Blair and Brown team up at Airbus

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown arrive at the Airbus plant

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown made a joint visit to one of Wales' biggest employers to highlight their election commitment to invest in skills.

The prime minister and his chancellor flew by helicopter to the Airbus plant at Broughton, Deeside, on Monday.

Amid speculation about their friendship, Mr Blair said it was "fantastic" they were both there.

It symbolised "joining together of the campaign for economic efficiency and that for a more just society," he said.

Mr Blair and Mr Brown travelled to the plant after co-hosting Labour election campaign news conference in London, where they focused on the economy and education.

We more or less put the whole project of New Labour together Tony Blair on Gordon Brown

The factory makes the wings for the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger plane, which was unveiled in the south of France in January.

Mr Blair, who opened the Airbus plant almost two years ago, were greeted by First Minister Rhodri Morgan and some three dozen young apprentices.

Opened by Mr Blair in July 2003, the facility employs 6,000 people, including 500 adult and teenage apprentices.

Labour is promising to create 300,000 apprenticeships and an employer training programme for adults.

Some 6,000 people work at Airbus, including 500 apprentices

The prime minister and chancellor met workers putting together one of the plane's 150ft (45m) wings, and Mr Blair described the mechanisms as "incredible".

During interviews, Mr Blair was pressed on whether he was enjoying spending so much time with Mr Brown.

Mr Blair said: "Yes, it is fantastic. We have worked closely together for many, many years.

"We more or less put the whole project of New Labour together."

Mr Blair also said it was extraordinary that the Conservative manifesto "barely mentions the economy."

"Yet the economy is at the heart of whether the country succeeds or not in the future.

Tony Blair arriving at Abergele community college

"And the reason for that is not that they don't have an economic plan - this is the crucial thing for people to understand - but they have an economic plan that does not add up.

"And it would return this country to the economic instability and all the problems with jobs and mortgages that we had in the past and that is why we are saying if we want the country to remain strong, keep the economy strong."

Mr Blair and his chancellor then went to Abergele Community College, an adult learning centre near Colwyn Bay, where they toured the computer room and café.

In the café Mr Blair spoke to one long-standing Labour member who said she had returned to the fold after earlier becoming disillusioned about the Iraq war.

Olwen Edwards, 89, from Colwyn Bay, said later: "I told him frankly that I was angry about Iraq and I had even cancelled my membership.

"But I have since thought about it more and now I understand his decision to go in."