He said: “This is most concerning news and I have been in contact with QinetiQ for further details. The Hebrides Range is the largest private employer in Uist and any job cuts will impact the local economy.

“I have written to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to see if they approve of the plans and that they have oversight of the changes to the Hebrides Range.

“We know there is a huge defence underspend in Scotland of £1bn and the Government have talked about jobs in Trident. How much does the Government care about defence jobs in Uist?”

Mr MacNeil understands that the terms and conditions of redundancy being offered to staff are significantly worse for those whose contract began post 2001 when QinietiQ was privatised by the Labour Government.

From discussions with QinetiQ, he said it was planned that all redundancies would be voluntary and that they were also looking at redeployment, although he added that this could be difficult given the location.