are telling them to their face that a no-deal Brexit is a death sentence for jobs and investment.

"Time is rapidly running out. We need you to rule out any threat of a no-deal Brexit and the disastrous consequences that will follow.

"Our world-class manufacturers cannot move forward with investment in new plant or tooling, replacement models or new designs because of the fear that, within weeks, the massive uncertainty currently facing the sector will become unprecedented chaos.

"I am appealing to Mr Gove - please listen very carefully to these workers and give them the assurances they need that you get it and you care.

"If you cannot do that, it won't be because you don't understand the impact of what you're doing. We'll have to conclude that you and the Government you represent simply don't care."

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Attending the meeting with Mr Gove will be Mick Graham, Unite convenor at Jaguar Land Rover, who said: "I just don't recognise the rosy glow that Mr Gove and other ministers are trying to put on their Brexit strategy. It bears no relation to the realities of Jaguar Land Rover where we rely on frictionless trade and open customs arrangements to ensure the just in time delivery of the 20 million components our plants consume every day.

"Right now, I can't look my colleagues in the eye and tell them that everything will be fine because it won't be. This is Mr Gove's chance to convince me otherwise."

Tony Person, Unite convenor at British Steel, said: "British Steel supports the jobs and livelihoods of 25,000 people directly and across our supply chain. We produce a product vital to our country's manufacturing base but it will be hanging by a thread if no-deal is the Brexit outcome.

"I come from a community that was hit hard by the impact of 1980's Conservative ideology under Mrs Thatcher. We will not let another Government destroy our jobs and communities.

"These are people we are talking about, with bills to pay, families to raise and communities to support. We will not allow them to be treated as collateral damage for those hell-bent on a no-deal or bad Brexit."