Conservative MP Mark Pritchard has demanded a Government statement on the growing costs and delays of the defence training contract which was won by South Wales in a two-headed contest with RAF Cosford.

Plans for the multi-billion pound academy at RAF St Athan were further thrown into disarray last month when a major contractor pulled out of the project.

In a clash with Welsh MPs and the Secretary of State for Wales Paul Murphy yesterday, Mr Pritchard demanded “the truth” about the present state of the project.

“The programme has rising costs and increasing delays,” he told members of the Commons.

The Wrekin MP, whose constituency includes RAF Cosford, said that even Prime Minister Gordon Brown had given no assurance that the defence training review was going ahead in Wales.

“Do we not need an early statement from the Secretary of State giving us the truth about the project and its rising costs?” the Shropshire MP asked.

Mr Murphy replied there was no indication at all that there would be any change of plan.

“The Government are committed to it,” he said.

“I am sure when the time comes, there will be a proper statement to this House of Commons,” he added.

In a direct jibe at Mr Pritchard, Glamorgan MP John Smith, said it was about time Opposition MPs “stopped knocking the project and began pulling together” to ensure that it was brought in on time and within budget.

Later, Mr Pritchard said that the scheme was “unaffordable and undeliverable” and should be scrapped.

And in response to Mr Smith’s remarks, he added: “Mr Smith is doing his job, I am doing my job, which is to defend the interests of my constituents and the national defence interests regarding training.

“I make no apology for standing up for Cosford and local suppliers.”

RAF Cosford lost the competition to be the base for the training academy last year to the Metrix Consortium, which included property company Land Securities.

It had spent about £20 million on the St Athan project, but a spokesman said that its Trillium arm was withdrawing from the scheme “in light of the significantly increased bid costs, carried at risk by the bidders, required as the project moves into detailed design work”.

By Sunita Patel