Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt issued a crushing message for West Midlands workers fighting for their jobs today - stop bad-mouthing British industry.
The extraordinary slap in the face came as Alstom and Rover workers demonstrated to save their livelihoods outside the Labour conference hall.
In a thinly-veiled message to the 2,500 manufacturing workers massed outside the Bournemouth gathering, Ms Hewitt told delegates: "Let us never make the mistake of talking down British manufacturing.
"To those who say there won't be any manufacturing jobs left in 20 years' time, I say - if that is the message, how are we going to attract young men and women into engineering? How are we going to get the investment we need?"
Ms Hewitt added: "As the minister for manufacturing in the Cabinet, I know that the best of British manufacturing is the best in the world.
"But we need more of it. That's why we are raising the science budget to £3 billion - money for ideas to turn into jobs."
Alstom announced in June that it intended to axe trains production at Washwood Heath next year, putting 1,400 jobs at risk. The Amicus union campaign was underlined today by the fact that the train taking the marchers to Bournemouth was built in the 1960s.
Bob Charles, Amicus convenor at the plant, said: "We are travelling down in train coaches which are 40 years old. It begs the question that very shortly we are going to need a huge amount of new rolling stock - but who is going to make it?
"If this is our future, what do we do - just refurbish and refurbish until we can't do it any more?
