North Yorkshire MPs gave Mike Laycock their views on the Son Of Star Wars issue.

"My message to Bush is: 'You must think again.'" So says Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis, whose Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency is the nearest significant centre of population to Menwith Hill.

He is worried that George W Bush's proposals for a missile defence system, which it is thought would involve the American spy base, would mean the end of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and make the world a less safe place. "I find that unacceptable," he says.

Labour MP Lawrie Quinn, whose Scarborough and Whitby constituency lies close to RAF Fylingdales, also thought to be involved in the Son Of Star Wars plans, has concerns, but does not yet condemn the project outright.

He says firstly that much more information is needed about what is being proposed, particularly about Fylingdales' involvement. "We have big gaps in terms of information."

He said many ordinary constituents have been raising the issue when they come to his surgeries, and he has recently handed a petition, raising concerns about the proposals and signed by 2,500 people from Whitby and the Esk Valley, to Downing Street.

"There should be a full and open consultation with people in my constituency and with the people of North Yorkshire."

His York counterpart Hugh Bayley says: "We must avoid a new arms race, and we are most likely to achieve that if we keep talking to the Americans, rather than making a precipitous decision.

"Missile defence could cause new security risks, but if the Americans decide to go ahead, they will do so whether or not they have access to Fylingdales, so we need to talk."

Tory MP John Greenway, whose Ryedale constituency includes Fylingdales, claimed the Evening Press plea to Bush was "ridiculous",.

He said it was not yet known what the Americans were proposing and called for rational debate and a full investigation into the feasibility of missile defence. "I don't think we should get emotional.

There is a threat and it has got to be dealt with," he said.

"It's quite possible that Fylingdales may not be used at all...In the long run, Fylingdales may not have a role, and we will lose an MoD site rather than see an expansion."

Updated: 16:46 Thursday, February 07, 2002